How to Get Started as a Freelance Cover Artist
Berni Stevens Gives Invaluable Advice to Book Jacket Designers
May 8, 2009
Freelance Cover Designer Berni Stevens has had years of experience creating beautiful covers for a myriad of large and small publishing houses. When asked about the best way to follow in her footsteps, she laughs and says ‘don’t.’ It’s been a hard year for the book industry in the UK, freelancers in particular. However, it’s hard to keep her enthusiasm down and she quickly rattles off how to get started.
‘Get a good design degree first, hone your skills on a Mac in Photoshop, Quark Xpress, InDesign and Illustrator. Don't just look at covers on Amazon, go into bookshops and physically look at the covers.
‘Look at the finishes, look at the colours, watch for trends and don't only look at books; look at all areas of graphic design, it's everywhere. In particular, look at CD covers, film posters - anything media-related.’
Berni herself did a Foundation Year Course at Art College which encompassed illustration, graphics, photography, printmaking, Fashion and Textiles. She specialised in Graphics and was later accepted onto the three year Vocational Graphics course. The course ended with a degree show of work, a professional assessment by someone of the Chartered Society of Designers, a society of which she is now a member.
Getting Established in the Industry; Starting Out as a Book Cover Designer
Berni admits that she already knew many people in the industry before she got started as freelance cover designer. Networking is very important; go to book fairs and as many professional events as possible and really talk to people. Of course, as students, artists often get wonderful opportunities to meet professionals already in the field.
Also,try to choose an area to specialise in. Berni started out by establishing herself as a designer of paranormal fiction. For Berni, the decision to go into publishing happened quickly. ‘I've always loved books, not just reading, but the actual books themselves. The covers, the smell of the pages, everything.’ She’s worked in the industry for over twenty years and she’s still enthusiastic.
‘Apparently when I was two years old (so I'm told) I wouldn't let go of a book of fairy tales in a second-hand bookshop, and my mother had to buy it. I still have it...the gold lettering must have called to me even then.
‘I know some designers who would hate to design something that was virtually the same format time after time, but that's where 'thinking outside the box' comes in handy. I've also always loved writing, so working in publishing seemed the right path for me.’
 |
