Rachel Kelli

Rachel Kelli – Designer

Professional cover designer with experience designing for thrillers, horror, literary fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.

Overview

Hi! I'm Rachel, a graphic designer with experience collaborating with publishers and authors to design covers and create promotional assets. Genres I've worked with include thrillers, contemporary & literary fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.

While the text is the most important part of any book, I love transmitting that excellence into an impactful visual form that quickly communicates the essence of your book to the reader. Professional presentation is part of what makes a book stand out on a shelf and encourages someone to pick it up to learn more.

I utilize a variety of drawing styles and approaches depending on what is most apt for the project. My skill set includes photography & photo manipulation, digital painting, and traditional pen & ink illustration. I am comfortable with a range of topics and styles, so if you have something in mind, I would love to hear your ideas and bring it to life!

Please feel welcome to message me with any questions.

Hope to work with you soon! :)

Services
Fiction
Anthologies Contemporary Fiction Cozy Mysteries Poetry Psychological Thriller Women's Fiction
Languages
English
Awards
  • American Advertising Award, Publication
  • Adobe Achievement Award, Illustration (x2)
Certifications
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts, Graphic Design
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts, Studio Art

Work experience

Podium Entertainment

Jul, 2026 — Present
I lead illustrated and typographic cover projects for genre fiction—romance, fantasy, and sci-fi—developing creative direction and collaborating with illustrators to shape a cohesive visual concept, layout, and type design.

The Scout Guide

Aug, 2019 — Present
I interpret creative briefs and project direction in order to complete layout and design of print publications as well as create marketing collateral. As part of my job responsibilities I select and arrange type, manipulate imagery, and execute interior layouts.

Creature Publishing

Jan, 2019 — Present
I offer expert freelance design work including illustrative brand assets, promotional graphic materials, and book covers. I love visually representing an author's best work, while also keeping in mind the publisher's marketing aims and end reader's viewpoint.

C&R Press

Jul, 2018 — Feb, 2019 (7 months)
While working with C&R Press, as well as their affiliated press, Mastodon, I designed book covers and typeset book interiors for genres spanning poetry, fiction, and non-fiction.

Portfolio

Made with Reedsy
Chasing Shadows in Borrowed Light

Danish Elahi, Safinah

The Dreamwork Collective

Cover Design
Antenora

Lumpkin, Dori

Creature Publishing

Cover Design
The Gold Persimmon

Merbaum, Lindsay

Cover Design
Cover Design
The Devil Take the Blues: a Southern Gothic Novel

Slick, Ariel

Hell or Highwater Books

Cover Design
Cover Design
Perfect Happiness

Jeong, You-jeong

Creature Publishing

Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
Milk of the Tide

von Alpen, Leeza Jayde

Leeza Jayde

Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
there was this bird (Possession Sound Reading)

Chaney, Nikia

Poetry Northwest Editions

Cover Design
Cover Design
Made with Reedsy
Crimson Copper Bluebird

Tynan, J. P.

J. P. Tynan

Cover Design
Cover Design
Lyra

Franchini, Emily

Cover Design
Cover Design
Cover Design
Cover Design
Objects in Motion

Katz, Jonathan

Cover Design
Headlong

Maclean, Ron

Cover Design
A Family is a House

Pearson, Dustin

Cover Design
Give a Girl Chaos

Seaborn, Heidi

Cover Design

Rachel has 26 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Natalie A.

Natalie A.

Aug, 2026

Pinned
Rachel Kelli created a striking, distinctive cover that perfectly captures the "dark and wondrous" spirit of our anthology. She translated the book’s themes into a design that feels atmospheric, original, and immediately compelling. We’re delighted with the finished cover and would gladly work wi...
Read more
Leeza J.

Leeza J.

Nov, 2025

Pinned
Rachel is wonderfully friendly, professional, creative, and highly talented. She works hard to bring your vision to life in a way that is eye catching and aesthetically pleasing and truly captures the essence of your book. She was enthusiastic, helpful, and offered excellent suggestions throughou...
Read more
David F.

David F.

Dec, 2023

Pinned
Rachel is the best. She is a great listener. As a result, you don't have to waste your time with consistent redesign work that doesn't meet your expectations. I have received 100% compliments from everyone you have seen her designs. I have already hired Rachel to design my second novel, Whisper...
Read more
Laura E.

Laura E.

Aug, 2026

Rachel was very easy to work with, including through the revision process, and delivered a short story cover design that I love! I particularly appreciated that she started the process by reviewing the manuscript in question, which I think helped her hone in on the right style from the beginning.
Jordan T.

Jordan T.

Aug, 2026

Rachel made it easy. Her professionalism and meticulous approach to her work is inspiring.

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Most recent contributions

What software and tools are commonly used by book cover designers to create professional-quality designs?

I use a mixture of Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. As the names suggest, I use Illustrator for creating illustrations and Photoshop for editing and manipulating photos. I use InDesign mainly for layout of the full cover, adding typography, and exporting print-ready PDFs.
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As a standard, how many concepts and rounds of revisions do designers offer in their quotes?

I provide a minimum of three distinct initial concepts, each showcasing a unique design approach. This variety allows the author to explore different creative directions. Occasionally, if inspiration strikes, I may offer additional concepts, but three original designs are always guaranteed to sta...
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