Hello! I'm Christian, an award-winning designer with 20+ years of experience in publishing. A former Senior Designer at Penguin who's been freelancing remotely for 10 years, I worked with Big 5 publishers, small presses and hundreds of solo authors and companies. My passion for crafting visually compelling book covers has led to my work being enjoyed by readers worldwide. I thrive on collaboration and love bringing ideas to life in a way that resonates with audiences.…

Christian Storm

PRO

Hello! I'm Christian, an award-winning designer with 20+ years of experience in publishing. A former Senior Designer at Penguin who's been freelancing remotely for 10 years, I worked with Big 5 publishers, small presses and hundreds of solo authors and companies. My passion for crafting visually compelling book covers has led to my work being enjoyed by readers worldwide. I thrive on collaboration and love bringing ideas to life in a way that resonates with audiences.…

Available to hire

Hello! I’m Christian, an award-winning designer with 20+ years of experience in publishing. A former Senior Designer at Penguin who’s been freelancing remotely for 10 years, I worked with Big 5 publishers, small presses and hundreds of solo authors and companies. My passion for crafting visually compelling book covers has led to my work being enjoyed by readers worldwide. I thrive on collaboration and love bringing ideas to life in a way that resonates with audiences.

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Language

English
Fluent
Spanish; Castilian
Intermediate
German
Intermediate
Swedish
Intermediate

Work Experience

Book Designer at Self-employed
December 31, 2001 - July 1, 2025
Five-star rated remote-based book designer working with Reedsy and individual cloents, creating covers, interiors, ebooks, marketing and social media graphics for a diverse international clientele. Helped more than 100 authors in 2024 across various genres such as mystery/thriller, sci-fi, fantasy, trade and literary fiction, YA fiction, nonfiction, business books, and memoir/biography. Notable projects include designing the YA version of bestseller The Code Book by Simon Singh, an award-winning memoir for Simon & Schuster, and award-winning nonfiction covers for Stanford University Press and NYU Press. Clients include Penguin Random House, Macmillan, Amazon Publishing, and others.
Art Director at Oceanview Publishing
March 1, 2016 - July 31, 2022
Directed visual strategy for the press, designed 24 mystery/thriller titles per year, liaised with illustrators and photographers, and created marketing materials. Managed the creative process to ensure strong visual impact and cohesion with the publishing goals.
Senior Designer at Penguin (USA)
August 1, 2005 - January 31, 2010
Conceived and designed jackets and covers for international bestsellers including 'Thirteen Reasons Why' and 'Paper Towns.' Responsibilities included art-directing photoshoots, commissioning illustrators and photographers, directing photo shoots, preparing covers and jackets for production, and mentoring junior designers.
Book Designer at Milkweed Editions
May 31, 2002 - October 30, 2004
Designed covers, jackets, and interiors for literary fiction, nonfiction, YA, and poetry. Created the most successful title in the nonprofit press’s history, 'Perfect' by Natasha Friend, with over 250K copies sold.
Book Cover Designer at Stormhausen Design
January 1, 2002 - Present
Remote-based designer creating covers, interiors, ebooks, marketing and social media graphics. Helped more than 100 authors in 2024 alone, in various genres.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Journalism at University of Florida
August 30, 1988 - December 11, 1992
Honors Program
Associate of Arts in Graphic Design at Minneapolis Community and Technical College
January 12, 1998 - May 5, 2000
Associate Degree at Minneapolis Community & Technical College
January 1, 1998 - December 31, 2000
Bachelor of Science at University of Florida
January 1, 1988 - December 31, 1992
Graphic Design at Minneapolis Community & Technical College
January 1, 1998 - January 1, 2000
B.S. Journalism at University of Florida | Honors Program
January 1, 1988 - January 1, 1992

Qualifications

Communication Arts Design Annual
December 31, 2001 - December 31, 2001
Google UX Design Professional Certification
October 11, 2021 - May 18, 2022

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Non-Profit Organization, Professional Services, Consumer Goods
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