The best book designers for hire near Chicago

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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

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

Sarah 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Professional artist and designer specializing in portraiture. Let me bring your stories to life!

Genres: Holiday, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, LGBTQ Fiction, Young Adult, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-Employed

WJ 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Do you want stress-free outsourcing? A communicative picturebook Illustrator / character designer / general illustrator. Feel free to reach

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

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

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

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

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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

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

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

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

Ashley 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

I'm an agency Sr. Art Director with a MFA in creative writing. Background in illustration and branding. Designed 40+ books for Reedsy.

Genres: Humor & Comedy, Fiction, Poetry, LGBTQ Fiction, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Comics & Graphic Novels, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Write Bloody Publishing
  • NPR - Austin, TX
  • Gap Online
  • Ladders
  • Democratic National Committee
  • Bully Pulpit Interactive

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

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

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

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

Candice 5 star rating

Iowa City, IA, United States

Award-winning fantasy illustrator. 100% hand-made with no generative AI. Providing cover design, typography, marketing assets, and more!

Genres: Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Children's, and Middle Grade Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Bovard Studio, Inc.

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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.