With more than 20 years' experience as a graphic designer, I help businesses turn complex ideas into clear, engaging visual communication. My background spans major international publishing houses, university teaching, and freelance work with independent authors and small- to medium-sized businesses, giving me a broad skill set grounded in strong design principles. While I specialise in publishing and editorial design, working with Penguin Random House and Pearson, I also create marketing materials, reports, brochures, flyers, branding, social media assets and other visual communications. Every project begins with understanding your audience and objectives, then developing design solutions that are both beautiful and effective.

Sarah Healey Design

With more than 20 years' experience as a graphic designer, I help businesses turn complex ideas into clear, engaging visual communication. My background spans major international publishing houses, university teaching, and freelance work with independent authors and small- to medium-sized businesses, giving me a broad skill set grounded in strong design principles. While I specialise in publishing and editorial design, working with Penguin Random House and Pearson, I also create marketing materials, reports, brochures, flyers, branding, social media assets and other visual communications. Every project begins with understanding your audience and objectives, then developing design solutions that are both beautiful and effective.

Available to hire

With more than 20 years’ experience as a graphic designer, I help businesses turn complex ideas into clear, engaging visual communication. My background spans major international publishing houses, university teaching, and freelance work with independent authors and small- to medium-sized businesses, giving me a broad skill set grounded in strong design principles.

While I specialise in publishing and editorial design, working with Penguin Random House and Pearson, I also create marketing materials, reports, brochures, flyers, branding, social media assets and other visual communications. Every project begins with understanding your audience and objectives, then developing design solutions that are both beautiful and effective.

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Language

Work Experience

Senior Designer at Penguin Random House (NZ)
July 13, 2010 - August 31, 2015
For five years I managed the busy Auckland design studio in-house, and I continue to work in a freelance capacity for PRH designing book covers and internal pages, typesetting and marketing materials for the New Zealand and international book lists. I create designs for all genres of books, including fiction and non-fiction, lifestyle, cooking, children's and educational titles.
Graphic Designer at Sarah Healey Design
January 1, 2003 - Present
I have been running my own freelance graphic design consultancy for over 20 years. I have worked with a wide variety of clients providing stragetic design solutions in fields including Publishing, Branding, Website, Digital Content, and Event Management/Design. Alongside graphic design, I have also taught design history and critical theory, illustration and digital media at tertiary and secodnary school level.

Education

Bachelor of Arts (Media and Design) at University of Otago
February 1, 1998 - November 30, 2001
Graduate Diploma in Graphic Design at National College of Design and Technology (now YooBee)
February 1, 2002 - November 30, 2002
Certificate in Adult Learning and Teaching at Unitec (Auckland)
February 2, 2003 - July 31, 2003

Qualifications

Bachelor of Arts (Media and Design)
February 1, 1998 - November 30, 2001
PANZ Book Design Award - Young Designer of the Year finalist
January 1, 2011 - January 1, 2011
PANZ Book Design Award - Illustrated Children's Book highly commended
July 13, 2026 - July 13, 2026
PANZ Book Design Award - Fiction: Typography (highly commended)
January 1, 2013 - January 1, 2013

Industry Experience

Education, Media & Entertainment, Non-Profit Organization, Healthcare
    SASA - content for community-led education
    SASA is a comprehensive community toolkit for improving health outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa. These resources are used in classrooms, healthcare facilities, by police and in otehr community settings to educate people at risk of, or living with, HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence. It was created by the NGO Raising Voices, based in Kampala, Uganda, and I worked alongside researchers, epidemiologists, activists and educators to create resources that would resonate with the target audience. logo graphicdesigner branding illustrator webdesigner designer
    Book cover design
    Hand-drawn and Photoshop illustration for a literary fiction novel. Published by Penguin Random House graphicdesigner illustrator designer
    SASA - Educational resources for HIV/AIDS and Gender-based violence prevention
    A comprehensive educational toolkit for communities in sub-Saharan Africa to imrpove health outcomes through evidence-based community-led education. logo graphicdesigner branding illustrator webdesigner designer
    Children's book illustration - pages
    There's a T-Rex in my Tummy is aimed at young readers, it explored feelings of anxiety and practical strategies for coping. Illustrations were created by pencil, then refined in consultation with the author, and finished in Photoshop. graphicdesigner illustrator designer graphicdesigner illustrator designer
    Wai Ako Books and Educational Publishing
    Wai Ako Educational resources support teachers in New Zealand schools bring te Reo Māori (the Māori language) into everyday classroom situations. Wai Ako Books helps indie authors tell their stories, their way, with expert publishing support. I designed the branding and classroom resources. logo graphicdesigner illustrator branding designer
    Children's Book cover design
    There's a T-Rex in my Tummy is aimed at young readers, it explored feelings of anxiety and practical strategies for coping. Illustrations were created by pencil, then refined in consultation with the author, and finished in Photoshop. graphicdesigner illustrator designer designer illustrator graphicdesigner
    Children's Book Illustration - page
    There's a T-Rex in my Tummy is aimed at young readers, it explored feelings of anxiety and practical strategies for coping. Illustrations were created by pencil, then refined in consultation with the author, and finished in Photoshop. graphicdesigner illustrator designer
    Indie book design
    This book demonstrates how using colour, infographics and typography can take a complex topic and break it down into easy-to-understand content. This handy guide to one of New Zealand's founding documents, te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi reached number 1 on the bestseller chart and has sold over 10,000 copies. designer webdesigner illustrator branding graphicdesigner logo
    Indie book cover
    Through Wai Ako Books I guide indie authors through the process of self-publishing, including navigating editing, cover and internal page design, print and ebook production and marketing. This cover design is a complex comp using personal and stock images to create a scene in the book, a precarious night-time crossing of the Mekong delta. photo graphicdesigner branding illustrator designer
    SASA - Resources for HIV/AIDS and Gender-Based Violence Prevention
    I worked with social workers, educators, activists and epidemiologists to bring SASA to life. This comprehensive resource pack is designed for communities in sub-Saharan Africa to improve health outcomes through education. photo logo graphicdesigner branding illustrator webdesigner designer
    Concert programme
    I have created concert programmes for many arts organisations, including Wairua Sinfonietta. This booklet commemmorated the fifth anniversary of the orchestra. photo logo branding graphicdesigner illustrator designer
    Book cover design
    "Botanical graphic" was the brief for this work of literary fiction. I used paper cutout and Photoshop to craft the collage-inspired cover design. graphicdesigner illustrator designer