Tom Double

As an undergraduate, Tom Double designed film posters for fellow students, never imagining it could one day be a full-time career. But fast forward a few years and he’s now a designer at Penguin Random House UK, leaning into his cinematic roots to design audiobook covers and marketing materials for titles like Star Wars and Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. That said, it all began with a gruelling job hunt, a handful of freelance gigs and a bunch of self-taught skills. Here, Tom shares his wisdom on how to play the long game in the creative industry.

What I do

How would you describe what you do?
I’m a Junior designer at Penguin Random House, working in the audiobook division. I’d describe myself as a cover designer, but my role encompasses a lot more than that. Alongside converting book covers to audiobook covers, I work with the marketing and publicity department to create assets and animations for authors, narrators and publishers to post on social media.

What are the main influences and inspirations behind your work?
I studied film, so I bring a lot of cinematic influences into my cover designs.

Also, I’ve always been interested in printmaking, collage and traditional crafts, so I like to integrate some of that tactility and grunginess into my designs.

I’m equally fascinated by history too, and I usually start the design process by researching the background of the book and searching for any archival imagery or vintage fonts that I can use.

Would you say you need any specific training for what you do?
Everything I know about design, I’ve learned on the job – but I wouldn’t describe myself as a typical example. Most designers in the publishing industry that I’ve spoken to studied either graphic design or publishing at university.

A lot of interviewers have been impressed by the fact that I have had no formal training, so I don’t think it’s a necessity. The main things you need are good visual and commercial instincts.

What’s been your favourite project to work on from the past year, and why?
Last year, I got the chance to design a pair of covers for BBC Two’s radio dramatisations of Graham Greene’s novels. Vintage literary authors like Greene – who have strong cultural associations and come with a rich history of cover designs – are my favourite to work on. I created what’s called a “series style”, which is where the designs are meant to sit alongside and complement each other. When you’re making multiple variants of the same look, the design process is a lot more fun.

I also enjoyed providing a lot of input on creative direction recently for two major marketing campaigns. One highlighted our Star Wars titles; the other, our 2023 re-recordings of Terry Pratchett’s books.

Cover artwork for BBC’s Graham Greene collections

What does a normal day-to-day usually look like for you?
My responsibilities fall into three main tasks: turning portrait book covers into square audiobook covers, creating animated graphics for marketing, and designing artwork for the BBC Audio catalogue. This is unusual in the publishing industry as design work is usually split into marketing and art department roles. In a typical day, I could be working on both at the same time, so it’s a really varied job.

How I got here

What was your journey like when you were first starting out? Did you find your feet quickly?
When I began my career, I definitely didn’t set out to become a designer although I always liked the idea of it. Around ten years ago, I started designing T-shirts with software I’d learned to use at school. Then, while studying at university, I designed posters for student films. I never expected to be able to make money from it.

When I was living in Canterbury, I ended up applying for a designer job at a theatre. Somehow, I managed to land it with a portfolio cobbled together from my various projects. When I started there, I’d never used Photoshop before. Then, only a couple of years later, I got the job at Penguin.

How did you go about landing your first few jobs or clients?
I’ve always followed things I’m genuinely interested in. In the case of that first job at the theatre, it was a place I already wanted to work at since I’d been involved in theatre groups all the way up to university.

My girlfriend sent me the job listing; I read the job description and knew immediately that I could do all that it required. It was an entry-level role, but it gave me the experience and skills to get the Penguin job.

In creative careers, it can sometimes feel like you’re playing the long game, but you need the journey to get to the destination.

What has been your biggest challenge along the way?
I’ve had some long and difficult periods of looking for jobs. It can be a brutal, competitive, confidence-destroying exercise – especially when you’re only going for your first or second role and trying to put together a portfolio.

At one point, I’d sent close to 250 applications and only had responses about maybe two or three. I had to learn how to be really patient and persistent – but also how to constantly improve.

It took a lot of trial and error before I got a sense of what was working. My portfolio went through many iterations and I developed a really strong understanding of how to present myself as a creative professional. Looking at other people’s portfolios and getting others to look at mine was incredibly helpful.

How important are social media and self-promotion to your work? Any advice or learnings?
I don’t think it’s obligatory for a designer in an in-house position, although it definitely helps during periods of job searching or if you’re freelancing. Most designers I’ve met have at least an Instagram page or website, although I use mine more for personal projects than work. It definitely helps to be active on social media to find new opportunities or to get familiar with trends in art and design.

What are some things that you’ve found useful to your work or career, and why?
Wikimedia Commons is a beyond-useful resource for finding and downloading free-to-use historical imagery, as is Rawpixel’s Public Domain Library with its smaller but higher-quality selection.

I Need A Book Cover is a great website for finding design inspiration – and so is Pinterest, which is permanently on my open tabs.

I’ve also found Ben Marriott’s YouTube channel massively helpful for learning and improving my animation skills.

Have there been any courses, programmes, initiatives, access schemes or job boards you’ve found helpful?
Creative Access has a mentor scheme, which I’ve heard great things about. Penguin has a summer internship, which is incredibly competitive but unparalleled for graduates looking to break into publishing.

What have been your greatest learnings with making money and supporting yourself as a creative?
Never discount the value of an in-house creative position. They can be just as rewarding as freelance work (if you're in the right company) and offer the massive benefit of stability. If your goal is to go freelance later in your career, you can always use an in-house position to build up your skills and portfolio while keeping an eye on potential clients.

My advice

What’s the best career-related advice you’ve ever received?
Talk to people. Find someone with a job you want on LinkedIn and send them a message – send me a message if you want! Plenty of people in my industry are happy to talk about their experience. If they aren’t, find someone else. Networking can be as simple as that.

What advice would you give to someone looking to get into a similar role?
Start by identifying your target. What industries are you interested in? What hobbies do you have that align with those? Use what you already have. If you studied English Literature, you read a lot and you’re in a book club, then maybe look at publishing.

Also, gain the skills you need. Learn how to use Photoshop or After Effects to make album covers or fan edits.

So much of the creative industry is about selling yourself to an employer, so lean into your unique interests. But the job shouldn’t be the end goal. Above all, make sure you’re doing it because it’s fun.