Senior Designer | Illustrated Trade Publisher | London | Permanent
Are you a design-led creative who thrives on visual storytelling and shaping standout products across both children's and adult markets? Read on if you're looking to drive a fresh creative vision in a commercially ambitious team.
Our partner: Our client is a globally recognised publisher with a strong visual identity and a reputation for crafting engaging non-fiction titles across diverse subject areas. With innovation at its core, the team combines editorial depth and design excellence to produce books that resonate with readers worldwide.
Responsibilities:
* Lead the creative direction of the Culture, Preschool, and Pop Culture lists, collaborating closely with the Art Director to develop commercially driven design treatments for a global audience.
* Oversee the full design process for multiple projects, from concept to delivery, ensuring quality standards across jackets, spreads, and styling.
* Commission, brief, and manage external creatives including designers, illustrators, and photographers; and manage budgets, schedules, and POs effectively.
* Mentor junior and project designers, supporting a streamlined workflow and fostering team growth.
* Support marketing and sales teams by developing promotional assets and attending events, while staying ahead of design trends and competitor activity.
Experience and skills that will deliver success in this role: The ideal candidate will be a strategic, hands-on designer with a flair for commercial publishing and a passion for visual storytelling. They will bring a balance of creative vision and process discipline, and will be confident managing projects, people, and partners alike.
Essential:
* Proven experience designing both adult and children’s books, with a strong portfolio showing typographic flair and visual sensitivity.
* Comfortable with factual and editorial-led content, ideally from a non-fiction publishing background.
* Experience commissioning and directing creatives and suppliers.
* Excellent project management, organisational, and collaboration skills.
* A commercial instinct for positioning content-led products in a crowded marketplace.
Desirable:
* Experience in packaging design or consumer-facing brand projects.
* Familiarity translating brand briefs into standout publishing products.
* Prior experience working with or within high-profile creative teams, including freelance work.
The opportunity: This is a brilliant chance to influence the creative direction of an established and ambitious publishing team. You’ll play a pivotal role in shaping unique, design-forward books that span pop culture, early years, and contemporary non-fiction. If you’re ready to bring bold ideas and leadership to a collaborative studio, this role offers the perfect blend of creative autonomy and team impact.
What’s on offer:
* Salary: £43-45K DOE
* Working pattern: Hybrid, 3 days in the central London office.
* Reports to: Art Director
Applications to: Helen at helen@wonderfulideasproject.com
Please quote in the subject line: Senior Designer | Job ID: ZR_312_JOB
Don't delay in applying if this is the job for you! We're not working to a fixed closing date, so we're keen to hear from you as soon as possible.
We understand what it's like when you don't get a response to your application. Although we work hard to acknowledge everybody, many of our roles have a large number of applicants and we can't always respond to all of you.
At Wonderful, we are dedicated to promoting diversity in all its forms. We are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable environment that promotes equal opportunities for wonderful people. We actively encourage candidates from under-represented groups to apply and warmly welcome all individuals with exceptional abilities, irrespective of their background.
Find out more about Wonderful:
www.wonderfulrecruitment.com
www.linkedin.com/company/wonderful-recruitment-and-development/