Canelo & Sourcebooks - Senior Designer

Overview

In this Senior Designer role, you will lead the design of market-leading book covers and special editions for Canelo and bespoke projects, shaping visual identity across Fiction and non-fiction. You will collaborate with editors, production, sales, and marketing to deliver print-ready assets and oversee freelance designers, driving innovation and commercial impact. You’ll own high-profile jacket designs, supervise end-to-end production, and push creative boundaries within a dynamic team. This is an opportunity to influence how readers experience DK’s books and to contribute to a fast-paced, cross-functional creative process.

Pay / Benefits

• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• generous pension scheme
• volunteering policy and charity matching
• employee assistance programme
• 70% discount on company books
• cycle to work scheme and discounted gym membership

Responsibilities

• Design market-leading covers for Canelo and bespoke editions; ensure print-ready files
• Oversee freelance cover design alongside Commissioning Editors and expand freelance pool
• Lead bespoke design of special editions and box sets with premium finishes
• Present designs in jacket meetings and collect feedback from internal and external stakeholders
• Present covers in global Sales Jacket Meeting and coordinate with Editorial, Production, Sales, Marketing & PR
• Create and maintain sales/presentation assets for key markets; support Marketing & PR initiatives
• Serve as primary design contact for both imprints; negotiate terms with external suppliers and monitor budgets/schedules

Key requirements

• Proven experience designing standout fiction and non-fiction covers from conception to print in fast-paced environments
• High proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator)
• Exceptional eye for detail, visual literacy, and artwork management
• Strong typographic skills
• Experience commissioning illustration and preferably photography
• In-depth knowledge of print processes, color management, and pre-production file setup
• Strong commercial awareness to anticipate market trends and tailor designs
• Excellent time and stakeholder management to balance multiple high-priority projects

• ambitious
• proactive
• collaborative
• Adobe Creative Suite
• typography
• print production

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