𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋 ━━ 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦

⠀⠀¹³ how did i make my profile aesthetic?

     First, I'm going to start this chapter with the truth: having a nice layout, a pretty aesthetic, and a profile/layout theme is annoying. People who use symbols and fonts heavily in their aesthetics rarely admit this. I am not one of those people. Creating an aesthetic, keeping it, and putting it in all of your books for continuity and consistency is an ass and a half. It's annoying and a hassle that isn't necessary, but people, including myself, want to have a pretty book. So, we put ourselves through dozens of headaches and time staring at a screen.

     And as much as nobody wants to admit it (although it's true), a pretty book attracts more attention and readers. A book could be poorly written but have an incredible layout and receive more reads and votes compared to a brilliantly written book with a strong plot with strong characters. But people aren't ready for that conversation yet.

     Second, creating an aesthetic and applying it to your books is a tricky game. You might like the layout for a couple of days or weeks, but inevitably, you will change your mind and want to do an entirely new layout. It's taxing and takes time, only for you to hit the remix button and remake it again days/weeks/months later. I've done this many times, so I experience this struggle.

     Third, I will shut up because I know people are here for tips, answers, and symbols, not to read an accumulation of my thoughts on aesthetics. Let's get into it!

     The world of aesthetics is multifaceted and has many elements to it. There are visual graphics (gifs, pictures, banners, and headers), keyboard symbols, fancy fonts, themes, usernames, layouts, and bios. It's a lot, and I will break them down for you. Visual graphics, symbols, and fancy fonts will have chapters dedicated to them.

━━━━╯ ⁰¹ ,  THEME, GRAPHICS & LAYOUT!

     ╰ THEME. . .

     Think of your Wattpad theme as your opening statement in an essay. It's what captures people's attention and either draws them in or pushes them away. Your theme is also a marketing tool, in a sense. Depending on the book genre or fandom you write about, you want to tailor your profile to fit that demographic. I'm not saying you need to, but often, people's themes naturally match their stories and what they write about, regardless if it's intentional.

     Furthermore, your theme is essentially the first impression you give to someone. What they see on your profile can be how they'll envision you. So, keep it clean and organized, and consider color schemes. There are tons of themes that you can choose from and create; the possibilities are endless. (Tip: You can find many ideas for themes on WeHeartIt and Pinterest.) These are just words of my own advice that I have used and stuck to. You do not need to do this.

     Some people choose only to use pictures of the same person on the cover of all of their books (it's me, I'm people), others choose a color scheme or filter that they put on each cover, or they choose pictures that have similar backgrounds (a field of flowers or city backgrounds with a person somewhere in the photo). Or none of the covers match and are tailored to fit each individual story, which is perfectly fine!

     My number one theme tip is ensuring your photos are high-quality and aren't blurry! That turns people off from a book pretty quickly, I've discovered. (I suggest using the app Remini to make your images less blurry. There is a free version on all app stores.)

     ╰ GRAPHIC TIPS. . .

     BOOK COVERS: I recommend using the dimensions 1,000 x 1,559. (Those are the dimensions I use for mine.) It'll help maintain the quality of the cover and not blur/pixelate it.