Steve Mead

Steve Mead – Designer

I've enjoyed creating MG, educational and fiction books for 30+ years. Let's make a book for children, adults, parents & teachers will love!

Overview

I am a passionate book designer specialising in primary and secondary educational books and all ages fiction books. I pride myself on delivering a professional, collaborative, and creative service from concept to final product.

When I design books I find it essential to understand the target audience and how your project can exceed in all areas so it delivers a successful product for reader, parent, teacher, and child.

Services
Fiction
Action & Adventure Middle Grade Picture Books
Non-Fiction
Children’s Non-Fiction Education & Reference Entertainment
Languages
English
Awards
  • Best book cover design for Middle Grade. The Winning Shield awards 2025.
  • North Coast Indie Author Expo 2025. 2nd place Best book cover design for middle grade.

Work experience

Self-employed

Jun, 2017 — Present
Specialising in book design. Establishing good relationships and guiding clients through the process from concept to production. With the client and target audience in mind I strive to deliver outstanding books for the market.

Oxford University Press

Mar, 2018 — Aug, 2018 (5 months)
This was a part time project helping OUP to establish its first ebook service. Transforming print books to work on an ebook platform.

Capstone Publishers

Jun, 2005 — Jun, 2017 (about 12 years)
Senior Book designer for one of the largest publishers in the US. Specialising in Educational publishing for non fiction elementary and middle grade books. Fiction book designer for the UK market under the Curious Fox imprint with books successfully distributed to Waterstones and WHSmiths.

Portfolio

Made with Reedsy
Earthstone: The Silver Serpent

Roberts, Paul

Bug & Bear Books

Cover Design Typography
Made with Reedsy
Cell Block Mirrors

Ballard, Dominic Rubio

Independently published

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
The Con Club

McCoy, Keith David

978-1-9163652-7-8

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
The Ukrainian Solution

Mills, Brendan

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
Chasing the Shadows

Martin, Tori

Tori Martin

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
Bigfoot Is a Jerk

Ditchburn Patton, Julie

Bizarre Books, LLC

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
A Long Way Down

Prasad, Udayan

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
Junior Rocketeers: The Legend of ÆON

Pichette, Tamar

Cover Design Typography
Made with Reedsy
Spiritual Selling 2.0: Attract Your Ideal Clients Now

Nunziata, Joe

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
CROSSWORDS & PUZZLES for budding boffins: SCIENCE

Tapping, S.

Cover Design Illustration Typography
Made with Reedsy
The Orangutan Rescue Gang

Joyce Major

From award-winning author Joyce Major comes this utterly gripping tale about a wildlife rescue gang embarking on a quest to rescue a stolen baby orangutan.When eleven-year-old Jaylynn moves fr... read more
Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
Finding Ted James

Wilcox, Steve

Cover Design Book Interior Design
The Magnificent Lizzie Brown and The Devil's Hound (The Magnicent Lizzie Brown Book 2)

Vicki Lockwood

Lizzie's blood chilled as the sound went right through her. It was the baying of a hound...All is not well at Fitzy's Circus. A clown fall ill, the star performer is injured, and tickets for t... read more
Cover Design Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
Ruby and the Genie

Tapping, Susan

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
The Adventures of Gabriella Umbrella: Grandmother's Garden

Hirschowitz, Gabé

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Spiritual Selling 2.0: Attract Your Ideal Clients Now

Nunziata, Joe

LBF Publishing

How Counting Came to Be

Monath, Mandy

Fearless Words Publishing

Shattered Silence

Christian, Melissa

Independently published

Thaddeus Stevens: Forgotten Champion of Racial Equality

Waugh, Dylan

Independently published

Made with Reedsy
The Mexia Music Murders

Wilcox, Steven

Cover Design Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
The Funny Life of Milo: Gross Stories

Holdaway, J.S.

Cover Design Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
Intersexual Dynamics : On the scientific foundation of intersexual dynamcis and economics: Human action (Praxeology)

Tilgard, Anthony

Cover Design Typography
Made with Reedsy
The Parallel World of Benjamin Brown

Tapping, Susan

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
Schizo Pig

McCoy, Keith David

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
The Funny Life of Milo: Summer School

Holdaway, Jesse

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
Dysfunction

Robin, Guy

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
The Cycle of the Orbs

Gibson, D S K

Cover Design Typography
Made with Reedsy
The Book of Miriam

Zambrana, Louis

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
The Mysterious Fox

Nguyen, Kate KT

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
The P is Silent

Saunders, Lisa

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Red Rock

Kate Kelly

The ice caps have melted. The coastal areas we once knew are gone, and only ‘scavvers’ now live in the flooded towns. The world has changed, but as 14-year-old Danni Rushton soon discovers, it... read more
Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Robotics Engineering (Science Brain Builders)

Ed Sobey

Robotics is one of the hottest fields in STEM curriculum. Open students' eyes to the field of professional robotic engineers. Readers will learn the basics from a real-life expert and get some... read more
Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Create Your Own Music (Media Genius)

Anniss, Matthew

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Jonny Jakes Investigates The Hamburgers of Doom

Malcolm Judge

Meet Jonny Jakes, undercover reporter for banned school newspaper The Woodford Word. Nothing will stop his pursuit of the truth. Not teachers. Not parents. Not double detention.When a new head... read more
Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Amphibian Body Parts (Animal Body Parts)

Clare Lewis

Amphibian Body Parts
Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
The Baking Life of Amelie Day

Vanessa Curtis

Baking Life of Amelie Day
Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design

Steve has 83 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

John A.

John A.

Nov, 2025

Can I add a 6th star to the rating system? Steve brought exactly what I needed to the final phase of finishing my book. Being my first kids chapter book, I was nervous about finishing. How will it look? What am I missing? What is that one thing that's going to slip through the cracks? I didn't ha...
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Steve M.
Thanks John. It was a pleasure.
Jay B G.

Jay B G.

Oct, 2025

Steve is great to work with. He is always meticulous and offers good advice when asked. I’ll be working with him again soon.
Paul R.

Paul R.

Sep, 2025

I did a great deal of research into looking for a professional to design the cover of my debut novel. I eventually decided to go forward with Steve because his response to my design brief mirrored my own thoughts exactly. Steve was a pleasure to work with throughout. Responsive, patient and accu...
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Steve M.
Good
Jay B G.

Jay B G.

Aug, 2025

I've worked with Steve Mead before and found his professionalism exceptional. I'm writing this review for two reasons. 1) At the last minute before he went on holiday, Steve took on this two-part job as it was running late, based on my writing and production schedules. 2) The second part of the j...
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Steve M.
Thanks Jay. Always a pleasure to work for you. I fear it maybe the last on this site as I have been made inactive and can no longer receive clients.
Dominic B.

Dominic B.

Jul, 2025

As a first time author, I had a lot of questions about how to finish my book and get it published. Steve was a huge help with answering any question I had and guiding me to the finish line. His work was done on time, with excellent detail and fit my book perfectly. He was very responsive througho...
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