The best book designers for hire near Chicago

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Kids designer/illustrator who loves storytelling, fun facts, cute macabre, fantasy, + nature. Let's create rad books—for the kid in us all♥️

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

Work experience:

  • Sourcebooks
  • Self-employed

WJ 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

One-stop solution, Do you want stress-free outsourcing? A communicative picturebook Illustrator / character designer / general illustrator

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction, Cultural & Ethnic, Contemporary Fiction, and Design.

Work experience:

  • co.Aniframe
  • Self-employed

Ellen 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Art director with more than ten years of experience in publishing, finding delight in all kinds of book design.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Young Adult, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, and Middle Grade Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Cottage Door Press
  • Albert Whitman & Company

Jon 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Bold yet practical, iced-coffee-drinking book designer with 20+ years in publishing, ready to help make your book a bestseller.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Sports & Outdoors, Political Science & Current Affairs, Music, Parenting & Families, True Crime, and Travel.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Independent Publishers Group, Chicago Review Press, and Triumph Books
  • Chicago Review Press

Andrea 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

I’m an artist with a knack for illustration, hand lettering and painting. I love creating bold and colorful pieces!

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Romantic Suspense, Romance, Christian Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Non-Fiction, True Crime, and Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Annemieke 5 star rating

Seattle, WA, United States

Hi! I'm a cover designer with 10 years of experience, specializing in YA fiction. Clients include HarperCollins and Galison/Mudpuppy.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Architecture, Non-Fiction, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Design, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Hokyoung 5 star rating

New York, United States

I am an illustrator interested in making images with strong moods and narratives.

Genres: Action & Adventure, Fiction, Classics, Mystery & Crime, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Literary Fiction, and Short Story.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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David 5 star rating

Guilford, United States

I believe that book cover design has the power to crystalize and elevate the author's intent and expression.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Action & Adventure, Poetry, Historical Fiction, Cultural & Ethnic, and Inspirational.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Samantha 5 star rating

California, United States

Children's Illustrator and designer specialized in colorful, whimsical illustrations with experience from Disney.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Jam City
  • RockYou Inc.
  • Walt Disney Interactive
  • Book Buddy Media

David 5 star rating

New York, United States

Exceedingly detail oriented and organized, with strong collaborative and interpersonal skills; highly dedicated, and reliable.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Historical Fiction, Psychology, True Crime, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Sterling Publishing
  • Simon and Schuster
  • Self-employed
  • Skyhorse Publishing

Heather 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Experienced cover designer of adult fiction and non-fiction genres. Let's make your book a best-seller!

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Coming of Age, Historical Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Magical Realism, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Sourcebooks

Mary Ann 5 star rating

New York, United States

With 20+ yrs experience in fiction, rom-com, wellness and career guides, my clients include Simon and Schuster and PenguinRandomHouse.

Genres: Career Guides, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Penguin Random House

Dana 5 star rating

Kansas City, Missouri, United States

I have illustrated children's books for Scholastic, Random House, Penguin, Grosset & Dunlap, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Hallmark Cards

Daimon 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Daimon is an comic book illustrator and Designer from Chicago who believes in honesty in art and in life.

Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, Fiction, Comics Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, African American Fiction, and Action & Adventure.

Work experience:

  • Dc comics
  • Chirp RADIO Chicago
  • The Microphone Misfitz
  • Eddie Klinker
  • Shein
  • Round table Companies

Jakob 5 star rating

Portland, United States

Specializing in detail-oriented interior designs and layouts for print editions

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Poetry, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Tin House
  • Self-employed
  • Submit Magazine
  • Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader

Taylor 5 star rating

San Francisco, CA, United States

Experienced designer (+ avid reader) previously of Chronicle Books | Thoughtful layout + covers | Booking for 2026!

Genres: Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Poetry, Fiction, Career Guides, Entertainment, Contemporary Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, and Humor & Comedy.

Work experience:

  • Chronicle Books
  • Gershoni Creative Agency
  • Self-employed

Elynn 5 star rating

South Orange, United States

A versatile, creative, collaborative book design professional who designs covers and interiors with a focus on the children's market.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Middle Grade, Comics & Graphic Novels, Children’s Non-Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • Freelance

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Hire the best book designers in Chicago

Poor book design and layout can make even a great book look sloppy, so it's important to get it right. But lots of authors don’t know where to start when it comes to formatting their book — it’s a complex process that requires very specific skills, after all. That’s why you need to invest in a professional book designer.

An experienced book designer knows how to present your work in the best possible way. They will look at your book cover, interior book design, and images (if you have any) to produce a polished and professional design. Whether you need clean formatting or detailed illustrations for your cover, you’re going to want a pro to do the job right.

At Reedsy, we have an extensive directory of skilled book designers in Chicago. All our professionals have been reviewed based on proven skills and experience — you just have to sign up to start browsing amazing book designers' profiles, and even request quotes from them for free.

How it works

Browse profiles, request quotes, then collaborate.

Step 1

Apply filters

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Step 2

Browse

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

Collaborate

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