Barry Hansen

Barry Hansen – Designer

25+ years of experience designing for publishers and independent authors. I pique interest through visual concepts and evocative typography.

Overview

Personally, I'm an avid reader. Professionally, I'm an ad agency art director turned book cover designer with a penchant for powerful visual concepts. I'm also skilled at finding just the right typeface and designing effective type treatments, including hand lettering. The right combination of image and type can effectively communicate genre and enable potential readers to connect emotionally with your book.

Some of my favorite genres for which to design are history, Christian, inspirational, and biography.

I am skilled at finding and creatively combining existing imagery, or creating my own, to bring my concepts to life. If custom illustration is needed, I can recommend and work with Reedsy illustrators for your project.

I've designed dozens of covers over 24+ years for publishers and independent authors. I am responsive, responsible and good with deadlines. I am a good communicator and collaborator.

In addition to covers, I design interiors for image-intensive print books. I don't do EPUB format. I can recommend some Reedsy typesetters who specialize in interiors for both print and EPUB. I can provide font information from the cover so the typesetter can tie in the interior with the cover design.

I also speak French and have designed French book covers for European readers.

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Christian Non-Fiction History Inspirational
Fiction
Christian Fiction Historical Fiction
Languages
English
Awards
  • New York Art Directors Annual

Work experience

Self-employed

Oct, 1995 — Present
I work alone or as part of a virtual team, directly for clients or for publishers and advertising+PR agencies. I design books, album covers, logos, brochures, websites, and advertising for print and screen.

Intrepid Agency

Aug, 2012 — Present
Graphic design and advertising for a Salt Lake City, UT, public relations firm. I create online and print advertising, websites, logos, brochures, maps, etc.

Coates Kokes

Sep, 1989 — Sep, 1995 (about 6 years)
Worked at a small Portland, OR, ad agency with copywriters and creative director on ad campaigns; designed collateral such as logos, business cards, brochures, posters, and annual reports.

Knape & Knape

Jan, 1988 — Jun, 1989 (over 1 year)
Worked at a small Dallas, TX, ad agency with copywriters and senior art director to create ad campaigns for newspapers and magazines; designed collateral such as logos, business cards, brochures, posters, annual reports, and a hardbound book. Production management.

Portfolio

Cover Design
Cover Design
Cover Design
Cover Design
Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
The Hidden Laborer: Becoming the Intercessor Heaven Is Searching For

Trent, Jason M.

Guidelight Studio

Cover Design
Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
Sacred Rebel: Fierce Love in a Fearful World

Zehr, Jerry

Sacred Tributary Press

Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
Crossroads and Redemptions: Stories for Life's Winding Paths

Simpson, Grady A

Brother Gas Books

Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
Haiku Reflections: 100 Christian Haiku from a Journey of Faith

Sachs, Rommel

Tenkan Press LLC

Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
Beyond the Bricks

Laidley, Kemp

Kemp Laidley

Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
Something to Be Saved: A Novel

Rigney, Melanie

Rejoice! Be Glad!

Cover Design
Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
An Inspiring Journey: From Brazil to Chick-fil-A

Nascimento, Renato

Independently published

Cover Design Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
Soul Mirrors: Reflections on Grace Hiding in Plain Sight

Jones, Ken

Watermark Ink Publishing

Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
If I Should Die Before I Live: Sorting Out What Matters Most (The Watermark Series)

Jones PCC, Ken

Watermark Ink Publishing

Cover Design
Cover Design
Cover Design
Cover Design
Cover Design
Home and Away: A World War II Christmas Story

Dean Hughes

Shadow Mountain Publishing

Cover Design
Heroes of Glorieta Pass

Hainsworth, Brad E

Deseret Book

Cover Design
Cover Design
Cover Design Production Management
Cover Design Book Interior Design Production Management
Cover Design Book Interior Design
Cover Design
Cover Design
Cover Design
Echoes of Hammers and Spikes

Dozens of Utah's finest singers and musicians

Cover Design Book Interior Design Production Management

Barry has 18 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Chris B.

Chris B.

Oct, 2026

Very professional. Very helpful and took great pride in my project. Definitely will use him again.
Barry H.
Chris, thank you for this review! I enjoyed working with you and would love to help with your next book.
Alexei S.

Alexei S.

Sep, 2026

Barry was extremely professional on every possible dimension: timing, responsiveness, working on my initial guidance, while providing his (more professional) guidance and offering the level of discretionary creativity that felt perfectly appropriate, being patient with some inevitable tweaks and ...
Read more
Barry H.
Thanks for the kind words, Alexei. Glad I could help.
Jason T.

Jason T.

Jun, 2026

Barry Hansen designed the cover for The Hidden Laborer, and he was a pleasure to work with from start to finish. He took a quiet, formational book about a largely forgotten subject and gave it a cover with genuine weight and restraint — exactly the tone the material called for. He was responsive,...
Read more
Barry H.
Thanks for the kind words, Jason! Sure enjoyed working with you.
Nancy F.

Nancy F.

May, 2026

This was my second time working with Barry. He helped me create a Teaching Guides cover that matches the Parent Guides brand family without feeling like a duplicate, and he offered thoughtful design feedback throughout. As a self-published author, I especially appreciated his technical skill rega...
Read more
Barry H.
Thanks for this review, Nancy! It was great to work with you again.
Jillianne H.

Jillianne H.

May, 2026

Barry was absolutely excellent to work with. From start to finish, he demonstrated professionalism, creativity, and strong attention to detail. He truly brought my vision to life and created a book cover that exceeded my expectations - beautiful, impactful, and perfectly aligned with the message ...
Read more
Barry H.
Thank you very much for the kind and thoughtful review, Jillianne! I appreciated learning about your story and working with you on your cover. I'm sure your book will do a lot of good!

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