Tiago Mota

Tiago Mota – Designer

Award-winning cover designer and illustrator with 5+ years of experience crafting iconic visuals for Penguin Random House and others.

Overview

I specialize in children's books, editorial illustration, and comprehensive book cover design, crafting bespoke imagery that brings narratives to life. My approach blends artistic storytelling with market strategy, ensuring every piece is both a "framable" work of art and a commercially effective tool designed to resonate with your audience.

* My Illustration & Design Services *

Custom Cover Design (Print & Digital): I specialize in creating full print-ready wraps (front, spine, and back) specifically tailored to IngramSpark and KDP technical requirements, alongside optimized ebook covers.

Artistic Storytelling: From hand-rendered characters to bold editorial layouts, I create captivating, high-end illustrations designed to make a lasting impression.

Concept Discovery: For every project, I provide three distinct visual directions, exploring various styles and layouts to find your book’s true identity.

Collaborative Refinement: We’ll work closely through focused revision rounds to polish your chosen design, ensuring it aligns perfectly with your vision and stands out in a crowded market.

The No-AI Commitment: I am dedicated to authentic craftsmanship. Every design is created 100% manually without the use of AI-generated imagery, ensuring your work remains unique and copyright-secure.

I deliver industry-standard results that bridge the gap between fine art and professional publishing.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I'm happy to help!

Services
Fiction
Children's Classics Contemporary Fiction Literary Fiction Romance
Languages
English
Awards
  • Shortlisted for BIG National Prize 2023
  • Bertrand’s Best Children’s Book 2023
  • Shortlisted for BIG National Prize 2025

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2019 — Present
Experienced book cover and interior book designer.

Self-employed

Jan, 2019 — Present
Award-winner illustrator. I do mostly children's books but I also have experience in different styles, such as editorial.

Tiago has 3 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Lauryn M.

Lauryn M.

Jan, 2026

It has been wonderful working with Tiago. His eye for playful yet expressive characters is exactly what I envisioned for my book. His attention to detail and willingness to help with edits consistently exceeded my expectations, often within just a few days. Tiago is easy to communicate with and a...
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CA G.

CA G.

Jan, 2025

Tiago is wonderful. Kind, thoughtful and committed, he has a very keen sense of colour and balance. I really love the book cover that he made for my novel. From the tint of colour and the proportions right down to the thickness and roundness of the font. I highly recommend working with him.
Andrea G.

Andrea G.

Aug, 2023

Tiago is a lovely, perceptive and extremely talented artist. His work on my children's book is nothing short of spectacular. I love our conversations because he understands exactly what I am looking for and translates it into the work. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
Tiago M.
Andrea is a very sweet, talented and respectful person. I highly recommend that you work with her.

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