Roderick Brydon

Roderick Brydon – Designer

Book cover designer + illustrator making striking covers for unique books.

Overview

I'm always excited to meet self-publishing authors and indie publishers with an adventurous, modern voice.

Specialities include modern horror, thrillers, drama, often with a unique (sometimes humorous) twist - with an emphasis on strong titling to shine in the 'thumbnail' world.

My services include all facets of cover design - illustration, type, and formatting. I can also provide advertising materials (but not animations or book trailers) and any assets associated with the cover needed for getting your book out into the world.

Services
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Horror Humor & Comedy Literary Fiction Mystery & Crime Psychological Thriller
Languages
English

Work experience

Valancourt Books

Apr, 2024 — Present
Design and illustration work for the horror and LGBTQ+ publisher. Titles include reissues of some forgotten classics like "You'll Like My Mother" by Naomi A. Hintze and "The Fan" by Bob Randall. My job is to update and give a refreshing vision to these books; designing covers that work effectively within the modern market.

Self-employed

Aug, 2022 — Present
My work has spanned many genres and themes. Using methods from traditional media, photographic elements for textural layers, and a good understanding of narrative sense, all these parts have come together to make covers that focus on tone and strong visual impact. I've worked with numerous self-publishing authors and indie publishers internationally and I'm always on the look out to connect with refreshing authors and interesting publishers.

Troubador Publishing

Jun, 2024 — Present
I work as a book cover designer and illustrator for Troubador Publishing. My job involves illustration, titling, and formatting... working closely with the authors and the art department to create strong and unique covers, Artwork that stands out in the 'thumbnail' market, employing the use of strong titling and vivid colour schemes to jump off screens and shelves alike.

Self-employed

Jan, 2009 — Present
Various media. Predominantly oil painting, exploring many themes and styles (always with an emphasis on tone and feeling), from pointillism to abstract expressionism to realism. Other media include - charcoal, graphite, acrylic, watercolours, pastels, and ink. Work displayed in many private collections and galleries (predominantly throughout Edinburgh). Work also includes interior murals (with acrylics).

Self-employed

Aug, 2003 — Present
Various projects - poster design, album covers, digital portraits, website design, and more.

Portfolio

Made with Reedsy
The Seven Bosses of Honey Malone

Herren, Juli A.

Stochastic Mountain Inc.

Cover Design Illustration Typography
The Day After Judgment

Blish, James

Valancourt Books

Cover Design Illustration Typography
Write About Here

Jeje, Akin

Cover Design Illustration Typography
DOWNBEACH

Overs, Matt

Moonshine Cove Publishing, LLC

Cover Design Illustration Typography
The Viaduct

Wheldon, David

Valancourt Books

Cover Design Illustration Typography
Bleak November

O'Grady, Rohan

Valancourt Books

Cover Design Illustration Typography
You'll Like My Mother

Hintze, Naomi A

Valancourt Books

Cover Design Illustration Typography
Made with Reedsy
Sugar Cube: A Mafia/Benedict Novel

Morello, Joe

Parrot Publishing

Cover Design Illustration Typography
Fear No More

Nelson, Michael

Valancourt Books

Cover Design Illustration Typography

Roderick has 39 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Shaun M.

Shaun M.

Jul, 2025

Pinned
Roderick Brydon is a consummate professional! A paragon of design! Though his portfolio and work experience and responsiveness speak for themselves, I will share a bit more! Roderick’s communication is platinum level in terms of effectiveness! He read my design brief on my book cover idea for my ...
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Roderick B.
Loved working with you Shaun! Best of luck with the release, and I look forward to designing your next!
Mylee B.

Mylee B.

Nov, 2024

Pinned
Roderick was an absolute pleasure to work with! He was highly professional, and communicated quickly and efficiently. The covers and mockups he made for my upcoming book are stunning, and I couldn't have found a better cover artist! 20/10 recommend him!
Roderick B.
Thanks Mylee. I really loved working on your cover. Wishing you all the best for the release next year!
Liam Auden B.

Liam Auden B.

Oct, 2024

Pinned
It has been an absolute pleasure working with Roderick. His design for the cover of my debut novel was beyond what I could have imagined myself for the cover. He is a kind person and quick to respond to any questions or suggestions that you may have. His attention to detail is wonderful and artis...
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Roderick B.
Thanks Liam. It was great working with you on your debut novel. Can't wait to work on your next books!
Matt K.

Matt K.

Nov, 2025

Roderick was such a pleasure to work with. His initiative and responsiveness was superb and refreshing. He was able to translate the material into a cover art piece that gives our book a proper face and punched the theme home. Roderick stays true to his style and was willing to explore design op...
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Roderick B.
Loved working with you, Matt. Best of luck with the book's release and hope to work with you again.
Katlynn S.

Katlynn S.

Nov, 2025

Roderick was a pleasure to work with. He immediately understood the intent of the design, grasped the vision, and ran with it. We quickly narrowed down the style, I offered a few suggestions, and voilà, the cover was complete. I absolutely love the design he created and would highly recommend hi...
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Roderick B.
It was a pleasure working on this Katlynn! Best of luck with the release.

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Most recent contributions

What factors do you consider when calculating your rate for a book cover design?

When I price a cover design project, I think about the overall workload. Is it going to be a simple design with strong typography, or something more involved with custom illustration or heavy photo work? I also look at the research and creative time it’ll take to land on a concept that feels righ...
Read more

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