I’m a freelance designer and brand creative, and specialist partner for the publishing industry. I visualise brands – from values through to design, wrapping your content in thoughtful packaging, and creating a consistent and striking design aesthetic. I can help you with anything from book covers, illustrated page layout and typesetting, to logotypes, icons and all the way to a full rebrand.
I have over 18 years’ experience in the publishing industry working in-house in senior creative roles; driving design and brand strategy for Palgrave Macmillan and Nature Publishing Group. My clients include Head of Zeus, Jessica Kingsley, Bristol University Press, Bloomsbury, RightsZone and Manchester University Press – among many others.
Brand Extension 101 – thoughtfully building your portfolio
When I put out a call for subjects you’d like me to cover in this blog, one of the first was for something on brand extension. I’m going to cover a little about the considerations of brand extension…
Reimagining the University of London Press Brand & 10 Tips for a Rebrand
In an industry that’s constantly moving, even established publishing brands need to be vigilant to make sure they are telling an up-to-date story and resonating with their audiences.
Designing book covers is a brilliant way to make a living. It’s creative and challenging, and it’s always a thrill when I see a title I worked on in a bookshop…
“Nicky is a highly talented, inspiring designer who has the ability to take nascent ideas and develop them way beyond what you could envision. I know my authors and their books are in excellent hands. For me, Nicky has established a new standard for academic book designs at a time when many academic publishers use a standard template design. She flies the flag for these books as equally worthy of bespoke, striking covers. I always feel she is just as invested in the book project as I am.”
Philippa Grand, Publisher, Westminster Press
“[Nicky’s work] has had a huge impact on the business, guiding and shaping our approach on everything from product development to customer support as well as sales and marketing. I can’t recommend working with Nicky highly enough and would encourage any business to sit down for a cup of tea with Nicky to find out how she can elevate your brand.”
Clare Hodder, RightsZone
“Nicky has regularly come to LCC to run workshops with our students on publishing and design. She is great at getting them talking and making them think, while presenting ideas and concepts brilliantly. Her hands-on approach has been very much enjoyed by the students who really like the real-world case studies she explores with them.”
Frania Hall, Course Leader, London College of Communication
“Working with Nicky was such an energising, enjoyable experience: she took the time and trouble to understand our ambitions . . . and the way she helped us articulate our values and personality has benefited us in every aspect of marketing. The design process was collaborative and clear: at each stage Nicky sought our feedback and listened deeply, refining her ideas, until we had a visual identity that simply delighted us and encapsulated the brand perfectly. I cannot recommend Nicky highly enough.”
Alison Jones, Practical Inspiration Publishing
“A real pleasure to work with from start to finish – professional and punctual . . . with a brilliant eye for design. We were delighted with the final article template, which is exactly what we were looking for.”
Rose Harris-Birchill, Open Library of Humanities
“Although Nature and the Nature Portfolio are among the most renowned brands in scientific publishing, before Nicky there hadn’t been much attention paid to really shaping and cultivating the critical details surrounding brand – brand design, brand architecture, tone of voice and many other elements had all risen independently and had never been really considered holistically. As the Nature Portfolio’s first Brand Director, Nicky conceived and led a multi-year effort to create real order, discipline and meaning across all aspects of the brand. She succeeded spectacularly by being an unlikely combination of perceptive brand analyst, first-class designer, and effective cat-herder. The importance of that last part is hard to overestimate: In her own good-humored but unmistakably tenacious way, Nicky managed to finish the project and achieve her objectives despite a highly complex organization and stakeholder structure. I wouldn’t hesitate for even a split second to entrust her with another important brand project.”
Dean Sanderson, Chief Strategy Officer, AIP Publishing (previously Managing Director, Nature Research Group)
“I owe a big thank you to Nicky for helping me with the design for the Journalology brand. Those of you who have worked with Nicky will know just how awesome she is. And if you haven’t had that privilege yet, you should rectify it the next time you need to outsource branding or design work.”
James Butcher, Journalology
“The whole Press is incredibly happy with the work Nicky did on our rebrand. We’ve had nothing but positive feedback on our new logo and visuals. The branding guidelines she provided have already been helpful on a number of projects and the whole process ran smoothly and professionally. In particular, Nicky’s collaborative approach to defining our mission, vision and values resulted in a much stronger and more articulate document which has helped inform our future strategy and inspire the team.”
Katharine Nelson, Sales & Marketing Manager, University of London Press
