Welcome to A Book Designer's Notebook

What the hell am I doing?

Hello, (hopefully not imaginary) reader! Welcome to A Book Designer’s Notebook. I’m Nathaniel, the titular book designer.

This brief, occasional newsletter will primarily be about three things: what I’m writing, what I’m reading, and what I’m working on. I’ve been a book designer for five years—a graphic designer for longer—but I have been a reader my entire life and I have always loved to write. Each of these pieces of myself are woven together to form my creative practice—of which I hope this newsletter will be a manifestation.

What will I write about? Well, lots! Including, but not limited to: book design, publishing, book reviews, designer interviews, collage, photography, walking, and maybe a personal essay or two. And, of course, notebooks.

What do I read? Again, lots! I try to read broadly. I plan to share the books I am reading as well as any cool stuff I stumble across on Substack and across the internet at large.

What do I work on? In addition to being a freelance book designer, I work as a graphic designer for a public library where I design things like event posters, logos, movie posters for puppets, t-shirts, and award-winning books, among other things. I also have an ever-growing list of personal projects in various stages of completion.

This newsletter is for anyone interested in books, publishing, design, art, and anyone who happens to be curious about what I am up to (hi, mom!) If any of that sounds of interest to you, I hope you’ll consider subscribing.

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