Peter Burgess

Peter Burgess – Designer

Designer of Oxford Dictionaries, The British National Formulary, and many fine art and literature books. I am a scribe for Kate Bush.

Overview

A complete book design service, for covers, text, and publicity. With over 30 years experience in the industry, I can guide writers and editorial staff through the complete design process, which is always fun. I am a highly skilled typographer and have designed many complex titles that include The British National Formulary and over 83 Oxford Dictionaries. I also have considerable experience of fine art books, especially photography and have worked with the Magnum photographer David Goldblatt. Picture research and illustration commissioning are part of the service.


I have designed books that have sold millions, as well as limited editions of one. I have a lot of expertise in reference books that are thousands of pages long and have even designed custom typefaces when needed. My knowledge of printing and pre-press has saved many of my client's thousands of pounds.


Once your book is designed, I can help find a printer. For a really unforgettable experience, I can arrange for authors to see their book being printed by some of the worlds greatest printers including Graphicom SrL in Verona. I am a passionate reader and love books.

Services
Fiction
Anthologies Literary Fiction
Non-Fiction
Architecture Art Design Education & Reference ELT Medicine, Nursing, & Dentistry
Languages
English

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2000 — Present

I offer a complete book design service, for covers, text, and publicity. With over 30 years experience in the industry, I can guide writers and editorial staff through the complete design process, which is always fun. I am a highly skilled typographer, and have designed many complex titles that include The British National Formulary and over 50 Oxford Dictionaries. I also have considerable experience of fine art books, and have worked with world class pre-press and printers including Graphicom SrL in Verona and Bookworks in London. I am a passionate reader and love books.

Goodfellow & Egan, Cambridge

Feb, 1999 — Feb, 2000 (about 1 year)

Ran in-house design department of one of the UKs most respected book typesetters, specialisation in academic and educational publishing. Duties included designing concepts and presenting these to clients, and managing an experienced team of typesetters and repro specialists. Broad range of clients included; Cambridge University Press, Longman, Macmillan, Nelson, Penguin, and Cardozo Kindersley

Motivate Publishing

Jul, 1998 — Dec, 1999 (over 1 year)

Designer at commercial publisher in Dubai UAE. Duties included design of trade books, magazines, and advertorials, including the guide to Dubai GITEX (the biggest computer trade fair in the Gulf). I also worked with the arabic typesetting team to ensure the quality of arabic content.

Oxford University Press

Jul, 1989 — Jun, 1998 (almost 9 years)

My career started in the ELT department at Oxford University Press in 1989, where disciplined traditional typography and an eye for detail were essential. I worked on the OUP Grammar and Usage series, including the design of Practical English Usage by Michael Swan. My interest in typography also meant I became involved with Dictionary design.

In 1994 I moved to Oxford University Press Southern Africa in Cape Town, on an exciting list of post–Apartheid books. Several of these books became award winning; A Country Unmasked, by Alex Borraine, This is my world by Susan Imrie Ross, and Ways of Dying by Zake Mda. The latter book became a best seller and Zake Mda is now published internationally.

During this time, I helped OUPSA launch their dictionary series,which has been a great success, and now covers all the official languages of South Africa. I still work freelance for OUPSA, and this dictionary series continues to grow

Portfolio

Physical description: 96 pages : illustrations (chiefly colour), colour maps, 1 colour portrait ; 25 cm. Notes: Previous edition: 1989. Includes bibliographical references and index. Summary: Persia (ancient Iran) occupies an important place among the great ci... read more
Good: A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (including dust cover, if applicable). The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "... read more
Portuguand#234;s-Ingland#234;s / Ingland#234;s-Portuguand#234;s
This ground breaking study dispels the common belief that Chinese 'doesn't have words' but instead 'has characters'. Jerome Packard's book provides a comprehensive discussion of the linguistic and cognitive nature of Chinese words. It shows that Chinese, far f... read more
A groundbreaking reconsideration of translation in English language teaching, this book is a survey and critical assessment of arguments for and against translation in different teaching contexts. This book proposes translation as one of a number of ways of re... read more
Oxford's new American Dictionaries for learners of English offer students a dictionary that is just right for their level. Written specifically for students working to improve their English language skills, these dictionaries support English learners, struggli... read more
On the Ground features the work of ten faculty members working in the field of Middle East and North African studies at Northwestern University s campuses in Doha, Qatar and Evanston, Illinois. Together, they challenge received wisdom by extending the debate t... read more
An overview of form-focused instruction as an option for second language grammar teaching. It combines theoretical concerns, classroom practices, and teacher education.
Travel photographer Julie Green first visited Ethiopia in the 1960s. Here, her breathtaking photographs from that period are joined by photographs of Ethiopia today. The result is a stunning panoply of images from across Ethiopia celebrating the beauties of th... read more
Compiled with the advice of clinical experts and continually updated to reflect the latest evidence from credible sources worldwide, the new edition of the British National Formulary 75 (BNF) provides up-to-date guidance on prescribing, dispensing, and adminis... read more
Improve your English language skills with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Understand what words mean. Learn how to say them. Know how to use them.The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (OALD) is a world best-seller. It is now available for Kindle: ... read more

Peter has 3 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

dan B.

dan B.

Apr, 2023

A pleasant and professional experience w Peter
chris P.

chris P.

Mar, 2023

Peter was wonderful to work with. He is a highly skilled and knowledgeable book designer who works quickly and efficiently and for a reasonable price.
Gideon R.

Gideon R.

Aug, 2022

Working with Peter has been excellent. A true, meticulous, masterful professional.

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