Book Interior Designer, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Job Description

Book Interior Designer, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group (Open to Remote)

The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group seeks an organized and creative Book Interior Designer to join the team. A storied leader in commercial and literary publishing and home to some of the most iconic authors in the world, the Knopf Doubleday's list includes Nobel Laureates Toni Morrison, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Alice Munro; Prize-winners Robert Caro, Joan Didion, Yaa Gyasi, Jhumpa Lahiri, Cormac McCarthy, Michael Ondaatje, Tommy Orange, Patti Smith, Anne Tyler, and Colson Whitehead; and global bestsellers Dan Brown, John Grisham, Erin Morgenstern, and Jo Nesbo. This is an opportunity to join a fast-paced, collaborative team that oversees our titles' book interior design initiatives.

As a designer, you will be responsible for executing all stages of design from manuscript through bound book, collaborating closely with the design director, editors, authors, production editors, and production managers. We seek an enthusiastic person to embrace the challenge of enriching each author's vision and each book with appropriate typography and interior design.

This talented designer should be ready on day one to take a manuscript and shape it from the design concepts and editorial requests and through all subsequent passes to the finished book. Most of our trade titles print 1-color, so typography, proportion, and a detailed touch are all central to creating an interior design that supports the read rather than distracting from it. Even in a 1-color trade world, there is a wide variety of voices, subjects, and formats. Knopf titles often feature charts, graphs, and art-either within the text itself or in photo or illustrated inserts.

Creative and adaptable, this self-starter will have the design skills to take a MS from design sample pages to a finished book, be up for the challenge of taking on wide range of content from complex self-help titles, beautiful novels, graphic novels, journals, and some special projects and equipped with a strong work ethic to learn and grow in all aspects of interior book design.
Our ideal candidate is highly motivated, enthusiastic about publishing, and enjoys reading broadly and often. We are looking for a detail-oriented, meticulous self-starter who loves books of all types and is invested in the process of bringing them to a wide readership, has strong writing and analytical skills, communicates clearly , is comfortable asking for help when needed, and wants to be an active participant on a collaborative team.

For consideration, please apply by December 1, 2023, using our ATS system and include your cover letter and resume.

The Role:
• Create visually captivating original interiors for fiction, nonfiction and illustrated books, endpapers, and bindings across multiple imprints and in a variety of formats
• Generate and execute creative ideas and solutions and communicate them clearly with book teams, including authors and editors
• Work on multiple projects independently and simultaneously while collaborating with editorial, production editorial, production, and authors
• Track schedules and manage the bookmaking process with support from the design director
• Assist the design director in commissioning illustrators and mapmakers and direct their work
• Review digital and hard copy art to ensure it meets printer specifications

The Essentials:
• Minimum of 5 years interior book design experience
• A thorough understanding of the book design process and a general understanding of prepress technology and the production process
• Comprehensive knowledge of fonts and in-depth understanding of typographical and page layout conventions with an eye for interior book design aesthetics
• Exceptional interpersonal and verbal communication skills, strong attention to detail. Timely and efficient follow-up, troubleshooting, and organizational skills
• Aptitude for creative thinking and effective problem solving while staying within budget and on schedule
• Ability to work efficiently on multiple projects, in a fast-paced, deadline driven environment
• Self-motivated, able to work with minimal supervision, while also working well as part of a team
• Motivation to continuously learn new technical skills and evolving book design challenges
• Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Bridge, and Acrobat Pro) with an emphasis on strong InDesign skills
• Working knowledge of MS Office programs: Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams and Box.

The salary for this position is $63,000. All positions are currently eligible for annual profit award or bonus, subject to Company results.

Penguin Random House job postings include a good faith compensation range for each open position. The salary range listed is specific to each particular open position and takes into account various factors including the specifics of the individual role, and candidate's relevant experience and qualifications.

Full-time employees are eligible for our comprehensive benefits program. Our range of benefits include, but are not limited to, Medical/Prescription drug insurance, Dental, Vision, Health Care/Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, Health Savings Account, Pre-Tax and Roth 401(k), Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance, Life/AD&D Insurance, Commuter Benefits, Student Loan Repayment Program, Educational Assistance & generous paid time off.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-gw347n-13-59-203-127-42 in your application.