Lauren Schooley – Designer

I'm Lauren, a designer and illustrator located in Baltimore, Maryland, USA with a BFA in Illustration and a focus in Graphic Design from the Maryland Institute College of Art. I specialize in book cover design and interior illustrations for middle grade through to early adult titles, with particular interest in illustrated fantasy for those age ranges as well as in adult historical nonfiction covers. I love bringing visuals to books that spark readers' imaginations or teach them something about the world - or both in the best cases.

I adore fantasy for any age range, particularly fictional stories where the normal world has a bit of magic to it – magic that can be a joy, a danger, or both, and that helps explore something about our real world in a way that’s just a bit more fun than it would be otherwise. History, on the other hand, is something I consider both absolutely vital and fascinating, and it is always an honor to design covers for history writing for any age range.

My written communication with clients is prompt and clear, but I strive to make a warm connection when possible so I can better express your words and stories in visuals. After asking what your vision for the project is and forming a clear idea of what you want from me, I'll work on a number of sketches and send them to you for feedback and for a choice on which ones you want brought to final. I'll often send one or two edited final sketch stages or in-progress designs over to you for approval before finishing the project and submitting it to you. If there's anything you want me to change about a final design, I allow a two-week period in which you can ask for any such edits. I want the final product to be exactly as you want it!

I'm excited to work with you!