What Does a Book Designer Do?

What are the tools of the book designer?

The tools I use are primarily the Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop, Acrobat, etc.). Files created with these programs are sent to the printer.

These software skills are often accompanied by more traditional artistic techniques such as drawing, painting, and hand-lettering.

Along with the design programs, I use a Wacom tablet to complete much of my work.

What does it take to be a book designer?

Being a book designer requires a certain temperament. Patience and flexibility are necessary.

Making books isn't for everyone. It takes a relatively long time and can be a tedious process. 

I have found that content organisation and early project management have been invaluable to my design process.

A designer working in a traditional publishing house may not take on project management tasks, but as a freelancer, I am often involved in the project from concept to finish.

I want the items I create to look beautiful and function logically.

Having someone oversee the creative and technical aspects of the project from start to finish improves the quality of the final product. A book designer is in a unique position to be a key figure in the process.

Some of my tasks as a designer include:

- Preparing print-ready PDF files in InDesign tailored to the printer's specifications

- Liaising with the printer and organising quotes

- Choosing and setting the typography for the book

- Creating unique design features

- Making sure all artwork is in the correct colour space for printing and prints correctly

- Liaising with third parties (illustrators, photographers, etc.)

- Managing the project so that it comes together as a whole

Thank you for reading to the end of this article!

I hope this summary gives a little insight into what a book designer is and does.

If you want to read more about books and publishing, please read on in the next article.

Written by Lillian Webb

Edited by Gina Cranson

Proofreading by Elizabeth Bird