Design is not a thing you do. It's a way of life.
Hello! I'm Emma, a highly experienced London-based freelance
art director and graphic designer.
With extensive experience of working within the publishing industry - designing for both books and magazines - I specialise
in integrated, illustrated co-edition publishing.
Passionate about design and typography, I enjoy creating innovative and beautiful layouts that engage readers and
bring my clients' visions to life.
My responsibilities and previous experience include:
Creating dynamic and engaging layouts, covers, gift sets and presentations across a diverse range of styles and genres (such as health & beauty, MBS, food & drink, design, arts & crafts, reference and YA) for a variety of clients (including Bloomsbury, Thames & Hudson, Octopus, Abrams,
White Lion Press, The Quarto Group, The Botanical Gardens Kew, Sterling Publishing. Search Press and TI Media).
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Creating vector illustrations.
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Overseeing layout and cover processes for titles from developing initial concepts through to the delivery of final designs and print-ready PDFs; ensuring that workflows run smoothly, and that high-quality, on-brand creative work is consistently delivered within budget to meet strict deadlines.
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Project management
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Managing junior designers and interns, together with external support
(such as freelancers and photographers).
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Sourcing, commissioning, briefing and managing freelance designers, illustrators, photographers and picture researchers, as well as visualising and art-directing high-quality photography and artwork.
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Building and managing budgets and schedules
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Picture research and image selection.
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As an experienced art director for both studio and location photography shoots, I manage all aspects of the process; from conceptualising the photography’s aesthetic and commissioning the photographer, to sourcing the location/props/backgrounds/models, coordinating all logistics, styling the products and directing the shoot day.
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Building and implementing templates.
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Checking layouts and providing feedback to the design team.
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Preparing files for print and creating print-ready PDFs, EPUBs
and translation files.
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Identifying and implementing any necessary repro work.
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Organising and checking colour proofs, plotters and F&Gs.
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Managing series styles and maintaining visual cohesion across brands.
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Managing reprints and backlist titles.
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Coordinating the archiving of all creative assets
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Cultivating close and collaborative working relationships with editorial partners, authors, agents, publishers, production, printers, repro houses, sales and marketing teams, etc.
Software: