16 inspiring photo book ideas

Whether you're an established, aspiring or amateur wordsmith, assembling your works in a Premium Photo Book is a great way to showcase your collection of poetry or short stories. In the MILK Design Studio, we offer an array of Designer Templates to make it easy for you to create beautiful books. You can opt for text only and let your words do the talking or add pictures for some extra depth. Discover this poetry book made with MILK by Jean Perdue.

Whether you’re an aspiring chef brimming with ideas or have a drawer full of old family recipes, give these culinary creations a new lease of life with a DIY recipe book. Start by collecting and transcribing all your sentimental recipes, photograph each dish, choose your format (we think a Premium Large Portrait Photo Book would suit perfectly), browse our Designer Templates for a look that works for you and get creating. Get inspired by this customer recipe photo book created for Dianne by her family.

Run out of fridge space for your young Picasso’s treasured artworks? Declutter your home without parting from these cherished snippets of your child’s younger years. Digitize copies of their artwork to add to a photo book and create a memento that can be pulled out and admired for years to come. See how this adorable photo book did just that.

Looking to commemorate a milestone anniversary? Whether it’s one year, three years, 25 or 50+ years together, nothing quite says "I love you" like a thoughtful, tailor-made gift – cue a custom anniversary photo book. Create a keepsake that narrates the story of your life together so far or do a celebratory photoshoot and create an album of your most-loved photos. We love this beautiful project of Roosevelt and Bridgette celebrating 25 years.

Add a little more gratitude to your daily life with a photo book to remind you of all that really matters. Fill the pages of your project with things that spark joy; use our Designer Templates to add photos of eventful moments in your life and then the text tool to add pages with motivational quotes or a poem. Once it arrives, you’ll be able to flip through the pages for the perfect pick-me-up when you’re feeling down.

Let your loved ones leave their mark on your special event with a beautiful Wedding Guest Book. Great not only for weddings, but also birthdays, graduation parties and more, fill your Guest Book with images that tell your story, leaving white space or a page for guests to write thoughtful messages and notes of love. We love this elegant Guest Book, full of black and white snaps from a beautiful beach photoshoot with plenty of space for friends and family to leave well wishes for the future.

Elevate your home rental or Airbnb with a high quality city guide photo book carefully curated by you. A great personal and authentic touch for any guest visiting from out of town, you can fill the pages with a collation of house rules as well as must-visit restaurants and cafes, notable landmarks, boutiques, and hidden local gems. Our high quality, age-old bookmaking techniques ensure your keepsake lasts as it helps guide guest after guest. See this beautiful photo book of The Manor Holcombe.

Wow your potential clients with a tangible interior design portfolio that exudes sophistication and elegance. A MILK Photo Book is a beautiful way to showcase your work and services. Create a photo book that showcases each of your recent projects, or something customers can flip through that shares the story behind your business along with photos of a variety of projects. We love this photo book portfolio created by mother daughter duo Public Three Eleven Design spotlighting one of their recent projects.

Every day is full of adventure, so why not make the most of it by creating a yearbook showcasing your years' worth in a beautiful MILK Photo Book. Whether it’s capturing all the little moments from the year or the milestone achievements that occurred, a yearbook is a great way to record the year that was. We love this family yearbook which features the playful adventures of three brothers and their parents throughout 2022 to 2023.

Take a journey through time with a photographic record of then and now, old and new, or before and after. Celebrate a long-lasting relationship by scanning old photos from your younger years and pairing them alongside more recent snaps. We love this heartwarming photo book celebrating Lita and Paul’s life together with photos dating back to the 1970s. Or document milestone transformations such as new home renovations, like this Premium Photo Book featuring the before and after of a cozy cabin renovation.

Have you got an important question to ask a loved one? Will you marry me? Will you be my bridesmaid? Create a keepsake to go alongside the milestone moment. Curate a collection of your best photos together and use our text tool in the Design Studio to create a narrative. Then, once you've set the scene and built suspense, end your photo book with the big question.

Showcase your photography in a display-worthy format. Each MILK Photo Book is expertly handcrafted using age-old bookmaker’s techniques, the latest printing technologies, and the finest archival quality materials, so you can rest assured knowing your work will not only be beautifully showcased, but that it will last for generations. Both our Classic and Premium Photo Books are great options for photography portfolios, but a much-loved format amongst creatives is our Moleskine Photo Books. Browse these other customer portfolios for inspiration: Scrap Book by Thom Gilbert and First by Tony Jackson.

Are you sentimental about keeping cards and mementos from over the years but currently have them hiding away in a shoebox? Bring the memories back to life in a compact, easy-to-read format where they won’t get lost or forgotten. Scan the cards and trinkets, then fill your book with your collection from over the years. This type of photo book is the perfect idea for a modern-day scrapbook, celebrating a birthday or remembering a life. We love this beautiful memoir for Carol, retelling her life in a memento that her loved ones can hold dear.

Get creative and delight your children with a custom photo book you can enjoy together at bedtime, because nothing quite compares to seeing the wonder on a child’s face when they see (or hear) their name in print. Upload complete illustrations directly to your project or use our designer templates to add images and text to tell the story. Get inspired by this clever book, Mozart, The History of a Prodigy, by Margaux Provost.