The best book illustrators for hire in the United Kingdom

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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

Jason 5 star rating

Hassocks, United Kingdom

Book jacket design designer with over twenty years experience in the industry.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Political Science & Current Affairs, Humanities & Social Sciences, Philosophy, Mystery & Crime, Thriller & Suspense, and Technology.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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

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.

Vanessa 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

🟡 Experienced book designer available for book cover and interior book design/typesetting. 🟡

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Christian Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Poetry, Thriller & Suspense, Humor & Comedy, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

A experienced and passionate children's book illustrator bringing stories to life through magical artwork.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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

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Illustrator specialized in visual story telling through fantastical pictures and bold colour palettes.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Middle Grade Fantasy, Middle Grade, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • The Design Solution, London, UK
  • Bucharest, Romania
  • Self-employed

Book cover designer and illustrator with 15+ years’ publishing experience, creating bold, story-driven and memorable visuals.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Design, Education & Reference, Sports & Outdoors, and Travel.

Work experience:

  • Sotheby's
  • Anova Books
  • Taylor & Francis
  • Self-employed

Mia 5 star rating

Shrewsbury, UK

I specialise in illustration for children aged 3-7. I create endearing characters using vibrant colour palettes, soft textures and detail.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • MarcoPolo Learning

With over 20 years as a designer I can create for you an eye catching and professional book cover design that will get your book noticed.

Genres: Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Music, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Historical Fiction, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Ghost Design
  • Allcity Media
  • Self-employed
  • Various

I manage a small design studio in central London. Publishing services include book design, project management and art direction.

Genres: Architecture, Non-Fiction, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Religion & Spirituality, Parenting & Families, and Design.

Work experience:

  • Duncan Baird Publishing
  • Smith and Gilmour
  • Self-employed

I'm a London-based illustrator, specialising in the following styles: Comic/graphic novel, Painterly and vector designs

Genres: Anthologies, Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Science Fiction, Travel, Non-Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Offshore International Advertsing
  • Big House Media
  • South African Fashion Week

I'm an ethusiastic artist, illustrator and graphic designer with experience working on children's non-fiction picture books.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, Health & Wellbeing, Life Sciences, Math & Science, Technology, and Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

I'm a passionate and creative book designer with over 20 years experience.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Sports & Outdoors, True Crime, Political Science & Current Affairs, Humanities & Social Sciences, History, Education & Reference, Economics, and Business & Management.

Work experience:

  • Packt
  • Bloomsbury Publishing
  • Biteback Publishing
  • Grade Design
  • Self-employed

Emma 5 star rating

Nottingham, UK

I'm an award-winning children's book illustrator and designer living in Nottingham, UK. I specialize in bringing children's books to life.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Middle Grade, Middle Grade Fantasy, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Education & Reference.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Tom 5 star rating

Liverpool, UK

I'm a freelance artist and illustrator based near Liverpool, UK. I specialise in whimsical, fantastical and retro-futuristic art.

Genres: Gaming & LitRPG, Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Steampunk, Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

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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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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