Publishers are looking toward more dazzling book designs to survive the shift toward e-book readers, such as Amazon's Kindle and Apple's iPad.

Every page of Shanghai-based magazine editor Sun Junliang's 2002 travelogue Page, for instance, is shaped like an envelope.

The book about his journeys around the globe is one of about 30 books the graphic design graduate of Japan's Musashino Art University has published in the past decade.

He believes the presentation attracts readers, especially those ages 18 to 30, he says.

An emergent book design trend is the use of 3D elements. Most of these books are about lifestyle and examine such topics as pets, design and architecture.

Fake fur and claws cover the pages of Beijing-based Motie Publishing House's The Book of Cats.

In the Museum, a book about different museums around the world published by Shandong Art Publishing House, has removable pages readers can tear out and mail to friends as postcards - namely, the kinds of postcards sold in museum gift shops.

"There are not many books with good design in China, because people think of books as something to read rather than enjoy," Sun says.

Minimalism seems to be the hottest trend, Sun says.

Yang Lei, an editor with Motie, believes good design must not conflict with content.

He says too many books feature overly complicated page and cover presentations that have nothing to do with the text and bore readers.

Taiwan and Hong Kong are among China's book design leaders, Sun says.

Taiwan writer Li Xinpin has published a series of books discussing book content and style.

But even in those places, there is no equivalent to the American Association of University Presses' annual Book, Jacket &Journal Show that catalogs the best in book design.

However, Changsha, Hunan province-based book designer Zhang Wei says more mainland Chinese are paying attention to the trend.