Kari Brownlie

Kari Brownlie – Designer

I am an experienced book cover designer. My work covers a wide range of fiction and non fiction genres, using illustration and photography.

Overview

I am an experienced Graphic Designer specialising in book design. I have over twenty years experience of working in publishing. I have worked in-house for Bloomsbury, Simon and Schuster and Oxford University Press.

My freelance clients include Atlantic, Legend Press, Berlin, Head of Zeus, Honno, Aderyn, Fly on the Wall, RedDoor Press, Canongate, Harper Collins, Birlinn, Orion and Hay House. My work covers a wide variety of fiction and non fiction genres.

When beginning a project I will read the manuscript if possible and discuss with the client. I work in both photographic and illustrative styles depending on what suits the brief. I am experienced in working with Amazon and IngramSpark and at the end of a project I will deliver quality files for printing or ebooks.

My services include:

- illustrations

- photo collage

- paperback cover including front, back and spine

- hardback cover including front, back, spine and dust jacket

- ebook cover

- audiobook cover

- 3D book cover mockup

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Home & Garden Psychology
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Mystery & Crime Women's Fiction
Languages
English

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2010 — Present

Bloomsbury Publishing

Jan, 2007 — Oct, 2010 (over 3 years)

Simon and Schuster

Feb, 2004 — Jan, 2007 (almost 3 years)

Portfolio

Cover Design
Seventies

Howard Sounes

Cover Design
Mesmerised

Shine, Michelle

Cover Design
Cover Design
Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
Resurrecting Jack

Laine, Tua

Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
Take the Plunge

Carew, Susan

Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
The Completists

Wilde, Sarah

Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
A Leaf in a Small Town

Yin, Hana

Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
When We Were Mothers: A Dystopian Novel

Kadilak, Nicci

Cover Design
Cover Design
Poster Boy

NJ Crosskey

Cover Design
After more than thirty years in London, recently widowed Thomas Imbalil returns to India. He spends his first months in uncluttered isolation in his house overlooking the Arabian Sea, in a sma... read more
Cover Design
The Inheritance

Sheena Kalayil

as new unused
Cover Design
Cover Design
Skin

Liam Brown

A strange virus is sweeping the globe. Humans have become allergic to one another. Simply standing next to somebody could be a death sentence. A kiss could be fatal.Angela is a woman trying to... read more
Cover Design
Burnt Shadows

Kamila Shamsie

In a prison cell in the US, a man stands trembling, naked, fearfully waiting to be shipped to Guantanamo Bay. How did it come to this? he wonders. August 9th, 1945, Nagasaki., Hiroko Tanaka st... read more
Cover Design
In 2012 whilst working at the Royal Horticultural Society's library, Fiona Davison unearthed a collection of handwritten letters that dated back to 1822. The letters, each carefully set out in... read more
Cover Design

Kari has 49 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Amanda S.

Amanda S.

Mar, 2026

Finding a cover artist was one of the things I was most nervous about as a new author, but after I found Kari those worries went away. She understood what I was looking for and delivered incredible artwork that was exactly like I had envisioned. I would highly recommend her, and am beyond happy w...
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Julie K.

Julie K.

Mar, 2026

I am thrilled with the process and product. Kari read my manuscript and provided me several potential ideas which she then added to. It was so hard to pick because several of them blew me away! My book is on Netgalley now and I keep getting rave reviews on the cover. I'm thrilled. Thank you so mu...
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Gina C.

Gina C.

Feb, 2026

This is the seventh book I have done with Kari and she is always brilliant. Really professional and on time but most of all incredibly talented. I have just been at a market where I sold quite a few books and very often the comment from the purchaser was 'what wonderful covers'. Too true. Kari's ...
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Zachary H.

Zachary H.

Dec, 2025

Working with Kari was easy and confidence-building. She offered multiple strong design options, collaborated closely on refining the ones I liked, and helped me feel confident in an area where I had little experience. Communication was excellent, deadlines were met, and she was especially skilled...
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Michelle C.

Michelle C.

Sep, 2025

Working with Kari is amazing! She is fast, easy to work with, and has an excellent sense of what is currently selling in the market. I would definitely recommend her!!

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