Gareth Southwell

Gareth Southwell – Designer

Experienced illustrator with humorous, quirky, detailed style. Offers illustration, project management, book formatting and cover design.

Overview

I'm an illustrator, book designer and writer from the UK with 20 years' experience in the publishing industry. I've worked for a number of high profile clients, providing illustrations for books (covers and interior pages), magazines, websites and other media.

I'm also a traditionally published author of popular philosophy (occasionally also providing illustrations for publishers of my own books) and a self-published writer of fiction, so I understand the publishing and book production process from all sides.

I don't use stock photos or images, and my covers usually incorporate some form of illustration. My style suits humorous fiction and non-fiction, satire, or quirky and unusual subjects.

I also offer book formatting (both print and ebook) and interior design, production management (seeing your book through the publishing process, uploading to Amazon, Ingram Spark, etc), and I'm happy to provide free advice on blurb writing, book marketing, author platform, and other book-related matters.

Whether you are a self-published author or a fellow industry professional, I'll try to accommodate your budget. Please get in touch to tell me about your book and to chat about your requirements.
Services
Fiction
Cozy Mysteries Humor & Comedy Middle Grade
Non-Fiction
Education & Reference Philosophy Political Science & Current Affairs Psychology Self-Help & Self-Improvement
Languages
English

Work experience

Self-employed

Nov, 2003 — Present

Portfolio

Money Bags

Browne, M.

From the William Hill Award-Winning Author of A Lot of Hard Yakka comes Cricket's Greatest Rivalry: A History of the Ashes in 12 Matches by Simon Hughes.A fast-paced, distinctive history of the iconic, 137-year-old cricketing rivalry between England and Austra... read more
Half the town thinks Nigel is an imbecile; they learned it from the other half. But if he were to unravel a murderous scheme, might he rise to, say, moron status?Possible, but the townsfolk scoff at this Englishman who chose New Antigua, Texas for an “early se... read more
What is Nigel Farage’s favorite novel? Why do Brexiteers love Sherlock Holmes? Is Philip Larkin the best Brexit poet ever? Through the politically relevant sideroad of English Literature, writ large, John Sutherland quarries the great literary minds of English... read more
Philosophy: Key Themes is a beginner's guide to understanding and critiquing philosophical arguments. Each chapter introduces one of the major themes in philosophy. Baggini's approach combines explanation with summary while encouraging the reader to question t... read more
What Would Nietzsche Do? uses the key ideas of more than 80 philosophical thinkers, past and present, to shine new light onto today's everyday problems.Ever wondered if Schopenhauer could fix your broken heart? How Heraclitus might help you if you lost your ph... read more
What Would Freud Do? uses the key ideas of more than 80 psychological thinkers, past and present, to shine new light onto today's everyday problems. Ever wondered what a great therapist like Freud or Jung would have to say about your horrible boss, your phone-... read more
Ever thought about what Tinder advice Naomi Wolf would give you?Ever wondered what Andrea Dworkin would think about your Brazilian wax? Or what Mary Wollstonecraft would think about the 'fairy-tale' weddings you're always invited to? Using 40 everyday question... read more
Have you ever wondered what Adam Smith would have to say about you playing the lottery? Or whether Jeremy Bentham could cure your hangover (through economics)? Ever pondered over what Milton Friedman might get you for Christmas?By comparing and contrasting wha... read more
A concise and very readable summary of Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil, geared toward students embarking on their studies and general readers. It is an ideal companion for those new to the study of this challenging and often misunderstood classic. Offers clea... read more
Have you ever wondered what Kant might have to say about your addiction to social media? Or whether Plato would be able to help resolve your constant arguments about what to watch on TV? Or if Hobbes would agree to feed your pet hamster while you're away on ho... read more

Gareth has 28 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Clif H.

Clif H.

May, 2023

Gareth is GREAT to work with. I've already tapped him for another project I'm working on. Outstanding quality of work, attention to detail, and - very important and useful to me as someone new to self-publishing - incredibly informative. Highly recommend.
Joe C.

Joe C.

May, 2023

WOW! I cannot express enough gratitude for the exceptional formatting work done by Gareth Southwell on my book, 'Automation Awesomeness.' Gareth indeed went above and beyond, exceeding my expectations in every way. From the moment I entrusted Gareth with the task, it was evident that I had made the right choice. His professionalism, attention to detail, and dedication to delivering the highest...
Read more
Lars G.

Lars G.

Apr, 2023

Gareth is a talented illustrator who made my book look amazing! But beyond that he is a collaborator who is easy to work with and was driven to give me the best, most complete work product possible. I would absolutely recommend him to anyone looking for help with a cover.
Gareth S.
Thank you for your very kind words, Lars! It's been a pleasure to work with you, too. Good luck with the book!
Zev P.

Zev P.

Apr, 2023

I engaged Gareth to complete the cover for my soon-to-be released fiction novel. Since I had the front cover illustration done by another person, he needed to work with that to complete the cover and created the spine and back cover from scratch. Due to a number of factors I was delayed in beginning this work and Gareth was extremely flexible in adapting to my extended timeframe. He provided c...
Read more
Gareth S.
Thank you, Zev! It's been a pleasure - I'm glad I was able to help. I look forward to working together again in the future.
Chelley A.

Chelley A.

Jan, 2023

Gareth went above and beyond my expectations as far as cover design, typesetting, and mentoring me through the process of self-publishing. Five stars are not nearly enough for the service and quality he provides. I have already received several compliments on my book cover. When it comes time for my next book projects to need cover art and typesetting, I will be reaching out to Gareth again ...
Read more
Gareth S.
Thank you very much, Chelley! This was a really fun project to work on, and it's been a real pleasure! Good luck with the book!