Book Designer — Fine-Art Family Legacy Book (Large Format)

OVERVIEW I'm creating a large-format art book showcasing the embroidery artwork of my late grandmother, a self-taught textile artist who created 15 original pieces over her lifetime. Each piece has been professionally scanned at museum quality, and the book will preserve her complete body of work as a keepsake for our family. I'm looking for an experienced book designer who can also help manage the printing and shipping. This is a premium project — I care deeply about quality of design, print, and materials, and I want the finished book to do justice to the artwork. WHAT THE BOOK IS - A large-format art book — think old-school atlas size — so the images can truly shine on the page. - Built around 15 high-resolution scans of embroidery artwork (florals, still lifes, and detailed wildlife scenes). - Accompanied by text for each piece: title, approximate year, a written description, and family notes/memories. - Additional front and back matter: dedication page, foreword, a short biography of the artist, and possibly a family tree. (Final section list TBD — you'll help shape this.) SCOPE OF WORK - Design lead. I'm looking for someone to own the creative direction — page layout, typography, image placement, pacing, cover design, and the overall look and feel. I want the book to feel refined and gallery-quality. You'll propose the design direction; I'll collaborate and approve. - Text layout. Lay out all text throughout the book (descriptions, family notes, and front/back matter), working from content I provide. - Print management. Source and manage a high-quality printer capable of premium large-format printing. Advise on paper stock, binding, and finishing to best represent the artwork. Handle proofs and quality control. - Shipping. Coordinate printing and shipping of the finished copies. 15 copies total, shipping to multiple family addresses. (The printer may be able to handle fulfillment directly — open to whatever is cleanest.) A note on print management: My ideal candidate can manage the full process — design through print and delivery. But I don't require you to run a press yourself. If you're a designer who partners with a trusted print vendor, or who delivers print-ready files and helps coordinate with a printer, that works too. Tell me how you prefer to work. Design quality is the priority; I'll happily work with the right designer on whatever printing arrangement produces the best result. IMPORTANT NOTES ON TIMING - This is a start-and-stop project. We are still collecting some of the family notes, and 6 of the 15 scans are still being finalized. However, there's plenty to begin with now — 9 pieces are titled and described, and we can start on design direction, layout templates, and the overall structure immediately. - Target: printed and delivered by the end of 2026 or early 2027 THE SCANS The artwork has been scanned at museum quality (high resolution, suitable for large-format printing). Full file specs will be shared with the selected freelancer. The images are the heart of this book — print quality and color fidelity are top priorities. WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IN YOU - A strong portfolio of book design, ideally art books, monographs, photography books, or exhibition catalogs. - Experience managing premium print runs and working directly with printers (paper, binding, finishing, proofing) — or an established relationship with a print vendor you trust for premium work. - An eye for image-forward design where the artwork leads. - Reliability on a project that will pause and resume over several months. - Bonus: experience with short-run premium printing and multi-address fulfillment. TO APPLY Please share: - Answer the screening questions. Top picks will chat with Kate via Zoom, our project manager. Looking forward to finding the right person to bring this to life. Thank you, Key skills: Book Design, Layout Design, Print Design, Typesetting, Adobe InDesign, Print Production, Editorial Design