Cover Designers and Illustrators

20 Book Illustrators for Hire To Make Your Book Look Beautiful

In the enchanting world of literature, the magic of storytelling is often complemented by the vivid imaginations of book illustrators. From children’s picture books to graphic novels, the role of an illustrator is pivotal in shaping how a story is perceived and remembered. 

In this listicle, we pay homage to the top book illustrators for hire whose creative genius complements the written word, making each book a memorable journey through art and text.

1. Tadgh Bentley

Tadhg Bentley is a talented illustrator and picture book author, originally from the UK and now residing in Athens, Ohio. He launched his publishing career with “Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups” in 2015. Bentley, a self-taught artist, skillfully combines traditional and digital mediums in his work. He initially embraced digital illustration but has recently explored traditional painting mediums like oils and gouache, with a particular fondness for landscape art. With a background in elementary school teaching, Bentley has a deep love for education and a passion for demystifying the creative process, especially for young learners.

2. Vittoria Sagrati

Vittoria Sagrati, a freshly graduated Visual Arts illustrator from Italy, specializes in graphic design and 2D animation. She has experience as a freelance artist, illustrating song covers for musicians and directing a school magazine. Sagrati aims to bring magical stories for kids and young adults to life with her distinctive style featuring pastel colors and whimsical characters. Her approach combines professionalism with a hint of magic, ensuring a delightful visual experience for readers. Her portfolio showcases a range of styles, indicating her adaptability and keen eye for engaging, creative designs.

3. Nat Case

Nat Case, based in Minneapolis, MN, USA, is a highly experienced cartographer, book designer, and print production manager with over 30 years in the field, specializing in non-fiction. His expertise includes creating maps and information graphics, particularly for fictional settings, ensuring authenticity and detail. Nat is skilled in art direction, book layout, cover design, and print management, catering to a diverse range of clients including university presses, trade publishers, and various organizations. His love for graphically challenging projects and historical map styles, combined with his proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and InDesign, makes him a versatile and valuable asset for any project.

4. Yu Xiao

Yu Xiao, an illustrator and former freelance Motion-Illustration Designer since 2014, is based in Gif-sur-Yvette, France. She excels in capturing beautiful moments linked with nature, animals, and pop culture in her drawings, often incorporating elements of dream and magic. Xiao’s expertise spans across various fields, where her eight years of experience in motion and illustration design have honed her skills in translating text into images. Her works are notable for their appreciation of lines, shapes, color, and light, making her a versatile and creative choice for illustrative projects.

5. May Taylor

May Taylor, an illustrator based in Chester, UK, brings a vibrant and narrative-driven approach to her work, focusing on striking color combinations and prominent line art. With a first-class honors degree in Illustration for Commercial Application, Taylor excels in creating bold illustrations that are filled with personality and attitude. Her flexibility and commitment to collaborating closely with clients make her an ideal choice for projects that require a unique and impactful visual style. Taylor’s expertise in creating engaging and dynamic illustrations is evident in her diverse portfolio, which showcases her talent for bringing characters and stories to life.

6. David Leahey

David Leahey is an experienced freelance illustrator and book cover designer from Peterborough, UK, specializing in science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. His work encompasses a broad range of clients globally, with skills in creating stand-alone illustrations for diverse projects including trading cards, book covers, interior illustrations, and comic books. He combines his qualifications in graphic design with a love for blending design elements and typography into his illustrations, ensuring a comprehensive and collaborative design process for each project. David’s approach is client-friendly, communicative, and focused on delivering the best possible outcome.

7. Colleen Coggins

Colleen Coggins, a children’s illustrator based in Guelph, ON, Canada, offers a unique blend of animation and character design skills honed over a decade. Her illustrations are known for their appealing, expressive, and story-driven qualities. Coggins, who has also authored her own books, understands the intricacies of storytelling and collaborates seamlessly with authors. She emphasizes the importance of illustrations not just complementing the text, but captivating readers and inviting repeated engagement. Adaptable in style and detail to match project budgets, she ensures each book she works on becomes a visually engaging and imaginative experience.

8. Courtney Hopkins

Courtney Hopkins is a fine artist and illustrator based in Charlottesville, VA, USA, with a decade of experience. Specializing in designs that celebrate the natural world, her work features botanicals, landscapes, and more, and has been utilized in various media including wine labels, apparel, maps, and book covers. Her style is characterized by highly detailed and realistic renderings, using various mediums to create different effects from elegant black and white line-work to vibrant colors. Her collaborative and iterative approach with clients ensures unique, one-of-a-kind illustrations that transform and elevate creative projects.

9. Irene Silvino

Irene Silvino, based in London, UK, is a talented illustrator and surface pattern designer with a passion for depicting people, nature, and animals. Her work focuses on capturing feelings and emotions, making her an ideal choice for illustrating articles, book covers, children’s books, and creating bespoke designs for fabrics, accessories, and home decor. Silvino’s art has a distinct ability to convey light and warmth, infusing characters with a sense of whimsy and love. Her commitment to collaboration and creativity, along with her experience in various design aspects, makes her a versatile and engaging illustrator.

