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

James 5 star rating

Chester, United Kingdom

Simple, but fun pencil and pen illustrator. I love middle grade, chapter books, and non-fiction for kids and adults.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade Fantasy, Business & Management, Health & Wellbeing, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and Humor & Comedy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • James Warwood Books

Louise 5 star rating

England, United Kingdom

Hello, I am an Illustrator living & working in Somerset. My style is honest, inviting & brings the everyday to life.

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classics, Home & Garden, Weddings, Short Story, and Fashion & Textiles.

Work experience:

  • Ernest Journal - Tina Smith, Jo Keeling
  • Author Andrew Sutton
  • The Hunterian Museum & Glasgow University
  • Curator of 'Museum of memory', Kate McStraw,
  • Tina Smith, Dan Linstead -Immediate Media
  • Pretty Nostalgic
  • Another Escape
  • Upper Hand Press. (William Cass, Author & Ann Starr, Publisher)
  • Marbella Club Hotel & Smokes Creative

Emma 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

A freelance book cover designer with over 20 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

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

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.

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

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Award winning illustrator and designer. I love illustrating magical and strange worlds. Let's start working on making your project sparkle!

Genres: Middle Grade Fantasy, Children's, Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Classics, Young Adult, Romantic Fantasy, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Longman Group
  • Oxford University Press
  • Aberystwyth University

Illustrator crafting intricate, nature-infused imagery with hand-drawn linework, ink washes & textures for poetry, fiction & non-fiction.

Genres: Anthologies, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Poetry, Inspirational, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Psychology, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Greenhouse Communications
  • Kineo

Award-winning graphic designer, author and artist with 25+ years experience in cover design, layout, typography and illustration.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Design, Photography, Writing & Publishing, Entertainment, Economics, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Political Science & Current Affairs.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Tate
  • The Guardian
  • AGM
  • APN New Zealand
  • The Independent

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 am an illustrator with 5+ years of experience I create bright narrative filled pieces of work that will be sure to catch readers eyes.

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, LGBTQ Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Dark Romance, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Lady Longhorn
  • Self-employed

Freelance illustrator & book cover artist based in the UK. Over 10 years experience working with clients such as Xbox, CreativeReview & more

Genres: Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Fantasy, Coming of Age, Action & Adventure, Technology, Non-Fiction, Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences, and Math & Science.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Archant

Book cover designer and illustrator working primarily in adult non fiction and fiction.

Genres: Education & Reference, Non-Fiction, Music, Humanities & Social Sciences, Philosophy, Short Story, Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Writing & Publishing, Anthologies, and Poetry.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

I will make your characters gorgeous, gay, and outrageously colourful. If you need Fantasy, Sci-fi, or Romance covers I'm yours to command!

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Hi, I'm Rich. I create story-driven Illustration that capture emotion and atmosphere to bring your words, worlds and characters to life.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Joe 5 star rating

Sheffield, UK

I'm an illustrator with over 13 years experience. I know what readers want and how to personalize your book for your reader base.

Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Technology, Post-Apocalyptic, Political Science & Current Affairs, and Thriller & Suspense.

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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