Stuff I get asked a lot:
Getting into book design
How did you get into designing books?I've only been doing this for under two years, so take this entire FAQ with a grain of salt. There are plenty of talented and experienced book designers out there — look at the back cover or the sleeve of any book design you like, find the designers name, look them up, check out their work. (There are dozens of us...dozens!)For me specifically, design was sort of just a hobby that gained steam. I worked at a bookstore for 4 years (shoutout to Dudley's Bookshop) and learned a lot about what sells there, especially which books sold to which types of people. I didn't know designing books existed as a career path until my boss mentioned it, and I started heavily pursuing it until landing a job.
What's your creative process like?It varies so much from project to project. The one thing that's consistent though is I mood board like crazy. I'm terrible at hand drawing, which is why graphic design works for me. I probably spend at least 1-2 hours on Pinterest before I even touch Photoshop. I don't start designing until I have a clear idea of what I'm going to make. If you're interested, I did an Adobe Live event, which is essentially me showing my exact process from brief to inspiration to creation in an hour.Like most creative things, I don't really know where ideas come from, they just sort of happen. The hardest part is starting.
Do you read the books before designing them?It depends. Sometimes I'm offered a manuscript, but often times a publisher will do a great job of handing me a synopsis along with visual ideas. Sometimes the book isn't even done being written. Sometimes a client will know exactly what they want and reading isn't deemed necessary from their end. I typically will at the very least scan a few chapters to get a sense of the author's tone and genre space.
Did you go to design school or have an internship with a publisher?No, I have a Business Degree in Entertainment Management. This feels rare in the publishing industry though — it seems like every other designer has a Graphic Design degree and/or an internship with publishing.
What skills should a book designer have?Misconceptions of my skillset: drawing from scratch and taking my own photos. (Certain designers do this and I am deeply jealous/admire them*).In a perfect world I'd love to do both of those things, but the reality is, most clients have very tight budgets and timelines. Paying a couple hundred bucks for a stock image/illustration is usually much more time and budget efficient than hiring someone to do custom work. (You might say "but stock images are so ugly" — right, but you can usually mess with them enough to make them look custom and appealing).I am more or less just good at layout. I take pre-exisitng elements that artists have already made, pay to use and license them, then reimagine them to create something new. It's like sampling in music.*Some people do actually make everything from scratch. It's not unheard of for illustrators to be commissioned for custom work, and sought out for their skillset specifically. It is rare though in my experience. So just purse what you find interesting as an art form and try to get good at it, then put it out into the world. Hopefully the work will find you.
How do you land freelance gigs?I don't do that much freelance work — most of my covers are through my agency Faceout Studio. AFAIK most freelancers seem to be NYC artists who just make cool stuff and get the attention of publishers, I could be wrong though I really have no idea how freelancers make their way into the business. Their career paths are as enigmatic and mysterious to you as they are to me.
How can I get an interview for book design?I tried for about 3 years to land a book design job. I was pretty aggressive about it. Penguin and Hachette had dozens of openings during the pandemic which gave me a nice kick to get in the industry. But I never landed a job with any of them (I applied to 36 jobs, had 3 interviews, lost in the final round each time).Just as I was about to kick the can, I lucked out big time with Faceout Studio. They're local to me, and I think meeting them in person had a huge influence on me getting that job.One other thing I did was make fake book covers for real books, and created a section on my portfolio that was applicable to the jobs I was applying for. A sort of dress for the job you want situation. This showed (1) that I had the discipline to finish self-motivated work, (2) that I cared enough about said work to present it in a professional manner, and (3) that I understood how to communicate the tone of different genres in the industry.
What's your creative process like?It varies so much from project to project. The one thing that's consistent though is I mood board like crazy. I'm terrible at hand drawing, which is why graphic design works for me. I probably spend at least 1-2 hours on Pinterest before I even touch Photoshop. I don't start designing until I have a clear idea of what I'm going to make. If you're interested, I did an Adobe Live event, which is essentially me showing my exact process from brief to inspiration to creation in an hour.Like most creative things, I don't really know where ideas come from, they just sort of happen. The hardest part is starting.
