The best book illustrators for hire in the United Kingdom

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Nick 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

I am a book cover designer with 20 years experience. I have designed everything from thrillers, crime books and illustrated womens fiction.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • HarperCollins

Sarah 5 star rating

England, United Kingdom

Specialist children's book illustrator and designer, creating beautiful and engaging books and content.

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Pearson Education
  • John Brown Media
  • Redan Publishing

Berenice 5 star rating

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Award-winning website designer, writer, book designer, and brand creator, passionate about accessible digital design.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Anthologies, Classics, Women's Fiction, Writing & Publishing, Short Story, Middle Grade, Children's, Education & Reference, and Children’s Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Cambridge University Press
  • Pearson and Penguin
  • M&M Communications

Emma 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

A freelance book cover designer with over 10 years of experience working across a wide variety of imprints at HarperCollins and LittleBrown.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Action & Adventure, Historical Fiction, Classics, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Little Brown
  • HarperCollins

Patrick 5 star rating

Brighton, United Kingdom

With 30 years experience designing covers for the UK's top publishing houses, I also art direct, illustrate and do hand lettering for covers

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Action & Adventure, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller & Suspense, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Historical Mysteries, and Science Fiction.

Britt 5 star rating

Orkney, Scotland, United Kingdom

Scottish Artist and Illustrator. Studied Visual Communications at NCAD Dublin, graduated 2005. Creative freelance with flair and good cheer.

Genres: Humor & Comedy, Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Nature, Short Story, Calendars, Middle Grade, and Agriculture.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • BBC Radio Orkney

Jenny 5 star rating

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

I'm an experienced book designer and illustrator. I specialise in all fiction and non-fiction genres from kids books to cook books and more!

Genres: Humor & Comedy, Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Health & Wellbeing, Home & Garden, Art, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Penguin Random House New Zealand
  • Penguin Books New Zealand
  • Book Design Ltd (now Smartwork Creative)
  • Pearson Education New Zealand
  • Self-employed

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Laura 5 star rating

Bath, United Kingdom

I am an award-winning freelance Senior Book Designer, Illustrator and Artist with 28 years experience in the Publishing industry.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Nature, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Anthologies, Music, Humanities & Social Sciences, Short Story, Education & Reference, and Children’s Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Usborne Publishing, Wolverhampton
  • Usborne Publishing, London
  • Self-employed

Edward 5 star rating

Brighton, United Kingdom

Graphic Design professional with over 20 years experience specialising in cover design and illustration.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Nature, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Fantasy, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Warner Music
  • Penguin Books UK
  • Self-employed

I'm a very experienced designer and illustrator of top-selling non-fiction books, on topics that include Psychology, Nature and Wellbeing.

Genres: Agriculture, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Home & Garden, Nature, Travel, New Age, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Psychology, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Zoe 5 star rating

Dorchester, UK

Hi, my name is Zoe and I'm a freelance illustrator and designer with a passion for all things children's book related!

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Let’s create a book cover that reflects the excellence of your writing. Bring your story to life with a stunning, bespoke cover design!

Genres: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Gaming & LitRPG, Comics & Graphic Novels, Military Science Fiction, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Steampunk, Post-Apocalyptic, and Dystopian.

Work experience:

  • Self Employed

Illustrator skilled in both traditional and digital techniques. My work is inspired by vintage illustrations.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Classics, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

James 5 star rating

Perranporth, UK

I'm an award-winning Art Director, Book Cover Designer and Children's Illustrator who freelances for publishers all over the world.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Poetry, Science Fiction, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Nature, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Orion Publishing Group (Hachette)
  • Vintage Books (Penguin Random House)
  • Oneworld Publications
  • Head of Zeus
  • Self-employed

Award Winning Book Designer specialising in Illustration and attention-grabbing Graphic Design.

Genres: Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, New Adult, Young Adult, Contemporary Fiction, Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and Action & Adventure.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Better Food
  • VIVID. a post_rock festival

Experienced and multi-talented book designer who can help make your book something special. Covers, layout, typography, beautiful imagery...

Genres: Design, Non-Fiction, Architecture, Music, Humanities & Social Sciences, Entertainment, Photography, History, Travel, and Art.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Bloomsbury Publishing
  • Thames & Hudson

Unique commercial illustration with a focus on humour. Experienced illustrator working in education, publishing and editorial sectors.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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Hire the best book illustrators in the UK

You’ve done the hard work of getting a story on paper. Now let us help you find the perfect illustrator to bring your words to life.

In many genres, particularly those for a younger audience, the words and the pictures will become intertwined. Both should complement the other perfectly. If you think back to your most beloved children’s books, chances are that you still vividly remember the art that brought the story to life in front of your very eyes. So whether you’re publishing a children’s book or a technical piece of writing, your story deserves the illustrations that can illuminate it and take it to the next level.

But how can you find the perfect illustrator for your story? It’s probably not a surprise that talented illustrators are highly in-demand. But it’s not enough to simply be gifted. The ideal illustrator should have previously worked in your genre and have years of experience in the industry. More importantly, their style of illustration must match with your own unique voice.

If you’re struggling to find the right book illustrator to fit this profile, Reedsy can step in. Our book illustrators have worked for the biggest publishers and the most prestigious illustration agencies in the UK. We rigorously vet and accept only the top 3% of talent in the industry to ensure that you’re seeing the best freelancers available. What’s more, our platform lets you browse each illustrator’s individual gallery, so that you can get a feel for their illustration style before you commit to a collaboration. So what are you waiting for? Simply sign up for a free Reedsy account today to meet the perfect book illustrator for hire in the UK who can breathe life into your story.

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Step 2

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Then, browse professional profiles to find out more about their personalities and past projects.

Step 3

Request quotes

Request quotes from up to five freelancers at any time. They’ll look at your sample pages to give you a tailored quote as well as a sense of how they work.

Step 4

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Once you agree on terms and a timeline, you’ll start collaborating using the many communication and editing tools available on Reedsy.