Children’s Book Designer

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are seeking an experienced Children’s Book Designer with at least 5 years in children’s publishing, with a strong emphasis on novelty formats (lift-the-flap, touch-and-feel, pop-ups, die-cuts, sliders, sound books, interactive elements, and other tactile innovations) — while also being capable of designing across a broad range of traditional children’s book formats.

This role is ideal for a designer who loves both creative exploration and commercial problem-solving — someone who is passionate about making beautiful, engaging, and successful products for kids, while understanding the realities of cost, manufacturing, and retail performance.

You will work in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial company that operates remotely across the U.S. and U.K., while your role will be based in our new NYC design studio with a minimum of three in-office days per week. In this hybrid structure, you will collaborate closely with editorial, production, sales, and manufacturing colleagues across multiple time zones — largely East Coast–based — to bring innovative products to market.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Concept, design, and execute children’s book and novelty product projects from ideation through final production
• Create compelling cover designs, interior layouts, and novelty mechanisms that balance aesthetic excellence with manufacturability and cost efficiency
• Collaborate closely with editorial, production, and sales teams to align creative direction with market needs
• Translate brand strategy into strong visual systems across series and product lines
• Rapidly iterate on designs based on feedback, testing, and sales data
• Stay current on trends in children’s publishing, toy design, and novelty mechanics
• Work effectively in a remote environment while maintaining strong communication and accountability
• Develop design solutions that work across multiple retail channels, including: Warehouse Clubs, Mass Market, Value Retailers, Amazon, School Fairs

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE & SKILLS

• 5+ years professional experience in children’s publishing design
• Expert-level proficiency in Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop
• Working knowledge of print production, die-lines, and manufacturing constraints
• Ability to balance creativity with commercial thinking
• Proven portfolio demonstrating: Strong novelty book design, Series development, Packaging and cover design, Print Production knowledge
• Hands-on experience designing for: Clubs, Fairs, Mass market retailers, Value publishing, and Amazon

MINDSET & WORK STYLE

The ideal candidate is:

• Self-motivated — drives work forward without constant oversight
• Goal-oriented — cares about results, deadlines, and impact
• Passionate about creating — genuinely loves making great products for kids
• Curious about what makes products successful — seeks to understand winning formulas
• Objective, balanced, and fact-based in design thinking
• Comfortable with ambiguity and shifting priorities
• Thrives in a fast-paced environment
• Communicates clearly and proactively in a remote-first company

WORK STRUCTURE

• Hybrid, with required in-office presence in NYC at least 3 days per week
• Collaborative culture across time zones and teams
• Fast-moving pipeline with multiple projects running simultaneously

NICE TO HAVE (BONUS SKILLS)

• Experience working with overseas printers and manufacturers
• Experience launching Amazon-first products
• History of building and maintaining visual brands across product lines
• Strong line review and editing skills that help maintain brand, format continuity, and quality across series and product lines

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit:

• Resume
• Portfolio (PDF or link)
• 3–5 project case studies showing your role, design challenges, how you solved them, and any measurable results

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $60,000.00 - $70,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Health insurance
• Paid time off

Work Location: Hybrid remote in New York, NY 10017