I can help you with…
Fiction and non-fiction book design in print and ebook and typesetting
Printed literature including marketing literature, magazine design and pamphlets
Website design and training for Squarespace and WordPress
Flodesk templates
Canva and Adobe Express templates
Branding and logo design
Design SOS - solving problem projects
Finding a tricky image
Print design
Let’s bring your words to life
Bespoke print design, from cover-to-cover including:
Design and lot of advice for free, to help you with your book.
Weird and the wonderful are welcome. I love ‘zines’ and pamphlets. Poetry, music, biographies. Books that show off talents such as photography, art, plants, food and language.
I can help you with find editors, illustrators, photographers and printers.
Design and project management of brochures, annual reports, fliers and leaflets and marketing material
Support you with crowdfunding visuals and launch material, and create your website so you don’t have to commission and manage more than one creative.
I’m also a partner member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, having met their Code of Ethics.
Website design and training
Let’s make it user friendly for you and your clients
There’s nothing worse than a website platform that you don’t love. Designers can often talk about the front end, what the user sees. Equally important is how the site owner and their team handles the site management. If you hate it, it’s time to change or get help with learning the platform.
I can build your website and check it meets usability and accessibility standards. I’ll also set it up for SEO (search engine optimisation) and check it’s mobile and tablet friendly.
Design and creation of Squarespace websites
Training and support included so you can learn as much as you want about your online presence
Interactive brochures with videos and hyperlinks
Monthly or hourly maintenance which can include loading blog posts or other content
Branding and logo creation
Let’s get your business noticed
Branding is your face to the world, a unique combination of values, images and colours. I offer flexible packages for your business with discounts for upgrades
Logos created bespoke to appeal to your customers. I’ll work with you to create a versatile and accessible logo.
A wide range of file formats designed to work in print, web and Canva.
Branding guidelines so your brand is consistent, making it easier to delegate and manage.
I can work with you on a new brand or logo, to refresh your current style or collaborate with you and grow your visual identity.
Design SOS
My experience may rescue a problem project
Call on my services to help you including:
Illustration and finding a tricky image, you can see an example here on Cary’s book covers.
Image research from the best image libraries with imaginative suggestions and copyright compliant photo editing.
Proofreading and editing recommendations from my trusted list.
Managing print including KDP and Ingram Spark, and litho or digital printers.
Author promotional packages, I can create your website ready for pre-orders and post publication orders, social media graphics, crowdfunding visuals and book launch material, and create your website so you don’t have to commission and manage more than one creative.
Design and accessibility reviews for covers and inside pages.
Book rescue. If you have a book in need of saving during the production process? Maybe I can help (depend on copyright, conflict of interest, contracts and legals)
I’m also a partner member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, having met their Code of Ethics, bookable on Reedsy and Services for Authors by Sam Missingham.
Winner of WhiteFox Unsung Hero of Publishing finalist in Cambridgeshire Digital Awards for Arts and Culture and Digital Woman award winner in 2021 and 2022.
Let’s get started!
to get started
Let's talk about what you need. I'll set up a chat on Zoom for thirty minutes so you can share your aims and ideas.
proposal
If you don't have a written brief, I'll send over a questionnaire so you can review your thoughts. I'll create a proposal for you from these details.
your project
Once we've agreed the deadlines and proposal, I'll add your project to my client area and we'll begin collaborating together.
“I didn’t want to log off today before saying a huge thank you. You’ve gone over and beyond any way with all my requests as well as dealing with a few additional setbacks here. I’m in awe. Thank you.”
Rates
It’s not easy to pin down the rates for a graphic designer. We will all price differently according to skills and experience.
A survey of designers by Beyond the Book from 2020 suggests that junior designer day rates were £280 per day and senior/art director roles were upwards of £600 at that time.
I prefer to agree prices by the project.
This is because many projects require my skills from different disciplines of design. You get one set fee for the entire scope of the work, so you always know the exact cost and exactly what’s included. There are no hidden fees or nasty surprises — if your project starts to stray into ‘scope creep’, I’ll always let you know first.
My fees include planning, development, project management and three revision stages (or proofs), Zoom calls and a whole load of other relevant skills that I’ve gained over the years including scheduling, fonts and colours.
I offer payment plans around milestones.
Here are some examples to guide you.
A five-page tailored Squarespace website with all plug-ins and connections created plus training and post-handover support starts at £1,500.
A bespoke book design (including the cover) using carefully selected stock library images including support on briefing, all graphic design and Photoshop work plus copyright advice will cost you £1,400.
An illustrated book cover design (front, back and spine) using carefully selected illustrators and managing the illustration commission and brief begins at £1,800. For a photo-based cover using images from libraries then it’s from £700.
You can grab 10% by subscribing to Gorgeous, my monthly newsletter.
I also combine skills into packages. If you’re an author and you’d like me to design your book and website, then we can agree on rates for this.
What you’ll get is a professional, senior-level creative with three academic degrees including a Masters Degree in Graphic Design and Typography and a shed load of practical hands-on, real-life experience based on years of working efficiently in creative studios.
Photos of Lady Molly Lickalot, dog biscuits for the paws in your life and tea ‘n’ cake chat are completely free and I hope that we’ll be more than client and designer and remain cheerleaders for each other and friends.
Book series for The Association of Jewish Refugees
We have relied heavily on Berenice’s design skills and have received fantastic results. She is a trusted member of our team who always keeps us well informed of her progress. She is exceptionally efficient, whilst giving attention to detail. Her friendly, approachable disposition is an added bonus. She is a true asset to our book project.
—The Association of jewish refugees for ‘my story’
Free pitch creative
No professional gives away their work free. I am no different.
I cannot afford to treat design concepts as ‘loss leaders’ against my future income. I do believe that design is an area everyone should invest in since visual perception supports sales and marketing.
Design created for a pitch isn’t 100% perfect, it’s completed to ‘win’ not to meet the needs of the business, product or service through the tested methods of a a good relationship, a collaborative brief, research and communication. It’s free work provided to a brief that could easily express creator bias.
Without dialogue, research and development, design becomes a ‘stick a finger in the air and guess the direction of the wind’ exercise. Successful designs are created with thought and exploration.
Selecting a designer or any service because they provide free or low cost work maybe cheaper upfront but the work is superficial and lacks the talent and depth of skills. Many studios may ask the intern or junior team member to work on pitches which can be unethical if they are unpaid or on low wages. Free work contributes to unethical wages and a cost of living crisis.
Designs always works best when the designer can tell the client what the problem is, how to solve it and vice versa without the risk of the client taking the work to a cheaper firm. In free pitches, it’s impossible to be honest and to gain any insight into values or build a communication.
If invited to pitch, this is what I can bring:
Proofs I understand the brief and objectives;
Share initial thoughts on what needs to be done;
Explain what I would need in terms of time and strategy to develop creative work;
Outline my process and expected results;
Provide credentials including relevant client testimonials and case studies which are also on this website;
Reassure you that I’m the right person for the work.
Of course, I would be disappointed if I missed out as others have provided free work. I will continue to collaborate with clients who do not expect this. Should you change your mind, you’ll know where to find me!
If you’ve got a project you would like to discuss just get in touch!