Holly is a freelance designer and illustrator based in the North East of England, with almost 20 years of experience creating bestselling book covers for both the fiction and non-fiction markets.

After graduating from the University of the Arts with a degree in Illustration in 2006, Holly worked in-house for a number of publishers including Transworld and Bloomsbury. As Art Director at HarperCollins she was responsible for designing covers including Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Babel and Her Majesty's Royal Coven.

Holly was shortlisted for Designer of the Year at the British Book Awards 2024, the same year she began her freelance career and now works with  wide range of publishers around the world.

An avid reader since childhood, Holly firmly believes in the power of good storytelling and the importance of creating eye-catching and engaging visuals to capture a reader’s imagination.

​​Work With Holly...

• Cover Design & Art Direction

  • Holly is a highly experienced Fiction and NonFiction cover designer and art director​

• Illustration

  • Holly is represented by Northernillo for all children's illustration commissions. Please contact her agent Rachelle Panagarry to discuss any projects hello@northernillo.com​

• Consulting

  • Holly can provide advice on best practice processes e.g. briefing designers, delivering feedback

• Guest Speaker

  • Holly has previously spoken as part of a panel at the London Book Fair and regularly contributes to programmes such as Get Into Book Publishing and UCL's MA in Publishing

• Mentoring

  • Currently a mentor for the Design Publishing Inclusivity (DPI) mentorship scheme ​​​

• Writing

  • Author of the AOI's How to Guide - 'Illustration for Publishing: Book Covers'​

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