Lee-may Lim

Lee-may Lim – Designer

Experienced senior book designer - book covers,page layout and project management. Specialised in adult non-fiction and children's books.

Overview

Book Designer with over 20 years experience in the industry, I specialise in all things publishing. Before turning my hand to freelance, I was head of design at Pavilion Books for about 11 years. Over that time I worked on many different wonderful projects and was designing book covers, page designs, layouts, commissioning illustrators and photographers as well as attending photoshoots. I also designed leaflets, flyers and email banners to support marketing around the titles I designed. I have experience in several different sectors of publishing but my area of expertise is non-fiction trade illustrated books - lifestyle/cookery/craft/naval & military history /gift and children's books. After working all of my professional life in publishing companies , I have gained the skills and the expertise to take a book from concept through to print.


I am highly competent in my technical handling and setup of files, which makes for a smooth process all the way from beginning to end. I have always had wonderful and rewarding working relationships with all my authors, illustrators and editors and I believe that forming a positive and productive working relationship consisting of mutual respect and cooperation is the key to an enjoyable and successful partnership to producing a beautiful book. Past and present clients include Pavilion Books, Bloomsbury Publishing, Quarto, Tiny Owl Publishing, DK, Pavilion Children's, National Trust Books and Weldon Owen Children's.

Services
Non-Fiction
Children’s Non-Fiction Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits Design Fashion & Textiles Health & Wellbeing History
Fiction
Picture Books
Languages
English
Awards
  • Silver Winner for Best Designed Book for Children ( Junior Design Awards 2023 )
Certifications
  • Ba (Hons) Graphic & Media Design
  • Imago Training : Pre press skills
  • Imago Training : Managing Colour

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2017 — Present

All aspects of Book Design - Cover Design, Page Design, Layout, Artworking etc. I carry through every project from Concept through to Print.

Past and Present Clients include Pavilion Books, Bloomsbury Publishing, Quarto, Red Door Publishing, Arcturus Publishing, Pavilion Childrens, National Trust Books and Penguin Random House.

Pavilion Books

Jul, 2006 — Nov, 2016 (over 10 years)

• Art Direction
• Providing Technical Know-how to all departments
• Managing all aspects involved in the running of a team of up to 6 inhouse designers
• Workflow management
• Departmental invoicing and cost control
• Recruiting staff & Carrying out annual performance reviews
• Sourcing, Organising & managing freelancers, photographers, illustrators
• Overseeing & contributing to company-wide projects
• Keeping a close working relationship with editorial, production and sales & marketing
• Designing Covers and Internals of books across varied categories
• Designing marketing material, email banners and preparing sales material on demand

Anova Books

Aug, 2005 — Jul, 2006 (11 months)

Chrysalis Books

Aug, 2003 — Aug, 2005 (about 2 years)

Hodder Educational

Jul, 2001 — Aug, 2003 (about 2 years)

Hodder Educational

Aug, 2000 — Jul, 2001 (11 months)

Hodder Educational

Jul, 1999 — Aug, 2000 (about 1 year)

Portfolio

Just Like Daddy

Lucy Freegard

Who wouldn’t want to be just like daddy, when daddy is strong and silly, kind and practical? But he also knows how to have fun, and even if he messes up, it’s never a big deal. Dad deals with the scariest of monsters (well, spiders at least), keeps his eyes op... read more
William Bee loves his trucks. He has lots, and if you're lucky he'll show you some of them and tell you all about them. There's his tanker truck, which carries all the fuel he needs for his vehicles - in fact it holds enough fuel for 650 cars! Then there's his... read more
Woolf

Alex Latimer

A wolf and a sheep fall in love. They have a son that they call Woolf - he's half wolf, half woolly sheep! This is Woolf's story. It's not easy being different - not quite fitting in with one group or another. When Woolf tries to impress the wolves, he finds i... read more
Bugs

Simon Tyler

From the brilliant illustrator, Simon Tyler, comes a wonderful compendium of bugs and insect life. Bugs are fascinating, and in this book we get close to over 50 different and fantastic bugs including the biggest, smallest and most amazing bugs in the world, t... read more
Scone obsessive Sarah Cleland has gathered 50 scone recipes from National Trust experts around the country, and has written a quirky guide to 50 National Trust places to delight and entertain you while you bake or eat those blissful treats. Eccentric owners, s... read more
National Trust Family Cookbook is packed with delicious and colorful recipes for lunches and suppers as well as healthy (and indulgent) breakfast ideas, lunchbox alternatives, and food for Sunday roasts and summer barbecues. It's divided into timescale section... read more
Celebrate mankind's 3,000 years at sea with a spectacular record of 360 well-known ships in history and fiction. Each page offers the story of a famous (or in some cases, infamous) vessel, illustrated with a stunning photograph or painting, and complete with t... read more
First World War Poems

Jane McMorland-Hunter

This is an anthology of over 100 poems written during and about World War I. It follows the format and design of Anova's highly succesful Ode To series. There are all the famous frontline poets—including Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, and Edward Thomas—but a... read more
Secret Gardens

Claire Masset

Collected here are stunning photographs of the National Trust’s idiosyncratic gardens, accompanied by a light text meditating on the magic of the secret garden, and bringing in fascinating historical and botanical details. This book includes secret mazes, hidd... read more
More than 100 recipes covering picnics, barbeques, and campfire foodPicnics and outdoor meals are a classic theme in every culture. Afternoon tea in the garden on a golden afternoon in late summer, a packed lunch consumed on a hilltop while the eyes feast on a... read more
1927: Britain's heritage is vanishing. Beautiful landscapes are being bulldozed. Historic buildings are being blown up. Stonehenge is collapsing. Enter Ferguson's Gang, a mysterious and eccentric group of women who help the National Trust to fight back. The Ga... read more

Lee-may has 3 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Kate H.

Kate H.

Sep, 2024

Lee-may was fantastic to work with, she is professional, clear and responsive. I would recommend her highly.
Ian L.

Ian L.

Dec, 2018

Lee-may is great!
Kevin C.

Kevin C.

Dec, 2017

Lee May Lim is an outstanding professional, a real gifted designer. It is a pleasure to work with someone so skilled and experienced. Lee May prepared a sample chapter for my proposed coffee tablet book and she did an excellent job. A real pleasure to work with.

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