Design Circle

EARLY BIRD: $50
ADMISSION: $75 (Starts on Friday, August 7th)

Join book designer and community educator Dominique Jones for a seven-week Book Design Circle Program for aspiring creatives who want to explore the world of book design.

Through a combination of hybrid sessions, participants will build a strong foundation in book design principles, including illustration, typography, color, and composition, imprint studies, and career professional development.

This is a fun opportunity to build your design portfolio, network, communication skills, and immerse ourself into books and design without the stress of doing it alone.

For the opportunity you will get:

• Hybrid experience into the world of book design

• Industry connections

• Guidance on building a portfolio piece

• Resume and cover letter support

• Book Giveaways

• Immersive design field day experience

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Group Size: 12
Program Starts: August 22nd, 2026
Finish: October 3rd, 2026 (just in time for the following Spring applications)
Timeline: Estimated at 1-2 hours every Saturday - time to be determined upon group vote 10 am or 12 pm EST start time. (Note: Sessions could end earlier depending on the agenda). Each session has a 10-15 minute intermission.
Location: Virtual (With one day in-person NYC meetup)

Brief Agenda

• Week 1 — Introductions + Inside the Publishing Industry

• Week 2 — Typography & Visual Language

• Week 3 — Color, Composition & Genre

• Week 4 — NYC Meetup: See books differently (Books and Museum Day)

• Week 5 — Jacket Design, Imprints & Publishing Identity

• Week 6 — Virtual Meetup + Office Hour

• Week 7 — Celebration and Showcase (pending Reviewer)

Please READ before you apply:

1. All meetings are live and not recorded. So you must be able to commit within your personal schedule to attend these meetings.

2. No make-up sessions (you must be able to put in the work to complete the projects - this is your career, I am here to support the best I can)

3. Non-refundable (fees include all the above, and a 10% profit goes into a literary nonprofit)

4. Participants must have optional access to programs such as Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Procreate, Canva, etc. to help understand and work through projects.

5. All sessions will be on Google Meet (every week a new link will be shared)

6. Any form of AI note-taking tools are not allowed.
   

For any questions, email dominiquejones.gd@gmail.com

​​Disclaimer: Please note this opportunity is not in any way affiliated with any publisher and is out of my own desire to support aspiring creatives learn and grow in connecting to this industry and shared love for books.