Ed Simkins

Ed Simkins – Designer

Hi, I'm Ed and with 25 years of publishing experience as a designer, illustrator and art director, I'm looking forward to working with you!

Overview

Hi, I'm Ed, a designer, illustrator and art director with 25 plus years of publishing industry experience. I have a passion for books and have designed covers and interiors for a large range of Children's and Adult non-fiction titles. My main areas of experience are in education, the natural world, science, technology and the arts.

I believe in a clean and simple approach that gets to the essence of the subject and the author's intention. If you check my portfolio you will see a range of approaches and styles that demonstrate my abilities to work across many subjects; from the natural world to movies, science to art and music. I can bring this skill to interpret your brief so you get the best possible design for your project whatever your budget.

I’ve spent my career communicating and collaborating with illustrators, agents, editors and writers so I know what it takes to work together to get the job done. I look forward to hearing from you and turning your ideas into a top quality product.

Services
Non-Fiction
Children’s Non-Fiction Education & Reference
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Cozy Mysteries Thriller & Suspense
Languages
English
Awards
  • 2014 Society of Authors educational award for The World in Infographics: Animal Kingdom
  • Short listed for Blue Peter best book with facts 2014 for The World in Infographics: Animal Kingdom

Work experience

Self-employed

Jun, 2023 — Present
I provide freelance design and illustration services to the UK publishing industry. Expert in Adobe Creative cloud and excellent freehand and digital illustration skills

Tall Tree Ltd

May, 2002 — Jun, 2023 (about 21 years)
I joined this book packager at its inception and in over 20 years produced 50+ non fiction titles for children and adults. Duties included overseeing a team of designers and working closely with editors, authors and illustrators. I was instrumental in setting a strong, graphical design style for the award winning World in Infographics series for Wayland Books.

Marshall Editions

Aug, 1996 — May, 2000 (almost 4 years)
Working with a small design and editorial team to produce children’s illustrated non fiction books. Duties included picture research, development and initial layout drawing. DTP layout using Indesign, Quark Xpress and Photoshop. Commissioning illustrators and attending photo shoots.

Portfolio

Cover Design Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
How the Rhino Lost His Horn: Cautionary Tales from Appalachia to Africa

Rathmell, Jack

Whitefox Publishing

Cover Design
Seeing Red

Allardyce, C E

Independently published

Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
CONDEMNED: 26 Martyrs of Japan

Pelc, Gene

Independently published

Cover Design Book Interior Design
Cover Design Illustration Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
Twisted Neuros

Ryder, Z.J.

Cover Design
Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Cover Design Book Interior Design
Cover Design Book Interior Design
Cover Design Book Interior Design
Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Cover Design Book Interior Design
Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Where is the Solar System's biggest mountain? Which planet is hot enough to melt metal? Where would you find the largest desert on Earth? Find out about the record-breaking features on our pla... read more
Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
What is the oldest building in the world? How big is the largest space station? How tall are the biggest skyscrapers? Find out all about the brilliant buildings that set world records—from the... read more
Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design

Ed has 17 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Alex C.

Alex C.

May, 2025

Pinned
I hired Ed Simkins to do the formatting and the cover design for my novel, The Time Capsule Murders, and he did an excellent job st both. Ed is an instinctive and inspired designer - I went into the exercise without a clear picture of what I wanted the book to look like, but he absolutely nailed ...
Read more
Ed S.
Thanks Alex, it was a pleasure to work on your novel.
Robert M.

Robert M.

Feb, 2025

Pinned
Ed was an absolute pleasure to work with. He was committed to getting the job done efficiently, always responding promptly, and delivering a high-quality final product. His attention to detail, professionalism, and deep understanding of formatting requirements made the process smooth and stress-f...
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Drew B.

Drew B.

Jan, 2025

Pinned
I'll start this off by saying that Ed is an absolute, patient professional that made my vision come to life! Over the better part of 3 months, we collaborated freely and effortlessly over the Reedsy platform until the final, final, final... and final-final details were completed. From creating al...
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Ehrle H.

Ehrle H.

Nov, 2025

Ed was an absolute pleasure to work with. He designed a completely original book cover for my novel that exceeded expectations—visually striking, conceptually rich, and perfectly aligned with the story’s tone. Throughout the process, Ed was responsive, collaborative, and open to feedback, refinin...
Read more
Lime S.

Lime S.

Oct, 2025

Truly professional — reliable, collaborative, and top-quality results. I know I can trust his work, and the outcome exceeded expectations!
Ed S.
Thank you for the review!

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