Do you read the books before designing them?It depends. Sometimes I'm offered a manuscript, but often times a publisher will do a great job of handing me a synopsis along with visual ideas. Sometimes the book isn't even done being written. Sometimes a client will know exactly what they want and reading isn't deemed necessary from their end. I typically will at the very least scan a few chapters to get a sense of the author's tone and genre space.
Did you go to design school or have an internship with a publisher?No, I have a Business Degree in Entertainment Management. This feels rare in the publishing industry though — it seems like every other designer has a Graphic Design degree and/or an internship with publishing.
What skills should a book designer have?Misconceptions of my skillset: drawing from scratch and taking my own photos. (Certain designers do this and I am deeply jealous/admire them*).In a perfect world I'd love to do both of those things, but the reality is, most clients have very tight budgets and timelines. Paying a couple hundred bucks for a stock image/illustration is usually much more time and budget efficient than hiring someone to do custom work. (You might say "but stock images are so ugly" — right, but you can usually mess with them enough to make them look custom and appealing).I am more or less just good at layout. I take pre-exisitng elements that artists have already made, pay to use and license them, then reimagine them to create something new. It's like sampling in music.*Some people do actually make everything from scratch. It's not unheard of for illustrators to be commissioned for custom work, and sought out for their skillset specifically. It is rare though in my experience. So just purse what you find interesting as an art form and try to get good at it, then put it out into the world. Hopefully the work will find you.
How do you land freelance gigs?I don't do that much freelance work — most of my covers are through my agency Faceout Studio. AFAIK most freelancers seem to be NYC artists who just make cool stuff and get the attention of publishers, I could be wrong though I really have no idea how freelancers make their way into the business. Their career paths are as enigmatic and mysterious to you as they are to me.
How can I get an interview for book design?I tried for about 3 years to land a book design job. I was pretty aggressive about it. Penguin and Hachette had dozens of openings during the pandemic which gave me a nice kick to get in the industry. But I never landed a job with any of them (I applied to 36 jobs, had 3 interviews, lost in the final round each time).Just as I was about to kick the can, I lucked out big time with Faceout Studio. They're local to me, and I think meeting them in person had a huge influence on me getting that job.One other thing I did was make fake book covers for real books, and created a section on my portfolio that was applicable to the jobs I was applying for. A sort of dress for the job you want situation. This showed (1) that I had the discipline to finish self-motivated work, (2) that I cared enough about said work to present it in a professional manner, and (3) that I understood how to communicate the tone of different genres in the industry.
Getting started in graphic design
Do you have advice for someone starting out?Allow yourself to suck for your first year.The best way to learn is to recreate your influences. Find whatever design catches your eye as an exercise. Be realistic about what you can make — start simple, then see where it leads you. If you have questions, Google is your friend.Once you learn how your influence made it, you now have that in your toolbox and can apply it to your own style.
How did you learn to design?I honestly don't remember learning. I somehow found out about stuff like paint.net and gimp, and then bit the bullet and bought Photoshop one day in high school. YouTube was a huge help, but I don't remember any specific channels.I would know what I wanted to make, then I would search "how to add blur in Photoshop," "how to cut objects out in Photoshop," "how to put Steve Nash making a layup in front of the sun and set as desktop wallpaper" — then eventually I got the hang of the tools I had at my disposal. Graphic Design is a really interesting field because there are 5 different ways to do everything in Photoshop, and luckily we live in an age of infinitely accessible information, so learning doesn't have to be as precise as taking a course or class or schooling — I say just get started. All the technical info you need is free online.This is why I think the creativity aspect is what beginners should focus on more than anything. I think designers are just people who know their taste really well, and understand how to express it because they've taken the time to sit with their opinions. Pay attention to what grabs your eye, design is everywhere — food packaging, road signage, your Subaru's dashboard menu, sports jerseys — anything that is visual had a decision made by a designer. Take the time to understand why the decision was made for that color, spacing, etc... that's where I learned the most. That's not to say all decisions were good just because they were sent to print, which is why it's important to develop taste and understand why what "good" design means to you.
