Design Process
I believe the design process should be the most exciting part of your publishing journey, not the most stressful. While the four-phase approach below is tailored to cover design, my process for all creative projects remains transparent, collaborative, and strategic. From our discovery call to the delivery of final files, I ensure your vision is captured and your technical requirements are met. Here’s what you can expect when we work together.
01
The Blueprint 🔍
(Discovery + Research)
We start by diving into what makes your book special and the current market trends for your genre, subgenre, and target audience. Using your brief and visual references, I capture your vision into a moodboard to ensure we’re aligned from the very beginning.
What to expect: discovery call, fact-finding questionnaire, moodboard exchanges
02
The Vision 🧭
(Directions + Initial Drafts)
This is where the magic happens. Based on market research and your brief, I will develop distinct design directions and present the strongest conceptual drafts for your first look. This stage focuses on nailing the aesthetic goal as well as key design components like layout and motifs.
What to expect: a design proposal with 2-3 design directions, black and white conceptual drafts
03
The Polish 🚧
(Revisions)
Once we’ve confirmed a conceptual draft we’re happy with, I will send you a fully fledged draft. We can then move onto the fun of refining the draft together. In this stage, we tweak the typography, colors, and imagery. All of my design services include two rounds of free revisions to ensure you’re happy with the final cover.
What to expect: feedback rounds, a finalised draft in colour
04
The Launch
(Sign Off + Final Files)
With your seal of approval, this final stage is all about exporting your final files. I will prepare your industry-standard, print-ready files (suitable for KDP, IngramSpark, etc.), ensuring a seamless transition to the printer.
What to expect: upload-ready files tailored for your platform / printer
Collaborating with Me
Communication
I believe the key to any successful collaboration is good communication. Your vision and input is really important to me and will be my guiding star, that’s why chances for your input and feedback are baked into every stage of the design process. You will also receive regular updates and the behind-the-scenes of my design thinking.
Human-Touch
All of my design work is proudly human-made without the use of generative AI. I’m constantly curious, learning new skills, and keeping up to date with the latest industry trends – all of which I share with my clients and channel back into my design work. As creatives, our paths can be lonely and uncertain at times. As your creative partner, I’m always on your team.
Technical Integrity
I genuinely enjoy the 'technical puzzle' of book design. Beyond the aesthetics, I'm dedicated to ensuring your files meet the rigorous standards of modern publishing platforms. I treat every project with technical care, navigating the specs of KDP, IngramSpark, and beyond so you don't have to. If the printer asks for a tweak, I’m right there with you to handle the fine-tuning until it’s perfect.