Wesley Strickland – Designer

Wesley Strickland is a book designer, illustrator, and senior graphic designer in Charleston, SC, with over eight years of experience in the publishing industry. He has worked with companies like Forbes Books, the Washington Times, Adobe, Escapology, myLAB Box, and more. Wesley specializes in cover design, typesetting, and layout design, as well as creating custom editorial illustrations.

My background is a mix of visual design, illustration, typography, and hands-on publishing production. That means I’m thinking about more than how a cover looks in a mockup. I’m also thinking about how it reads at thumbnail size, how the interior feels over hundreds of pages, how the files will behave on press, and how the finished book will hold up beside traditionally published titles.

I’ve worked on nonfiction, memoir, business, self-help, fiction, poetry, illustrated books, and image-heavy projects, with experience preparing files for KDP, IngramSpark/LSI, ebook platforms, and traditional print vendors.

For cover design, I start by getting a clear read on the book: what it’s about, who it’s for, and what kind of approach makes sense for the author. Every book needs its own visual logic -- that might be bold type, quiet restraint, custom illustration, symbolic imagery, hand-lettered title, or something more unexpected. What matters most is that the direction feels unique and specific to the book rather than pulled from a template.

For interiors, I focus on structure, pacing, readability, and the details most readers will never consciously notice but will feel immediately: margins, hierarchy, chapter openers, image placement, notes, captions, charts, and the rhythm of the page.

I enjoy working with authors who want a high quality book that feels like it belongs in the hands of readers -- not just a file to upload. My goal is to help make the finished book feel deliberate, professional, and ready to stand on its own.