Roderick Brydon

Roderick Brydon – Designer

Book Cover Designer and Illustrator with 20+ years experience in graphic design - creating great covers for equally great books.

Overview

My career as a visual artist has naturally led to book cover design, titling, and illustration. From foundations in traditional art and photography, that swiftly progressed to graphic design and work on cover design and titling. I keep my traditional sense firmly within the context of modern design, employing a mix of the new and old, with a focus on texture and tone.


I'm always excited to meet unique self-publishing authors and indie publishers with an adventurous, modern voice - where I can fully collaborate and express perfectly how I see their refreshing take on the world (and of literature).


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.




--------------RECENT TESTIMONIALS----------------


"Roderick has a real talent for illustrating and designing eye-catching covers. Unlike so many designers today, he doesn't settle for generic stock designs but actually creates something new and original. He's also astoundingly fast with turnaround time, without sacrificing quality. We've been really impressed with the five covers he has done for us so far and look forward to working with him on others in the future."


—VALANCOURT BOOKS, James D. Jenkins



"Roderick is an absolutely brilliant artist to work with – and full of such clever, creative, impactful cover ideas. He offers advice where needed and adds in his own incredible touches, too. It's the perfect combo of listening to the brief but taking it to a different level with his input. Highly, highly recommended!"


—TROUBADOR PUBLISHING, Hannah Cather

Services
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, with a through-line managed by my sense of design space and artistic balance. 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 have worked with numerous self-publishing authors and indie publishers all over the world 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 (including The Sutton Gallery in 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.

Roderick has 6 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

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 artistic ability is incredible. I look forward to many more collaborations with Roderick! Thank you, my f...
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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!
Moriah J.

Moriah J.

Dec, 2024

Roderick has done a great job and I will continue to use his services.
Roderick B.
It's been a great pleasure working on your cover, Moriah! I look forward to many more collabs
Brandon D.

Brandon D.

Dec, 2024

After seeing his portfolio, I jumped at the chance to work with Roderick. I'm glad I did. I had only a vague idea of what I wanted, and Roderick took my suggestions and feedback and turned them into an eye-catching book cover that begs to be opened. I couldn't be happier. Can't wait to work with him again.
Roderick B.
Lots of fun working on this cover, Brandon! Looking forward to many more in the future.
Mylee B.

Mylee B.

Nov, 2024

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!
David H.

David H.

Nov, 2024

Very professional, and an exceptionally quick turnaround of just under one week! Roderick was a delight to work with, He did the cover for my novel 'Sugar Cube', and produced a first rate product to an exceptional standard very quickly indeed. He produced a lovely piece of artwork which was exactly what I needed to sell my book. I would definitely use him again for my next novel if he's availab...
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Roderick B.
It was an absolute pleasure to work on your cover, David. I wish you all the luck with the release! Looking forward to next year's book!

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