Sara Duell – Designer

Hi there! I'm Sara, a Swedish designer living and working in New York City.

I have over 15 years of experience in book and editorial design for photographers, artists, and social justice activists.

I've joined Reedsy to find driven and visionary writers, artists, and researchers who want to take their work to the next level visually.

If that’s you, reach out! I look forward to working together to create powerful, striking designs for your books.

★ WORKING WITH ME ★

Previous clients have described my design process as a true collaboration, poetic, innovative, thoughtful, and authentic.

I always review all the materials I'm sent with a brief to make sure my work, skill, and approach are the perfect fit for the story.

★ CLIENT TESTIMONIALS ★

“[Sara’s] visual sense is matched by her intellectual appetite, her rigorous research, and her strong belief that design can be used to make the world a more interesting and more equitable place.”

—Madeline Leung Coleman, Features Writer, New York Magazine

"In my 12 years in the nonprofit publishing space, I have never met anyone else quite like Sara. In the time I had the privilege of working with her, I was able to witness firsthand the visionary leadership she brought to the communications and advocacy efforts across our organization. "

—Ariel Goldberg, Editorial Director, Vera Institute of Justice

★ WHAT I DO FOR YOU ★

Many self-published authors are new to the world of design, and I make it my mission to make the design process as clear and easy to understand as possible. My background as a teacher facilitates this. I’ve been working as an instructor for the last 5 years at Rutgers University, Pratt Institute, and Yale School of Art.

Contrary to popular belief, design is not magic or just a way to make something beautiful (though it often is both). A cover design should reflect the complexity and nuance of your work and serve as the entryway for readers into your written world. Therefore, it's important for me to work with authors to create a visual design that authentically represents you, that you are proud of, and that is striking and catches readers' attention.

For all briefs:

★ Are you publishing your work as an ebook (Kindle, Eub), Paperback, or Hardcover? I make digital covers, paperback (cover, spines, and back), and hardcover cases and dust jackets.

★ For interior typesetting, what is the word count? Any specific formatting requirements, such as images, captions, footnotes, bullet points, special quotes, tables, etc.

★ Are all your materials reviewed, finalized, and copyedited? Or can you confirm that they will be before they go to design (this saves us both a lot of trouble down the road!)

★ Do you have visual references for other books or media that appeal to you? If so, please send those over. No need to make an AI mock-up, as that often stifles the creative process.

★ Are any materials made using AI (text images, etc.)?)