How long have you been designing?I downloaded Photoshop when I was 14, making custom wallpapers for myself, or sending funny pics to friends.First design job was at 18 for my university's marketing department. I applied on a whim with basic Photoshop knowledge, and luckily they did a design test, where my work stood out most to them.I made a bunch of album artwork for friends during college.I had an internship with a corporation and got jaded, took a break from design for a few years (did some freelance work with local businesses).I started book work with Faceout in October 2022.I'm 28 now, so that's about a decade of 'actual' design work. About two years for books specifically.
What should my portfolio look like?More than anything it should only be your best work. If you think it's mediocre don't show it. 5 great things are better than 20 okay things.Remember that your portfolio is there to attract work. What kind of work do you want to be paid for? Album artwork? Wes Anderson looking posters? Make sure your portfolio reflects that, because it is what clients will reference when looking to hire you.Your portfolio layout matters. This is the easiest thing you can do to stand out when someone is looking at hundreds of applicants. It is a design in and of itself (if you can't make your website look decent why should someone pay you to make anything else look decent). Mockups (good ones) are your friend. Presentation is everything. (For instance, this is a Google Site — it's completely free and looks pretty clean to me. Maybe you hate it though. There are plenty of alternatives out there, my favorite is Cargo).
How did you learn to design?I honestly don't remember learning. I somehow found out about stuff like paint.net and gimp, and then bit the bullet and bought Photoshop one day in high school. YouTube was a huge help, but I don't remember any specific channels.I would know what I wanted to make, then I would search "how to add blur in Photoshop," "how to cut objects out in Photoshop," "how to put Steve Nash making a layup in front of the sun and set as desktop wallpaper" — then eventually I got the hang of the tools I had at my disposal. Graphic Design is a really interesting field because there are 5 different ways to do everything in Photoshop, and luckily we live in an age of infinitely accessible information, so learning doesn't have to be as precise as taking a course or class or schooling — I say just get started. All the technical info you need is free online.This is why I think the creativity aspect is what beginners should focus on more than anything. I think designers are just people who know their taste really well, and understand how to express it because they've taken the time to sit with their opinions. Pay attention to what grabs your eye, design is everywhere — food packaging, road signage, your Subaru's dashboard menu, sports jerseys — anything that is visual had a decision made by a designer. Take the time to understand why the decision was made for that color, spacing, etc... that's where I learned the most. That's not to say all decisions were good just because they were sent to print, which is why it's important to develop taste and understand why what "good" design means to you.
How long have you been designing?I downloaded Photoshop when I was 14, making custom wallpapers for myself, or sending funny pics to friends.First design job was at 18 for my university's marketing department. I applied on a whim with basic Photoshop knowledge, and luckily they did a design test, where my work stood out most to them.I made a bunch of album artwork for friends during college.I had an internship with a corporation and got jaded, took a break from design for a few years (did some freelance work with local businesses).I started book work with Faceout in October 2022.I'm 28 now, so that's about a decade of 'actual' design work. About two years for books specifically.
What should my portfolio look like?More than anything it should only be your best work. If you think it's mediocre don't show it. 5 great things are better than 20 okay things.Remember that your portfolio is there to attract work. What kind of work do you want to be paid for? Album artwork? Wes Anderson looking posters? Make sure your portfolio reflects that, because it is what clients will reference when looking to hire you.Your portfolio layout matters. This is the easiest thing you can do to stand out when someone is looking at hundreds of applicants. It is a design in and of itself (if you can't make your website look decent why should someone pay you to make anything else look decent). Mockups (good ones) are your friend. Presentation is everything. (For instance, this is a Google Site — it's completely free and looks pretty clean to me. Maybe you hate it though. There are plenty of alternatives out there, my favorite is Cargo).
Image resources
Where do you get the images you use?Including but not limited to:Public Domain
- Library of Congress
- Public Domain Review
- Wikimedia Commons
- Rawpixel
- Unsplash
- NYPL Digital Collections
- There is so much more, Google is your friend (literally, you can Google image search then hit tools > filter by "Creative Commons License")
- Stocksy
- Shutterstock
- Getty
- Alamy (historical photos, paintings, illustrations)
- Arc Angel (for books specifically, especially historical fiction)
- Trevillion (period pieces)
- Bridgeman (historical photos, paintings, illustrations)