Hi! I’m Nat! Book Designer and Illustrator of Scottish descent, born and raised on the western prairies of Alberta, Canada, and now living in Manchester (hence the somewhat confusing accent).
When I’m not off duty gobbling up croissants, waiting for my letter from Hogwarts, or rivalling Vans employees on loyalty points (yes, really) I help publishing houses attract readers to their books like zombies to brains.
My awfully big adventure began well over 10 years ago, acquiring a triple-threat skill set of ninja like skills in design, illustration and typography, working with publishing houses across the globe, running my own little studio for two years, and now working with one of the top fantasy and sci-fi publishing houses in the UK.
With it being the start of a new chapter, and amidst all the balloons and cake and books (naturally), I thought I’d take this opportunity to (re)introduce myself and tell you just a little bit about your friendly neighbourhood book designer…
I've been art directing and designing eye-catching book covers across a range of genres, for nearly the past six years now! I absolutely love designing book covers, but I design other stuff too.
Before I became a book designer, I studied Marketing, Communications, Graphic Design, Illustration and and have a Masters in Publishing from the University of Arts in London, England. My love of books (and of reading!) is what pushes me to keep developing my skills as an artist. I care about the stories I design for – without them I would not be able to do what it is I do.
Every great design, begins with an even better story.
When I’m not obsessing over books you can usually find me at a few of my favourite spots in Manchester (Off the Press, Forbidden Planet, etc.), going on adventures across the globe with my husband, practicing my Longboarding skills, buying another pair of Vans, or constructing a new Cosplay. Any additional free time? Spent in a book store of course.
AN INTERVIEW WITH MISS NAT MACK:
Who is Nat?
A coffee-guzzling UK book designer and illustrator, with ADHD, whose identity (when not mistaken for Alison Hannigan) consists mostly of obsessing over books, growing a Vans collection that rivals Vans employees, a splash of Longboarding and Cosplay, and spends most of her time with her husband going on crazy adventures.
Why you so obsessed with me?
I absolutely loooooove coffee. It is definitely my life line. I work some looooong hours, so I need it to keep me motivated. The caffeine of course helps. I’ve also become a bit of a coffee snob over the years. Yup, I’ve become one of those people. Hard-Lines is my favourite roaster at the moment, so you’ll definitely find me downing cup after cup of their coffee, but Starbucks? Um - not so much. Ewww.
Not your typical brain.
I only found out about my ADHD and Neurodivergent brain a couple years ago. Since then, it has been a big learning curve and I am still only learning how to live with it day-to-day and how to talk about it (without embarrassment).
While the conversation around mental health has improved drastically over the last few years, it still has a long way to go. As such, I am a strong advocate for treating your head and heart, the way you would the rest of your body. Everybody deserves the same comfort and support with mental health as they do their physical health.
Books. Coffee. Rebellion.
Aside from Mental Health, I am a huge advocate for Women’s Rights and the importance of lifting up female voices!
By the age of 6, girls already think that men are more brilliant than women, in part because only 15% of Children’s books have female protagonists.
A narrative most women grow up with is that their adventures are not as important as those of the boys. I want to help change that narrative so more women believe in their voices, and help empower others to share their stories.
That’s why I have recently become a Patron for the Women’s Prize for Fiction - the greatest celebration of women’s creativity in the world for over two decades. A charity whose mission is to change the world through books by women, opening up pathways into reading and writing for the storytellers and book lovers of tomorrow.
Women’s Prize for Fiction is only the first stop, on hopefully a very long list of charities I will be able to support as time goes on.
Books, Books, and more Books
So, no surprise here, I have a slight obsession with books. It’s one of the reasons I do what I do, and one of the reasons I love what I do. I get paid… to read!! I will read anything and everything if the writing is good, and I will never shy away from recommendations, so send ‘em my way! My favourite book? Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. 100%.
Most memorable Book Design?
There are a number of projects that have been very meaningful to me over the years. I’ve had the opportunity to design books for my favourite childhood superheroes, had my work featured in Entertainment Weekly and Spine Magazine, and I have illustrated covers for some truly amazing stories. It is hard to narrow it down to just one, BUT! if I had to choose, it would have to be the covers for the Firefly series.
A proper Browncoat (obsessed Firefly fan) I was able to not only read these new adventures before they hit the shelves, but spend time creating the designs that would grace the covers. I designed 8 covers for the series, one special edition, and have even been lucky enough to meet Nathan Fillion, Summer Glau, Jewel Staite and Sean Maher – who have all signed my special edition. Only Gina Torres, Adam Baldwin, Morena Baccarin and Alan Tudyck to go!
Why Book Design?
As with most people the original plan did not go… according to plan. Lol. I originally intended on being a costume designer. While I loved it, the hours were awful. I was working from 8 in the morning till 6 at night in the costume shop putting pieces together, fixing things, doing laundry, etc and then would be at the theatre from 6pm till maybe midnight, 1am for the show run and to tidy up and bring things back to the shop. I was working 7 days a week, all hours and the only family I had was my theatre family. It’s true when you work on a show that the people you work with are your life line - your friends, your family, your therapists, lol. I loved everybody I worked with and learned so much from them, but while I had such a passion for the theatre I wanted more. I wanted more experiences, more travel, time with other family and friends, and…spare time!
My cousin, Mackenzie Proudlove of BroBrick, pushed me to explore other areas of design and if it weren’t for him I probably wouldn’t be doing what it is I do now. He suggested looking into a graphic design path - everything I loved about design but allowed me to still focus on the other things I cared about.
An incredibly long and windy story later I landed on Book Design and will never, could never, look back. Book Design is me. It combines all my passions, all my quirks, and all my creativity into one. I could not imagine doing anything else, and because of that, I genuinely put everything I can into my work. Each cover I work on leaves my studio with a little piece of me attached.
Still looking for that spare time though. LOL.
A few more random facts…
I used to Skateboard when I was younger, but one session I fell off and broke my ankle. Having to go through weeks off my feet, and then months on crutches, it took me ages to get back on a board. So swapping the Skateboard for a Longboard, I am getting back into it and, while slow moving, am loving it. I fully believe you are never too old to do the things you want to do.
I used to have over 50 pairs of Vans, but had to leave most of them behind when I moved across the pond. I’m working my way back up to 50 (and then beyond) and currently have more Vans loyalty points than the Vans employees in Manchester (yes, really, I was told this by a Manager of the shop).
Am currently checking off the boxes to become a mentor/lecturer for Book Design. I love talking about all things book design, and I also love teaching. Lots of exciting things coming this way so hopefully I can share more soon(ish)!
