Michael is a senior book designer who is bringing stories to life through creative and compelling layouts.
As part of Tellwell’s quality assurance, he makes sure every book meets the highest design and printing standards before reaching readers. From refining layouts to coordinating with designers and project managers, Michael plays an important role in delivering polished, professional books.
Learn more about his journey, insights, and passion for design and quality assurance!
Tell us a bit about yourself!
I am 32, a motorcycle and travel enthusiast, and I have a background in graphic design. I love the creative process of bringing stories to life visually.
What drew you to start working with Tellwell?
I began as a book designer, which enabled me to merge my passions for storytelling and design. I was attracted to Tellwell due to its dedication to assisting independent authors in publishing their books professionally. The prospect of working closely with authors to bring their visions to life in the form of books is thrilling.
What do you enjoy most about the design aspect of your role?
The thing I enjoyed the most about design is the freedom of creativity to play around with style and ideas. Each book presents a new challenge—whether to create a professional, modern cover for a business book or a colorful cover for a children’s book. I also like working with authors, to make sure their vision is translated into something beautiful as well as saleable.
Can you walk us through your design process? How do you take an author’s vision and turn it into a compelling book interior?
The design begins with the comprehension of the book’s subject matter, audience, and the vision of the author. I typically request references or inspirations from the author to understand their style. Based on this, I prepare several concept designs, including typography, layout, and color palettes that reflect the book’s genre and theme. Following feedback and revisions, we settle on a refined, attention-grabbing interior that appeals to readers.
What does your quality-assurance role involve?
In QA, I am responsible for checking book covers and interiors to ensure they are up to professional standards before printing. This involves verifying consistency in layout, correct formatting, resolution problems, and compliance with industry standards. I also liaise with designers and project managers to clear any problems.
Before a book goes to distribution, what key aspects do you check to ensure the design is ready?
I verify for alignment, margins, consistency in typography, accuracy in colour, and quality of resolution. For covers, I ensure that text is readable, the spine width is accurate, and bleed or trim error is absent. For interiors, I check fonts, spacing, and pagination to be consistent and free of errors.
How do you coordinate with project managers and designers during the QA process?
We collaborate in a way that ensures each book is of the highest quality. If I identify any problems, I give feedback to designers and we work on solutions together. Project managers assist in prioritizing revisions to keep things on track.
What tools or guidelines do you use when reviewing a book’s interior and cover?
I utilize professional design software such as Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Acrobat to check files. We also adhere to printing guidelines from various distributors, making sure that books meet industry standards for trim size, bleed, and resolution.
How do you ensure consistency and high standards across multiple book designs?
We have a checklist and quality standards to keep things consistent. Experience helps a great deal too—after checking thousands of books, you learn to spot common errors and good practices.
What’s the most challenging part of working in QA, and how do you handle it?
One of the most challenging issues is meeting deadlines and ensuring quality. I handle it by relying on my experience!
How has your experience as a book-cover designer influenced the way you approach quality assurance?
Having a design background enables me to provide more helpful feedback to designers and comprehend the technical and creative issues they have. It also enables me to evaluate books from both visual and functional angles, making sure that they not only look amazing but also print well.
