Michael O'Donnell

Michael O'Donnell – Designer

In the last 25 years, I've designed thousands of books (mainly in K-12 and higher-ed publishing). I'd love to help with your next project!

Overview

I enjoy the challenge of branding a book's cover, and then organizing the book's interior for ease of reading, priority, and navigation. When a product like an educational text is well-built, this can measurably improve a user's success at grasping the content.

I've worked as a book designer and art director at Pearson Education (K-12) for seven years, and at Jones and Bartlett Learning (higher-ed) for over 12 years, and have freelanced on products including brochures, branding campaigns, and websites.

By starting out with an author query and market research for comparable products, I'm able to sketch several options and iterate toward a beautiful end result.

Services
Non-Fiction
Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences Economics Education & Reference Engineering & Materials Science Finance & Accounting Health & Wellbeing Law Life Sciences
Languages
English

Work experience

Ascend Learning / Jones and Bartlett Learning

Oct, 2011 — Nov, 2023 (about 12 years)
I lead book design for an educational publishing company with an international audience that produces 800 to 1000 titles a year. I’ve helped create a very careful production environment, and I maintain the archive for the many assets related to each of these titles. I work with a large cross-functional team on creative development, design ideation, digital release, print release, and quality control. I also design and produce print and digital marketing campaigns. I solicit and respond to queries for marketing opportunities, and bring them from development through delivery, whether that be for print or digital outreach. I design and produce event and trade show signage, displays, swag, and related advertisements.

Pearson Education

Jun, 2003 — Nov, 2009 (over 6 years)
I hired, trained, and managed a team of four designers. I directed vendors, compositors, photographers, researchers, illustrators, and freelancers. I forecasted budgets for complex projects, and managed bid requests, proposals, and contracts. I developed interdependencies and processes with nearly every department in the business for a new department. We touched over 5,000 ISBNs a year, over half of Pearson’s K-12 list, so organization, process, and communication were critical to our success.

Michael has 20 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Bryan S.

Bryan S.

Oct, 2024

Pinned
Michael has been a pleasure to work with. He brings a passion to his work that ensures the final outcome will be professional and oriented to marketability, without stepping on your vision. I was particularly please how he asked for my input for the cover deign. The result was just stunning! Mic...
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Michael O.
Thank you, Bryan! I'm confident your book will do well, and I liked how our ideas converged on an elegant visual strategy. Good luck!
Peter E.

Peter E.

Sep, 2024

Pinned
Working with Mike has been a delight. He has been the consumate professional, responding to my emails promtly despite the 15 hour time difference. His experience with and understanding of the book market is exempliary, and he has gone beyond the call of duty in helping me with marketing advice.
Michael O.
Thank you, Peter! You have been thoughtful and receptive to design advice. I have truly enjoyed working with you and I look forward to hearing about your next project. You’ve been excellent to wo...
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Joel G.

Joel G.

Aug, 2024

Pinned
I’m absolutely thrilled with the designs Michael created for my textbook and workbooks. He not only captured the exact feeling I envisioned but elevated it with a bold, eye-catching design that will undoubtedly make the book stand out on the shelf among others in the genre. I’m hope to hire him f...
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Michael O.
Thanks Joel! The feelings are mutual. I’m really pleased you were happy with the outcome. Best, Mike
Lisa M.

Lisa M.

Apr, 2026

I’m very happy that I chose Michael to design my book interior and cover. He was easy to work with, patient, and highly professional throughout the entire process. It was clear from the beginning that he has a great deal of design experience, and his skill really shows in the quality of his work....
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Dorothy B.

Dorothy B.

Mar, 2026

Michael brought the professional excellence and experience I needed to design the interior and exterior of my first book. Now that the book is available, people are surprised that it is self-published. They marvel at the design of my book (the cover design, fonts, layout, the colors, the bleed), ...
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