Introduction to the role

For 200 years William Collins has been asking the questions that matter. The books we publish aim to make sense of the world, from Max Hastings’ accounts of the wars that shaped the twentieth century to Professor Brian Cox and David Attenborough’s adventures into life’s biggest questions. We champion books that explain the machinations of politics and power with David Cameron, Madeline Albright and Patrick Radden Keefe, and books that expose the impact of great art and artists with Richard Holmes, Paula Byrne, Daniel Mendelsohn and Maya Jasanoff.

4th Estate is one of the most innovative and eclectic imprints in the industry, with a reputation for publishing a wide variety of critically-acclaimed and beautifully-produced titles. Recent fiction includes Hilary Mantel’s Booker Prize-winning novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, Costa Novel Award winner Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor, Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom, Lena Dunham’s Not That Kind of Girl and Orange Prize-winner Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah; while recent non-fiction includes Costa Biography winner In the Days of Rain by Rebecca Stott, the Samuel Johnson Prize-winning Leviathan by Philip Hoare, Siddharta Mukherjee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Emperor of All Maladies, James Gleick’s Royal Society Winton Prize-winning The Information, Ben Goldacre’s bestselling Bad Pharma and Nigel Slater’s Eat.

Our William Collins and 4th Estate Design team are looking for a designer to join them in our London Bridge office. This exciting opportunity is a chance to work with our many stellar authors.

Responsibilities:

• Work with the team to define progress and shaping of solutions to individual briefs and deadlines

• Create new, innovative and market-leading design concepts for a range of titles across all genres

• Manage covers from concept to production ensuring they are delivered on time and on budget

• Be proactive in looking for fresh design solutions, new illustrators

• Manage budgets and organise and direct photography as required

• Liaise with Production in regard to deadlines and finishes to ensure cover proofs and approved final jackets go to press on time

• Attend weekly Cover Art meetings, discuss feedback, agree, and implement changes to the design and feed back to the team or freelancers effectively

• Ensuring all permissions are cleared on time and within budget

• Adopting a ‘big picture’ view of the workflow and knowing when to step in and restart a project
  

Key Skills/Experience

• Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator

• Experience in cover design, ideally gained within the publishing industry

• Solid experience of freelance management and strong network of contacts and freelancers

• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and work to firm deadlines

• Innovative approach to design

• Strong communication and influencing skills

• Ability to do own picture research and clearing of images

• Artworking skills