Designer

Designer at HarperCollins Publishers

HarperCollins Publishers is actively seeking a talented Designer to join their Creative Operations team. This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a dynamic, fast-paced environment, working across a diverse range of titles including fiction, non-fiction, offsets, series, brands, and paperback conversions. As a Designer, you will be instrumental in all stages of interior book design for assigned titles, guiding projects from manuscript through to bound books. The focus will be on general books and adult trade, tackling projects of varying complexity. This hybrid position is based in the Toronto, ON office and reports directly to the Senior Design Manager.

Responsibilities

• Designs predominantly 1-color book interiors, with opportunities to work on 2-color and 4-color interiors.
• Carefully reviews design transmittal information provided by the editorial team.
• Prepares and routes design samples for necessary approvals.
• Creates clean Adobe InDesign templates for the composition group to page books downstream.
• Reviews page proofs at various stages and inputs text corrections utilizing Adobe InDesign.
• Designs 1-color and 4-color photo inserts, binding die mechanicals, and specifies materials for cases and endpapers.
• Manages the art program for assigned titles under supervision when required, including evaluating digital images for optimal print quality and marking up art proofs.
• Collaborates closely with the Design Manager on developing design concepts.
• Works effectively with Editors, Production Editors, Production, and Composition teams.
• Under supervision, commissions independent contractors such as mapmakers and illustrators; negotiates fees, generates graphic artist contracts, and processes invoices as needed.
• Meets all deadlines, monitors various components, maintains accurate status reports on Microsoft Teams, and tracks budgets for assigned titles.
• Works on offsets from outside publishers and paperback conversions, updating front matter, inputting text corrections, and adjusting pages and photo inserts to fit new trim sizes.
• Traffics files using the RSuite workflow system and other file transfer platforms.
• Accesses, downloads, and archives files using the Digital Access Management System.
• Assists with work overflow from Senior Designers, Design Managers, and other departmental groups as needed.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2+ years of book interior design experience is preferable, or equivalent graphic design experience.
• Demonstrates a collaborative demeanor and strong team-player qualities.
• Must be proficient with Adobe InDesign on a Mac platform.
• Working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and/or Adobe Illustrator is considered a significant asset.
• Possesses strong project management skills, characterized by being detail-oriented, well-organized, and capable of handling multiple projects simultaneously.
• Requires good written and oral communication skills.

About HarperCollins Canada And Harlequin

Harlequin is a leading publisher of commercial fiction and narrative nonfiction, releasing over 100 titles monthly to a global audience. With highly recognizable imprints spanning numerous genres, Harlequin is home to many award-winning New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling authors. As a division of HarperCollins Publishers, the world's second-largest consumer book publisher, Harlequin titles are published in 17 countries and 16 languages through HarperCollins's global program.

HarperCollins Canada is renowned worldwide for the quality of its list and is proud to publish many bestselling and award-winning authors, including Esi Edugyan, Heather O’Neill, and Lawrence Hill. Their vision is to publish the best books of our generation and to partner with authors throughout their careers, placing authors at the center of all their endeavors. In addition to its Canadian publishing program, HarperCollins Canada manages the sales, marketing, and publicity for HarperCollins titles globally.

HarperCollins Canada and Harlequin are Equal Opportunity Employers, committed to ensuring employment decisions are based solely on job requirements and the skills, knowledge, and experience of the candidate, irrespective of other factors unrelated to job performance. HarperCollins Publishers is also dedicated to providing reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities in their application and interview processes. For accommodation requests, please contact TalentManagement@harpercollins.com. Only accommodation-related inquiries will receive a response. While all applicants are appreciated, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Key skills/competency

• Book Interior Design
• Adobe InDesign
• Project Management
• Collaborative Work
• Print Production
• Digital Asset Management
• Typography
• Layout Design
• Editorial Workflow
• Graphic Arts Commissioning