Not like other title text!
Book covers with typography oriented in non-standard alignments, instead of the typical horizontal + left to right text alignment. Or: graphic design is my passion, and today we are learning about text paths đââïž. This is an immensely silly List, and always open to suggestionsâvertical text, circular, upside down, anything goes!
created by ayzrules
last updated March, 2026
Comments
such a neat list idea! will def have to look into some of these titles. i took a quick look through my library and thought these would be fun additions if youâd like: The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis Moonbound by Robin Sloan Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
As someone who's bad at graphic design, I absolutely love seeing others pull it off well, so this list is awesome! Are you looking for any hand-lettering as well, or sticking to typography?
ayzrulesOP
Totally open to anything with hand lettering too! â€ïž
ooo maybe lost lambs by madeline cash!!
Okay! From my shelves for your consideration:
Why Cheese - Ellen Mint Valentine's Slay - Navessa Allen Double Pucked - Lauren Blakely All That Means and Mourns - Ruthanna Emrys The League of Lady Poisoners - Lisa Perrin The Butchering Art - Lindsey Fitzharris I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com - Kimberly Lemming Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? - Caitlin Doughty Nine Goblins - T. Kingfisher The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman The Midnight Bargain - C.L. Polk Juniper & Thorn - Ava Reid Greenteeth - Molly O'Neill This Will Be Fun - E.B. Asher The Yellow House - Sarah M. Broom Scissor Me Timbers - Phrique Uncover Up - Lee Kuhnle The Icepick Surgeon - Sam Kean State Fairs - Mary Savig Aquatic Entanglement - Holly Hanzo Payback's a Witch - Lana Harper Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die - Greer Stothers Moist! - Petra Palerno The Once and Future Sex - Eleanor Janega Crypt - Alice Roberts Eye of Tyr - Gabrielle R. Herd The Jewel of the Isle - Kerry Rea Temple of Swoon - Jo Segura The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry - C.M. Waggoner Lady's Knight and One Knight Stand - Amie Kaufman
Some of these are maybe borderline but there are a few that'll definitely fit the vibe you already have going here.
ahhh amazing list! i love when book covers get funky with their titles, it's always soso cool đââïžđââïž editing to add: the unworthy by augustina bazterrica would absolutely fit this!
ayzrulesOP
Ooooh yes perf thanks so much đââïžâ€ïž
i also have a few more if youâd like đ (yes, i went through everything in my library just for this lmao) butter by asako yuzuki drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk moonflow by bitter karella of thunder and lightning by kimberly wang satantango by laszlo krasznahorkai unraveling by karen lord canon by paige lewis sleep donation by karen russell i hear the sunspot by yuko fumino the cautious travellerâs guide to the wastelands by sarah brooks the summer war by naomi novik a short stay in hell by steven l peck jackal by erin e. adams fever house by keith rosson unholy favors by mars adler tauhou by kotuku titihuia nuttall night of the mannequins by stephen graham jones hum by jamaal may woo woo by ella baxter the plotters by kim un-su a guest in the house by emily carroll
(if thereâs any that you already put in your list, i apologize đ)
Ooh yes I was just about to suggest drive your plow and tauhou
I am so glad B of my BONE N E is on here đ
i have never seen that book before and just went to look, thinking surely it couldnât be as bad as this comment made it sound, but sure enough thatâs exactly what it says đđ i just burst out laughing
Glad it gave you a chuckle đ
Okay so my edition of babel has a vertical title, and then I can suggest :
- harleen by stjepan sejic
- l'Ă©cume des jours by boris vian
- the perks of being a wallflower
- jusqu'au plpus profond des astres by A.J. Twice
- Je suis votre pire cauchemar ! by kiyémis kiyémis
- the french version of blackwater (la crue is the french title of the 1st book)
- attentat by amélie nothomb
I hope I understood well the assignment
These are perfect, thank you! Some really stunning ones there too đđ
This is so visually fun! I loved when a cover gets funky with it. Here's a couple more for the list that I don't think have been mentioned, some more dramatic than others, if you fancy:
Couplets: A Love Story by Maggie Millner Faebound by Saara El-Arifi Woodworking by Emily St. James All Fours by Miranda July The Wicked & The Divine graphic novels by Kieron Gillen The Chromatic Fantasy graphic novel by H.A. The Honeys by Ryan la Sala Eyetooth by Mars Adler Open Throat by Henry Hoke
hand job: a catalogue of type by michael perry is so up this lists alley i think
I have a few suggestions:
- Story of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
- The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz (the version where it is coming down from the eye)
- Fever House by Keith Rosson
- We Had To Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets (the version where the text runs along the frame)
- Saha by Cho Nam-Joo
- Gunk Baby by Jamie Marina Lau (pink cover with the ear)
- Red Noise by John P. Murphy
- Lemon by Kwon Yeo-Sun (yellow dress)
- Rosewater by Tade Thompson
- Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin
- The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (cover where the title is in a stamp)
this is such a fun list ayz! These books also have non standard title alignment if youâd like to add them:
- A Mountain to the North, a Lake to the South, Paths to the West, a River to the East by LĂĄszlĂł Krasznahorkai
- Red Rising by Pierce Brown
- The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland
oooh love this! some singlit recs:
- the punkhawala and the prostitute
- eastern heathens and ministry of moral panic (amanda lee koe)
- parsetreeforestfire
- how we live now (yu-mei balasingamchow)
- maaybe singa-pura-pura (this one has less funky text)
Fabulous concept! Alright I've just combed through my library and tbr list for recs lol:
-Escape from Incel Island! by Margaret Killjoy -Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey -Homesick by Nino Cipri -The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett -Universality by Natasha Brown -My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson -Relentless Melt by Jeremy P. Bushnell -Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly -My Year Abroad by Chang-rae Lee
This list feels like the exact opposite vibe of my least favourite cover design trend, where the author's name is in the same size and font as the title so it's confusing which is which initially. Funky covers that reflect the tone of the book are the best, and titles should match with that!!! This list is amazing, thanks for putting it together!
1984 by George Orwell has some great covers that would be perfect for this list! Other possibilities that haven't been mentioned yet: -The Javelin Program by Derin Edala -The Lonely City by Olivia Laing -The Notebook, The Proof, The Third Lie by Ăgota KristĂłf -The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