10. Florian Garbay

Florian Garbay is a French graphic designer and illustrator who specializes in creating original book covers for children’s publishing. With around thirty publications and five years of experience in this field, he offers a reassuring creative process tailored to the needs of self-published authors. Garbay’s approach is client-focused, offering extensive feedback opportunities and regular updates. His goal is to make the cover design process a pleasant and empowering experience for authors, ensuring they remain in control of their projects. Garbay’s portfolio reflects his expertise in action-adventure, fantasy, and horror genres, highlighting his versatile and dynamic design skills.

11. Rahn Jillian

Jillian Rahn, a Chicago-based designer with over a decade of experience in the publishing industry, specializes in creating visually stunning book packages. Her skills encompass cover design, interior design, typesetting, and custom illustrations including maps and infographics. Rahn’s approach is detail-oriented, ensuring that every aspect of a book, both inside and out, aligns with the author’s vision. Her work is characterized by smart, concept-driven designs informed by market research, and she does not use AI-generated imagery in her designs.

12. Ivy Giddens

Ivy Giddens, based in Atlanta, GA, USA, is a narrative illustrator with over 15 years of experience, primarily interested in cover art and scene/spot illustration. Her work spans the middle grade to adult age range, leaning towards semi-realistic tones but also capable of brighter styles. Giddens has been praised for her high-quality work, quick turnaround, close communication, and responsiveness to edits. Her illustrations are particularly effective in bringing characters and worlds to life, making her a versatile choice for diverse illustrative needs.

13. Phillip Dannels

Phillip Dannels, an illustrator and cover designer from San Diego, CA, specializes in science-fiction and fantasy genres. With a focus on military science fiction and space opera, he has been self-employed since 2017, creating bold and marketable book covers. Dannels’ approach is flexible and client-focused, offering a variety of options based on time and budget constraints. His collaborative process involves initial discussions, rough copy development, and final detailed work, resulting in compelling and visually striking book covers.

14. Jerry Todd

Jerry Todd, based in New York City, NY, USA, is a seasoned designer and art director specializing in big, bold thrillers and true crime genres. With over a thousand book covers to his credit, many of which have landed on bestseller lists, Todd’s expertise lies in innovative packaging to increase visibility and sales in the crowded marketplace. His design approach includes creating original illustrations and customized typography, delivering projects on time and within budget. His portfolio spans a wide range of genres, showcasing his ability to create impactful and marketable book covers.

15. Patricia Moffett

Patricia Moffett is an illustrator and designer with 35 years of experience in publishing, based in Snowdonia, North Wales. She specializes in creating atmospheric illustrations, particularly for subjects with an element of the uncanny. Her work has been featured in bestselling picture books, including “Fairies” for Carlton Books. Moffett offers a full range of services from cover design to typography and book interior design. Her approach is collaborative, involving authors in the creative process and adding light and magic to each project. She is known for her enthusiasm and easy communication style, making her a great partner for authors.

16. Leo Hartas

Leo Hartas, residing in Tintagel, UK, is an experienced illustrator of children’s and fantasy books. His work, published in over a dozen countries, includes “The Apartment Book” and “Haunted Castle,” regarded as children’s classics. Hartas has illustrated for various series and enjoys creating maps for both fiction and non-fiction. He combines traditional media, digital art, and desktop publishing, drawing inspiration from the Cornish coastline. Hartas’ portfolio demonstrates his versatility, appealing to a wide audience from middle grade to young adult fantasy readers.

17. Pascale Hutton

Pascale Hutton is a highly experienced graphic designer, art director, and illustrator based in Montpellier, France. With a rich background in publishing in London, including being an art director at Penguin Press, Hutton has worked on various notable projects like the rebranding of Penguin Modern Classics. She has a collaborative approach, offering both design and illustration services, and works closely with clients to bring their visions to life. Her extensive experience, especially in classics, contemporary fiction, and literary fiction, makes her a versatile professional in the book design industry. 

18. Anthony Morais

Anthony Morais, a cover designer based in New York, NY, USA, has over 14 years of experience, including art directing for James Patterson at Little Brown. He specializes in mass-market to indie cover designs for adult and young adult genres. Morais is known for his creativity and communicative approach, offering a range of design services, including book cover design and illustration, retouching, and typography. His portfolio reflects his expertise in various genres, particularly thrillers, horror, and suspense, making him a versatile and skilled designer for a range of publishing projects. 

19. Mike Trent

Mike Trent, an award-winning designer from Noblesville, IN, USA, brings over two decades of expertise in book publishing to his clients. He excels in creating engaging covers and packaging, having led design teams and managed brands at Wiley for over 21 years. Trent’s work is marked by creative agility, evident in his handling of over 300 projects annually. His process, which prioritizes understanding client needs and ideation, results in customized, market-ready book covers. His portfolio showcases a diverse range of designs, reflecting his commitment to delivering high-quality, impactful designs.

20. Arjan van Woensel

Arjan van Woensel, an accomplished designer and art director based in Auckland, New Zealand, offers extensive experience in print design, visual communication, and typography. Known for his maximalist design approach, he excels in creating book covers that are emotionally engaging and visually striking, with a focus on suspense and intrigue. Van Woensel’s work is characterized by its boldness, playfulness, and effectiveness in making a statement. His numerous professional accolades underline his expertise in bringing an author’s vision to life through innovative design and typography.


As we conclude our journey through the world of book illustration, it’s clear that these artists do more than just decorate pages; they breathe life into stories, creating worlds that linger in our imaginations long after the last page is turned. May their art continue to inspire readers and budding illustrators for hire alike, proving that a picture can indeed speak a thousand words.