Caitlin B. Alexander

Caitlin B. Alexander – Designer

An illustrator/designer with a love of color, texture and hand-lettering. Cover design + picture books. Collaboration + communication.

Overview


I am excited and open to book cover projects! I am currently booking for 2024 and 2025 picture books as well.


I'm a freelance illustrator from Austin, Texas and new to Manitou Springs, CO with a style rooted in midcentury influence, through the lens of a modern existence. I focus on a representation of repeat patterns and texture in our natural world, observations of daily life, and messages of strength and acceptance, via hand-lettered typography. This love of smaller details-- a cluster of mismatched city buildings, lush color in an old quilt, variations in a garden-- is what I bring to my work: an appreciation for the lovely little things in life.


Let's open the visual world that your words have brought to life! Communication is key. I always want to be sure that I'm the right fit for your vision, and I believe the process should be thorough and collaborative.


Some of my previous clients include National Geographic Learning, the American Federation for Teachers, and Ladybug Magazine. I am a lover of books (even below my reading level) and have a massive collection of inspiration at hand, always!



Self-Publishing Client Testimonials:


"Caitlin's illustrations have transformed the scientific text [of my book] into a charming story of sharing knowledge and collective action to inspire us all to help the world stay cool for the next generation... I just compare [her] art to almost anything else on the market, and it's a different level... [Her] aesthetic is what has made this book so wonderful!" --Marianna Linz, author of "Cool For You"

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Middle Grade Picture Books Science Fiction Women's Fiction Young Adult
Languages
English
Awards
  • Austin SCBWI Portfolio Award, Society of Illustrators Los Angeles Illustration West 49
Certifications
  • BFA Summa Cum Laude in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design

Work experience

Self-employed

Jun, 2011 — Present
I provide illustration and design services for editorial, advertising, publishing, and small businesses, with a wide range of project scopes and types of clients. Communication is incredibly important to me, and I make sure my clients love the art they are commissioning! In addition to freelance work, I sell prints and products of my own through shops and markets.

Portfolio

Made with Reedsy
The Case of the Missing Cheese: a Grove Street Mystery (The Grove Street Mysteries)

Mitchell, Lisa C.

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
The Habits of Squirrels

Livingston, Brian

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
Bruised & Bemused

Grewal, Vinnie

Vinnie Grewal

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
The 38 Impossible Loves of Naoko Nishizawa

McDiarmid, Monna

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
Time's Musicians

Oleksiw, Mr. Mark Paul

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
Gitmo and Back Again

Fisher, Glenn

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
Two Infinite Things (The Infinite Trilogy)

Zubairi, R.M.

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
A Minute Before Infinity (The Infinite Trilogy Book 2)

Zubairi, RM

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
Munching On The Sun

Oleksiw, Mr. Mark Paul

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
The Final Catharsis

Grewal, Vinnie

Cover Design Illustration
Exile on Faith Street: The Journey

Fisher, Glenn

Glenn J\Fisher

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
A Journey Thrice Begun

Kerr, Sean Bobby

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
In the Valley, A Shadow

Tano, Samantha

Sam Tano Creative

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
Mountains, Malbec, and Men

Cumberland, Noelle

Red Cypress Bluff LLC

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
Becoming Lia

Schoenike, Taylor

Taylor Schoenike

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
The Freedom to Wonder: A Journey to Connect with the Heart of America

Bui, Snow White

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
The Permanent Smile: Do I Have Good Luck with Guys or What? ...Nope!

Denson, K.R.

Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
Strong Roots, Wayward Soul: A Memoir

Hughes, Christy

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
The Corner of Now and Then

Landon, Mike

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
Rainbow Plague

Athena, Lia

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
Add Color to my Sunset Sky

Bahora Saitova

Hayden's life is turned upside down when his mother -who he thought was dead- turns up on his doorstep, alive and wanting to be a part of his life again.All his life, Hayden grew up believing ... read more
Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
Somewhere on This Rainbow

Haddad, Simha

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
The Blue Tarp: And Other Nocturnal Musings

Fisher, Glenn

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
Sisters

Louison, Garvey

Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
Baking Is Messy And So Is Life

Roberts, Steven E

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
Preparing Your Child For Academic Success: Enjoyable Practical Tools That Motivate Children to Learn at a Higher Level

Hadley, Terri

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
Stories Dad Told Me: Manny Azenberg's Adventures in Life and the Theatre

Azenberg, Jessica

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
Two Infinite Things

Zubairi, R.M.

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
How To Be A Best Friend

Kachigan, Corey

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
After Everything

McDiarmid, Monna

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
Born in the Water

Monks, Bree

Cover Design Illustration
Made with Reedsy
The Peony Sutra

Hochstedler, Nicholas

Cover Design Illustration

Caitlin B. has 42 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

RM Z.

RM Z.

Oct, 2023

Pinned
This is the second time I've worked with Caitlin, as she designed the cover for the first book of this series. She's an amazing artist and a thorough professional. We talked about tweaking the design of this book to make it more genre-appropriate, and then also went back and adjusted the first co...
Read more
Monna M.

Monna M.

Jun, 2023

Pinned
The 38 Impossible Loves of Naoko Nishizawa is my debut novel so everything about this process was new for me. I could not have chosen a better cover illustrator and designer than Caitlin. She explained the process in great detail, understood my vision for the cover, delivered great sketches, and ...
Read more
Virinder G.

Virinder G.

Dec, 2022

Pinned
Caitlin was the perfect cover illustrator for me! She provided excellent communication and I could tell that she really cared about turning my ideas into a physical form that encapsulated my novel. That is a devotion that I did not expect when looking for a cover illustrator. Caitlin allowed me ...
Read more
Jeeyoon K.

Jeeyoon K.

Apr, 2025

I had the privilege of working with Caitlin on the cover and typography for my book Beyond the Keys, and I couldn’t have asked for a better collaborator. From start to finish, she was professional, timely, and deeply attentive to every detail. What stood out most was her remarkable ability to tra...
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Glenn F.

Glenn F.

Mar, 2025

Caitlin did her usual fantastic job on this, our fourth project together. As a very happy repeat customer I return again and again to Caitlin because a.) she is a fantastic artist and I absolutely love the cover art she produces and b.) she is a great collaborator. I bring her some ideas I have...
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Most recent contributions

What should a picture book author look for in an illustrator?

Most importantly, you want to work with an illustrator that understands the correct formatting, page breakdown, and processes for picture book work. There is a lot more to creating a picture book than just the art itself. Pacing, page layout, etc are all crucial, and you don't want to be stuck wi...
Read more

What’s the biggest mistake authors make when thinking about book cover design?

You don't need every aspect of your story represented on the cover! I get a lot of authors who run through a list of very specific objects, places, and characters they want on the cover, but many times that doesn't align with the best selling strategies for their genre. Depending on the genre, to...
Read more

How do you select the right illustrator to match your story's tone and style?

Take a look at an illustrator's portfolio and compare that first with the typical style of the genre of your story-- for example, you'd probably want to eliminate an artist who does bright, colorful character-based romance cover designs if your book is a serious historical fiction. You want to se...
Read more

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