Karina Granda - Designer
Designer and Art Director of YA, Middle Grade, Non-Fiction and Picture books—including several New York Times bestsellers for all age groups
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Overview
Hi! I am Karina, Art Director at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. I have 10 years of experience working on Children's books across all age groups and formats, from Young Adult novels to Middle Grade chapter books, Young Adult or Illustrated Non-Fiction, Picture Books, and more. I previously worked at the Children's Design department at Simon & Schuster, and I have also designed many covers and interiors for clients including: Random House, S&S, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Granity Studios.
My most known books (the New York Times bestsellers) include:
STAMPED by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
THE INHERITANCE GAMES by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
THE PROUDEST BLUE by Ibtihaj Muhammad
THE MAGIC MISFITS series by Neil Patrick Harris
THE FOLK OF THE AIR series by Holly Black (The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King, The Queen of Nothing)
INTERNMENT by Samira Ahmed
BECOMING KAREEM by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld
I can create striking low-budget covers using inexpensive, royalty-free stock imagery or very simple custom illustrations; or, for higher budgets, I can propose, hire, and art direct illustrators in any style to create custom artwork. I have extensive knowledge of the Children's market, and I know how to design attention-grabbing, effective covers at many price ranges.
I am also a wiz at interior design. ;)
I love non-fiction. I love thrillers. I love funny books. I love coming-of-age modern classics. I love books that take me on adventures. I love books that remind me of home (even if that home is not my own).
My goal is to give your book a package that YOU love. Let's make a book together.
My most known books (the New York Times bestsellers) include:
STAMPED by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
THE INHERITANCE GAMES by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
THE PROUDEST BLUE by Ibtihaj Muhammad
THE MAGIC MISFITS series by Neil Patrick Harris
THE FOLK OF THE AIR series by Holly Black (The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King, The Queen of Nothing)
INTERNMENT by Samira Ahmed
BECOMING KAREEM by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld
I can create striking low-budget covers using inexpensive, royalty-free stock imagery or very simple custom illustrations; or, for higher budgets, I can propose, hire, and art direct illustrators in any style to create custom artwork. I have extensive knowledge of the Children's market, and I know how to design attention-grabbing, effective covers at many price ranges.
I am also a wiz at interior design. ;)
I love non-fiction. I love thrillers. I love funny books. I love coming-of-age modern classics. I love books that take me on adventures. I love books that remind me of home (even if that home is not my own).
My goal is to give your book a package that YOU love. Let's make a book together.
Services
Languages
English
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Children’s Non-Fiction
Fiction
Middle Grade
Middle Grade Fantasy
Picture Books
Thriller & Suspense
Women's Fiction
Young Adult
Work experience
Freelance Designer and Art Director
Self-employed
June, 2018
–
Present
(about 4 years)
Clients include: Simon & Schuster, Random House, Granity Studios, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Tanglewood Press, SourceBooks, MacMillan.
Art Director
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - Hachette Book Group
May, 2016
–
Present
(about 6 years)
Provide art direction and design for a wide variety of children’s books including high profile, New York Times Bestsellers across all age groups and formats: STAMPED by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, THE INHERITANCE GAMES by Jannifer Lynn Barnes, THE MAGIC MISFITS series by Neil Patrick Harris, THE PROUDEST BLUE by Ibtihaj Muhammad, INTERNMENT by Samira Ahmed, THE FOLK OF THE AIR series by Holly Black.
(formerly Senior Designer, Associate Art Director)
Designer
Simon & Schuter (Pulse and Aladdin Imprints)
June, 2010
–
May, 2016
(almost 6 years)
Led design and art direction for teen and middle grade titles, including many lead titles such as the New York Times Bestseller LOVE & GELATO, the rebranding of the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys chapter book series, and more.
(formerly Junior Designer)
Portfolio (33 selected works)
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning
Reynolds, Jason, Kendi, Ibram X.
The Inheritance Games
Barnes, Jennifer Lynn
Love & Gelato
Welch, Jenna Evans
The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air (1))
Black, Holly
The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air (2))
Black, Holly
The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air (3))
Black, Holly
Internment
Ahmed, Samira
The Magic Misfits
Harris, Neil Patrick, Marlin, Lissy, Hilton, Kyle
The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family
Muhammad, Ibtihaj, Aly, Hatem
Brains On! Presents...It's Alive: From Neurons and Narwhals to the Fungus Among Us
Bloom, Molly, Sanchez, Marc, Totten, Sanden
Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court
Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem, Obstfeld, Raymond
Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone (1))
Taylor, Laini
Spindlefish and Stars
Andrews, Christiane M.
New Friends (1) (Angel Wings)
Misra, Michelle, Chaffey, Samantha
Pool Party Puzzler (1) (Nancy Drew Clue Book)
Keene, Carolyn, Francis, Peter
The Adventurer's Guide to Successful Escapes (The Adventurer's Guide (1))
White, Wade Albert
The Inventors at No. 8
Morgen, A. M.
The Canyon's Edge
Bowling, Dusti
Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet
Kemp, Laekan Zea
Most Likely
Watson, Sarah
A Season of Sinister Dreams
Banghart, Tracy
Before the Devil Breaks You (The Diviners (3))
Bray, Libba
You Must Not Miss
Leno, Katrina
Horrid
Leno, Katrina
Blackhearts
Castroman, Nicole
Dear Universe
Gonsalves, Florence
The Summer of Us
Vinesse, Cecilia
Amelia Westlake Was Never Here
Gough, Erin
The Museum of Heartbreak
Leder, Meg
This Side of Salvation
Smith-Ready, Jeri
Karina has 10 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
If you are looking for someone who is professional, kind, caring, exceptionally talented, with a strong work ethic, and a pleasure to work with then look no further than Karina.
Karina goes above and beyond in all aspects of her job. She is an excellent communicator who deeply understands the U.S. market and provides thoughtful pro tips.
The work she delivered on my project was beautiful an...
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Jules McAleese, May 2022
Karina Granda is a consummate professional. She is an organized, punctual and highly effective communicator. She is adept at suggesting solutions to problems. On the artistic side, her designs are elegant and appropriate to the themes in my book. Her book cover and interior book designs are stunning. Working with Karina on my first book was arduous at times because I often didn't know what I w...
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Mary Graves, May 2022
Wow! I can't say enough good things! Karina did a fantastic job. It was a pleasure working with her and I loved the interior design that she did. She was extremely helpful and was easy to work with even during my hectic schedule.
Caitlin Hodnefield, May 2022
Reply from Karina Granda
Karina is AMAZING! She went above and beyond during our project together. I appreciated that she gave me some tips and suggestions along the way. Some, I hadn't even thought of and ended up loving. Her eye for design really gave my book cover a polished and professional look. I am a first-time publisher and she answered all the questions I had, and then some. She was flexible when deadlines cha...
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Brittney Kreighbaum, March 2022
I highly recommend Karina. She has been a pleasure to work with and the cover she designed for the first novel of The Spectrum Series is perfect. It's a cross genre series and the cover she designed makes it clear the book is both a romance and a thriller. It's so exciting because she's signed up for two more books in the series!
Bradley Pay, February 2022
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