PAST WINNERS 2022
Micaela Alcaino Freelance
2021
Jane Buckley
DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
OVERVIEW In a competitive market where books have just seconds to capture the attention of browsers, can make all the difference between success and failure. This British Book Award, now in its third year, celebrates the originality and success of creatives whose achievements in covers and marketing assets often goes unrecognised. These eight brilliant in-house and freelance designers—seven of whom have not been shortlisted before— display the breadth of talent at work in publishing design today.
CHARLOTTE
ABRAMS-SIMPSON After time at PRH, S&S, Bonnier, Head of Zeus and HarperCollins, Abrams- Simpson is now art director at Orion. Her work there has been instrumental in strong sales of commercial fiction from authors including Veronica Henry and Anton du Beke. “Charlotte radiates passion and joy for her work,” says one Orion colleague.
JASMINE AURORA Moonflower Publishing’s Jasmine Aurora shows how top-class design can set a new indie publisher apart. A published photographer and designer, she turns her hand to covers, typesetting, website and social media collateral and, yes, photography. She gives books a slick look that belies Moonflower’s modest resources, with finishes that make them covetable objects.
MARK ECOB Through both his own Mecob studio and as associate art director at Unbound, Mark Ecob pushes design boundaries and departs from safe and obvious covers. Wide-ranging results in 2022 included arrest- ing looks for Patrick McCabe’s Poguemahone and Daniel Konstantski’s The Secret Life of LEGO Bricks. He is a valued tutor and mentor to aspiring designers, too.
LUKE BIRD Freelance Luke Bird is short- listed for the second time. His wide range of work includes covers and interiors for numer- ous publishers and genres, from commercial fiction to cookery. He has a flair for visual hooks that convey the essence and appeal of novels—espe- cially hard-to-pitch literary and translated ones, such as Hiroko Oyamada’s unexpected hit Weasels in the Attic.
BEKKI GUYATT Little, Brown’s senior designer is a versatile creative across multiple genres. Her highlights in 2022 included a bright cover and marketing assets for Daisy Buchanan, and work for Rebecca Humphries’ Why Did You Stay? that balanced sensitivity and inspiration. One editor’s testimonial said: “She’s a fantastic translator from brief to visual… open and collaborative.”
NICO TAYLOR The Little, Brown Book Group literary art director’s best work lately includes eye-catching covers for Monica Ali’s Love Marriage, Jennifer Egan’s The Candy House and Gayl Jones’ The Birdcatcher. He is also an active champion of his craft through outreach, including support and mentoring of students and interns to help make publishing design a more accessible field.
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JO THOMSON As deputy art director at HarperCollins’ Fourth Estate and William Collins lists, Thomson has shown great commercial nous and a flair for débuts. Elizabeth Day’s Magpie, Coco Mellor’s Cleopatra and the Collins Modern Classic series all showed how she swerves copycat design to craft fresh and memorable looks. “Jo created the cover of my dreams,” said one author.
SUZANNE DEAN Vintage’s creative director has directed countless iconic covers in 22 years at PRH. Recent work includes refreshes of top literary names including Ian McEwan, Toni Morrison and Haruki Murakami, plus arrest- ing covers for breakouts such as Megan Nolan. “Suzanne is an extraordinary designer who brings to life the whole sense and meaning of a book,” said one grateful agent.
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