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

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

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, True Crime, Non-Fiction, and Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Judith 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, United States

Lettering artist and illustrator for 25 years. Bold, clean, graphic style—bright color palettes—contemporary look.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Design, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Themes & Motifs, and Plays & Screenplays.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Jon 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Bold yet practical, cold-brew-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

Nicole 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Designer and Art Director with 10 years of industry experience, specializing in YA and Adult. Has worked on 15 New York Times bestsellers.

Genres: Coming of Age, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Horror, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Young Adult, Middle Grade, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • Sourcebooks
  • Self-employed

sarah 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Illustrator with a passion for drawing delicious food and drink! Also a comics nerd, and the artist behind the Let's Make! cookbook series.

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-Employed
  • fathead design

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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

Caroline Teagle 5 star rating

Brooklyn, NY, United States

I am not accepting any new requests to collaborate at this time.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Women's Fiction, Entertainment, Mystery & Crime, True Crime, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Penguin Random House
  • Random House
  • Penguin Publishing Group
  • HarperCollins

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

Ashley 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

A book nerd with a decade of experience in solving the puzzle of interior page design. Big time romance, memoir, & weird science reader.

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Fiction, Romantic Comedy, New Adult, Young Adult, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, True Crime, Dark Romance, and Sex & Relationships.

Work experience:

  • Sourcebooks

Ricardo 5 star rating

Philadelphia, United States

I'm illustrator and Graphic Designer. I love the freedom children's book illustration brings. I love small details just kids can understand.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Nature, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade, Life Sciences, Math & Science, Fantasy, and Action & Adventure.

Work experience:

  • 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

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

Penny 5 star rating

Holbrook, United States

I have been lucky enough to work as a Children's Book Illustrator since 2007.

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

Work experience:

  • self employed

Talitha 5 star rating

Fort Wayne, United States

Experienced award-winning illustrator and designer. I can help with your next book concept!

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

C.J. 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

I'm an award-winning illustrator, well-versed both in realistic nature-based and fantasy painting and children's media ✨

Genres: Nature, Non-Fiction, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Children's, and Historical Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • U.S Chess Federation (Freelance Client)
  • Gallopade
  • Cepia, LLC

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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

Reedsy is home to thousands of professionals. Select the specific services you need and narrow your search based on your book’s genre and requirements.

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.