Lee Crutchley

Lee Crutchley – Designer

Designer and illustrator with over 15 years experience, working with publishers like Penguin Random House, Hachette, MacMillan and more!

Overview

I've written, designed and illustrated six of my own non-fiction books that have sold 500,000+ copies worldwide and been translated into over 20 languages. I know what it takes to get a book out into the world, from initial concept right through to sales and marketing, and I'd love to help you realise your dream.

I'm trained in graphic design, typography and visual communication, and have been working with publishers and authors specifically for the last 15 years.

I love to bring a book's unique personality to life through design, and above all I aim to produce books that appeal directly to their audience. I specialise in hand-drawn lettering, and love to add lettering and illustrative elements to books / covers when it's a good fit.

I can help at any part of your book creation process, some specific services I offer are:

- Cover design

- Interior design and layout (for print)

- Hand-drawn lettering / illustration

- Social media and marketing assets

- Help writing blurbs, subtitles, etc

I'm a keen reader myself, and spend a lot of time flicking through books and looking at covers. I'm easy-going and professional, and would love to help you bring your book to life!

Services
Non-Fiction
Art Design Photography Self-Help & Self-Improvement
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Literary Fiction Short Story Young Adult
Languages
English
Awards
  • Paperback Design (Silver) - Book Industry Guild of New York - 2015
Certifications
  • BTEC ND Graphic Design
  • HND Typography
  • BA [HONS] Visual Communication

Work experience

Freelance

Sep, 2009 — Present
Written, designed and illustrated six of my own non-fiction books that have sold over 500,000 copies across 19 languages. Worked on projects across many creative disciplines, including book interior design, cover design, illustration, hand-drawn lettering, art direction, idea generation and brainstorming. Publishing clients include: Hachette Book Group; Little, Brown and Company; MacMillan; Penguin Random House; Simon & Schuster and more.

ExtremePie.com

Jun, 2004 — Jun, 2009 (about 5 years)

Portfolio

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
We Should Hang Out Sometime: Embarrassingly, a true story

Sundquist, Josh

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Cover Design Illustration Typography
Cover Design Illustration Typography Production Management
Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Made with Reedsy
Everyday Anxiety

Jones, Jessi

Independently published

Cover Design Typography
Get Lost!: A Travel Guide for Anywhere

Crutchley, Lee

TarcherPerigee

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Nightwatch: Painting with Light

Kerns, Noel

Carpet Bombing Culture

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Cover Design Illustration Typography
Cover Design Typography
Cover Design Typography
Cover Design Typography
Cover Design Typography
Love and First Sight

Sundquist, Josh

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Cover Design Illustration Typography
Things I Should Have Known

LaZebnik, Claire

Clarion Books

Cover Design Illustration Typography
Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Beauty in Decay II: Urbex by RomanyWG (2012) Hardcover

unknown author

Carpet Bombing Culture

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Shitsville UK

Cantsin, Monty

Carpet Bombing Culture

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
The Art of Getting Started

Crutchley, Lee

TarcherPerigee

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Quoteskine. Volume 1

Crutchley, Lee

Carpet Bombing Culture

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management

Lee has 5 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Adam C.

Adam C.

Sep, 2025

Pinned
Lee was a pleasure to work with and did an incredible job on my book. This wasn’t a straightforward project… it’s a book-style journal with a lot of moving parts, interactive elements, and a very specific vision I wanted to bring to life. Somehow, he managed to pull it all together seamlessly. T...
Read more
Camille F.

Camille F.

Dec, 2024

Pinned
Selecting a designer for this project was a difficult decision, and I'm very glad to have chosen to work with Lee. It's been an excellent experience. I don't have a background in design and didn't have strong opinions on exactly what I wanted on the cover. Lee took the information I provided ab...
Read more
Jessi J.

Jessi J.

Dec, 2024

Pinned
Lee gave me a variety of drafts to review and worked with me on combining the elements of each one that I wanted to use for the book. He was impressively responsive and quick. He thought about things that I didn't even consider, like what it would look like in small print or grey scale. I woul...
Read more
Paul C.

Paul C.

Jun, 2025

Lee is a great collaborator - cannot reccomend him highly enough,
S N.

S N.

Nov, 2024

Hello, I’ve been working with Lee to bring my book cover design to life. I am absolutely thrilled and delighted. Lee has been terrific throughout and I can’t wait to work on our next project together.

Professionals similar to Lee

Get a range of offers by requesting quotes from multiple professionals.

Alan Hebel

Alan H.

With over 20 years of experience designing books, I specialize in helping authors stand out and succeed on self-publishing platforms.

Kentfield, CA, USA

100% reply rate

View profile
Jennifer Stimson

Jennifer S.

I have 23+ years of experience in the publishing industry, creating book designs for authors and major publishing companies!

90% reply rate

View profile
Kam Bains

Kam B.

Specialising in non-fiction, Kam has designed covers for 7 years, working with private clients and authors on the Hay House Publishers list.

London, UK

100% reply rate

View profile