Designer of the Year
Designer of the Year Winner and Shortlist
If it is true that people judge a book by its cover, these nine designers have been integral to some of the most successful and acclaimed titles of 2025. But it is not just on the front of books that they have made a difference: they have also produced compelling marketing collateral that grabbed widespread attention in bookshops and the media. Five of the nine appear on this shortlist for the first time – a sign of the depth of talent in design.
Winner
Luke Bird
Freelance
After being shortlisted in five of the six years that this award has been running, freelancer Luke Bird is finally the Designer of the Year.
His most high-profile work in 2025 was undoubtedly the vibrant covers of Uketsu’s Japanese mysteries. The floorplan-style design for Strange Houses and bento box-inspired artwork for Strange Pictures were vital in helping them stand out on bookshop tables, and the covers were brilliantly leveraged by Independent Publisher of the Year Pushkin Press in marketing strategies.
Bird’s work is driven by a less-is-more approach that strips out clutter in favour of bold and striking images, accompanied by distinctive fonts. This was seen on other standout fiction covers in 2025, including Ledia Xhoga’s Booker-longlisted Misinterpretation for Daunt Books and Ben Pester’s Nero-shortlisted The Expansion Project for Granta.
These brilliant designs showed the difference that covers can make to the visibility of literary independents including Pushkin, Daunt and Granta. But Bird also worked his magic for some much bigger publishers, including two powerfully simple covers for Ben Lippett’s Sunday Times bestseller How I Cook for HarperCollins and Karan Gokani’s Indian 101 for Pan Macmillan, as well as interiors for the latter. In ultra-crowded genres like cookery, compelling visuals can make all the difference to a book’s prospects. They were also the cues for some great promotional merch and social media posts.
The British Book Awards panel agreed that after many years of outstanding work, Bird’s time has come. “The man’s a genius,” they said. “He delivers some really inventive stuff and knock-out covers, and the ones for Uketsu were core to their success.”
The Shortlist
Micaela Alcaino
Freelance
The 2022 Designer of the Year, freelancer Micaela Alcaino combines classic artistry with creative originality. That fusion was shown to full effect in 2025 with a 100th anniversary rebrand for AA Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh, while among newer titles her cover for Nikita Gill’s Hekate brought the themes of the book to life. Beyond her day-to-day work, Alcaino was busy mentoring other designers, talking about her work in prisons, teaching at universities and championing freelancing.
James Annal
Pan Macmillan
James Annal has been instrumental in the burgeoning appeal of Pan Macmillan over 16 years as its art director. Sarah Wynn-Williams’ Careless People and Tim Berners-Lee’s This Is for Everyone could both have had niche appeal, but his covers positioned them as manifestos for all to learn from. He also reinvigorated the brands of detective novelists Ann Cleeves and Stuart MacBride. “It’s been an absolute dream to work with James,” said one grateful author.
Luke Bird
Freelance
Freelance designer Luke Bird is shortlisted for the fifth time in six years – testament to his consistently good work and the wide appeal of his skills. His highlights in 2025 included covers for Strange Pictures and Strange Houses by Uketsu, which helped them stand out from the crowd in the Japanese mystery market. Uncluttered designs for Ben Lippett’s How I Cook and Karan Gokani’s Indian 101 showed his flair for the cookbook market as well.
Benjamin Hughes
Puffin
As deputy art director at Puffin and other children’s lists at Penguin Random House, Benjamin Hughes designs covers that are both contemporary and classic. He has been a big part of the success of the Lottie Brooks series, and from Puffin’s rich backlist he has brought Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series right up to date. Authors and illustrators love his collaborative approach; “With each new book he somehow manages to raise the bar,” said one.
Simon Michele
Head of Zeus
Head of Zeus’ senior designer Simon Michele shows the essential role of designers in genres like fantasy and thrillers. He combines market knowledge with excellent liaison with editors, authors and others. His work on Elodie Harper’s Boudicca’s Daughter was one example of how to distinguish covers and marketing assets from the rest. Meanwhile, backlist rebrands for authors like Adrian Tchaikovsky and Michael Livingston brought new readers to old books.
Henry Petrides
Faber & Faber
Faber’s senior designer Henry Petrides perfectly captures his publisher’s ability to combine the literary with the commercial. His cover design for Sarah Hall’s Helm was an example of how simple, sparse covers can often be the most effective. Paul Muldoon’s Scanty Plot of Ground showed this less-is-more approach too, while covers for other authors including Anders Bodelsen and Solvej Balle demonstrated his original design thinking.
Rafaela Romaya
Canongate
Rafaela Romaya has given Canongate Books a stellar reputation for design over 15 years as its art director. Her work on Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad produced a threaded, richly detailed and luxuriously textured hardback that was adopted by Atwood’s other publishers worldwide. She also delivered a bold and timeless design for Mary Portas’ I Shop Therefore I Am, and deployed striking images and tactile papers for Canongate’s newer voices.
Charlotte Stroomer
Hachette UK
Senior designer at the Little, Brown Group, Charlotte Stroomer has been an excellent leader on a diverse range covers for Julia Bradbury, Nick Harkaway, Chris Brookmyre and many more. She has also done good branding work on the visuals of the group’s divisions and imprints including Dialogue, Renegade and Abacus, and is active in its mentoring and internships. “Charlotte has an incredible eye and is a wonderful listener and interpreter,” said one colleague.
Jo Thomson
HarperCollins
Jo Thomson, art director at HarperCollins’ 4th Estate and William Collins lists, is shortlisted for a second time. Her designs informed the POS for Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Dream Count made a big impact in shops, while Elizabeth Day’s One of Us and Jung Chang’s Fly, Wild Swans were among other major releases benefiting from her eye. Beyond the bestseller lists, she steered the look of two new HC imprints, Fontana and Big Day.
