Design Assistant - Ladybird

About Penguin

We’re the UK’s largest publisher; made up of some 2,000 people and publishing over 1,500 books each year. Our doors are open to all kinds of talent. In a constantly evolving industry, we work hard to stretch the definition of the word publisher. Here, you’ll work with a breadth of talent who all play their part to make each of our books a success.

Together, we make books for everyone because a book can change anyone.

Are you at the start of your design career and interested in children’s book design? We have an exciting opportunity for a Design Assistant to join Ladybird on a permanent basis.

At Ladybird, we publish a curated list of beautiful, playful and imaginative picture books, novelty titles and non-fiction for children. Ladybird is home to a whole host of innovative, award-winning books for children aged 0-7. We are a small, friendly, collaborative team, backed by the reach of the world’s biggest publisher, and we really care about making brilliant books for children.

We love to work collaboratively with authors and illustrators to create books that spark imagination, open up new ideas and help children explore and understand the world around them.

• Practical day to day design and admin support
• Supporting the other designers in the team
• Producing eye-catching and creative acquisition pitches
• Managing reprints
• Managing sales material for book fairs
• Creating dummy novelty and picture books
• Scheduling meetings and liaising with illustration agents
• Working on your own projects

You should be able to demonstrate a keen design eye, good typographic skills, creative flair, ideas and a desire to learn. An interest in novelty books and picture books would be advantageous.

• Strong skills in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator)
• Knowledge of MS Office Excel/Word/Outlook
• An interest in design for publishing, ideally for children’s books
• Effective communication skills
• Organised, able to prioritise and juggle multiple responsibilities
• An ability to ensure that all work is delivered to a high standard and on schedule
• Resilient and flexible in their approach and able to work to tight deadlines
• Creative, willing to contribute ideas, use initiative, absorb feedback and manage changes of creative direction
• Inquisitive and keen to learn about publishing design.

If you have opted into our disability confident scheme, the above are the essential criteria you must meet to be considered for our interview scheme. Please note, there may be occasions where the volume of applicants means we can’t take all eligible candidates to interview.

Here at Penguin, we believe in the power of authenticity and human creativity. When you apply for a position, we want to encourage you to showcase your unique voice. Throughout our recruitment process, please share your own thoughts, experiences, and skills. This helps us get a true sense of who you are and what you might bring to our team. We celebrate creativity and diverse perspectives, so please be yourself!

While we recognise AI tools can be helpful, we recommend using them thoughtfully to ensure your responses reflect you.

We anticipate a two-stage interview process which will include a virtual first-stage interview and in-person second stage interview. We are happy to discuss this further with you throughout the recruitment process.

Salary: £29,000 plus benefits.

While our offices across the UK are places to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, we recognise that flexibility around where you work is just as important. For this role we expect the successful candidate to work from our London-based office a minimum of three days per week and offer the remaining two days to be worked remotely.

• Income Protection
• Health assessment
• Gym flex
• Life event leave
• Dental insurance
• Cycle scheme

Please note that we do not accept any CVs via agencies, and any sent speculatively will not be eligible for a fee.