Theo Inglis

Theo Inglis – Designer

Freelance graphic designer, specialising in book cover design, typesetting and full-book design, based in Manchester, UK.

Overview

Freelance graphic designer, typesetter, writer and author (of books on graphic design) based in Manchester. I am comfortable with all aspects of the book design process; including covers, typesetting, full illustrated books and production. My experiences and clients have been varied, from leading literary magazine Granta, to small experimental publishers like Prototype, poetry institutions like Poetry London and The Poetry School, radical publishers like Pluto Press and Verso, big names like Penguin and Faber and coffee table books on design, architecture and art.

Alongside my work as a graphic designer I am also a freelance writer and an author. My debut book Mid-Century Modern Graphic Design was published by Batsford in 2019 and was selected by the Financial Times and Wall Street Journal as one of the best design books of the year. Alongside writing and researching the book, I designed it all, compiled the index and was responsible for picture research, retouching and copyright clearance.
Services
Fiction
Anthologies Classics Literary Fiction Poetry
Non-Fiction
Architecture Art Design Photography
Languages
English
Certifications
  • MA Critical Writing in Art & Design
  • BA (Hons) Graphic Design

Work experience

Granta

Apr, 2021 — Jun, 2022 (about 1 year)

I was solely responsible for designing and typesetting 5 issues of the literary magazine Granta while their current designer was on maternity leave, working closely with editors, production, marketing and the photography editor.

Self-employed

Sep, 2015 — Present

Since 2015 I have been a freelance graphic designer, working mostly in publishing and other related cultural sectors. Clients have included Granta, Penguin, Faber, The Poetry School, Batsford, Peninsula Press, Prototype, Clinic, Test Centre, House Sparrow Press, Banned Books Week UK, OpenDemocracy, Ache Magazine, Poetry London magazine, Arts Emergency, Crecy Publishing, Ian Allen Books, the University of East Anglia Publishing Project, Pluto Press, Verso books and Visual Editions.

My focus as a freelancer has been on book design (covers, full books, illustrated books, and typesetting) for a variety of clients, from small indie literary publishers to some of the UK's biggest publishing houses and literary magazines. I'm comfortable in all areas of editorial design, such as anthologies, journals and magazines. Alongside this I've worked on a variety of other types of design, such as marketing, social media, general print collateral, posters, catalogues, packaging and visual identities.

Self-employed

Aug, 2015 — Present

In 2015 I left a full-time job as a graphic designer to study on the Royal College of Art's MA in Critical Writing in Art and Design, alongside freelance work. As well as being a graphic designer I am a freelance writer, mostly on the subject of graphic design and visual culture. I have written for a variety of publications and clients, including Grafik magazine (where I was a freelance reported from 2016-18), Creative Review, Eye Magazine, The Financial Times, Apollo magazine, AIGA's Eye on Design, Monotype, Commercial Arts, The Recorder magazine, Computer Arts and The International Society of Typographic Designers' journal.

Alongside more journalistic writing I have commercial writing experience, having written case studies for Pentagram, the world's leading independent design agency, and contributed to the book Type Directory, published by Thames and Hudson in 2019.