Designers can do a lot to help with the climate emergency. We can use our talents to create awareness or translate data to accessible facts, alongside speed and efficiency which reduces power. Designers with knowledge of ethical supply chains can advise our clients on buying choices, reducing proof stages, agile practice and waste (particularly true when it comes to branded plastic consumables).

Myths about ISBNs abound, trying to find the answer is as easy as sourcing a litre of petrol. In this simple post, here’s an FAQ, taken from queries I receive from my publishers and authors when I’m designing and project managing books. I hope it’s useful.

I was asked if I could write a post explaining some of the terms used in print design. If I’ve missed anything, you can always ask me! I welcome your questions and will do my best to answer or find someone who does!

Page planning is a key part of any multiple page document. It’s a guide for all the people who form part of a project and a really useful overview for designers, editors and authors, saving time and money by making best use of space and printing savvy.

In my time I’ve unravelled lots of interesting problems. Some are workarounds often constrained by time and/or tech. Occassionally there aren’t sufficient in-house resources or a supplier has let the client down. Often it is repurposing old content for our digital era. Here’s a case study to inspire you.

Eager to crack open an image editing programme and get working on an image ready for Insta? Hang on a sec! Here’s a few points to consider before you do …

A blog post on how to use print finishes and effective design to make your customers feel valued with touchy-feely printed delights (I called it this because beautifully crafted keepsakes are and there wasn’t a better word then, or now!)

I was reading a post on a forum last week that asked about employing a formatter and it’s inspired these words as I felt it might be useful to untangle the language and roles. I also tested out Vellum to explore what apps offer and compared this to my bespoke skills. This post walks you though the Hello Lovely book page design process, explains what software I use, why and the stages, plus who to involve, what they do and why you may need them. The post covers print and ebook design across fiction and non-fiction.