Book Cover Designer Needed to professionally refine an established non-fiction cover concept.

BOOK COVER DESIGNER NEEDED TO PROFESSIONALLY REFINE AN ESTABLISHED NONFICTION COVER CONCEPT Fixed-price budget: US$250 PROJECT OVERVIEW I am looking for an experienced book-cover designer to professionally refine and complete the cover for an upcoming nonfiction book: The Youth Sports Volunteer Playbook Subtitle: How Modern Youth Sports Organizations Build Sustainable Volunteer Programs and Create Better Experiences for Families Author: Dionisio Santos This is a practical leadership and operations book for the Boards, administrators and volunteer leaders responsible for youth-sports organizations. The book will be published through Amazon KDP. The planned trim size is 7 × 10 inches. A substantial amount of the creative direction has already been completed. I have: - A front-cover mock-up - An established title and subtitle - A defined colour palette - A central systems illustration - A clear front-cover composition - A simple direction for the back cover - A strong understanding of the audience and intended market position I am not looking for someone to discard the existing direction and create an unrelated concept. I want a skilled designer who will listen carefully, understand what has already been developed and elevate it into a polished, professional and technically correct book cover. CREATIVE DIRECTION The finished cover should feel: - Professional and authoritative - Modern but not trendy - Practical and substantial - Appropriate for a leadership playbook or operating handbook - Welcoming to community-based youth-sports organizations - Clean and highly legible at Amazon-thumbnail size The primary background colour is a very light, cool off-white: - RGB: 247, 248, 249 - Hex: #F7F8F9 The primary dark navy used for the book title, subtitle and central illustration is: - RGB: 1, 39, 71 - Hex: #012747 The primary gold accent is: - RGB: 220, 157, 35 - Hex: #DC9D23 Supporting teal and blue colours already appear within the supplied illustration. The front cover includes a visual representation of a sustainable volunteer program as an interconnected operating system. The central gear connects leadership, participation models, recruitment, scheduling, communication, tracking, verification, family experience, recognition, reporting, improvement, succession planning, technology and data. This illustration closely reflects the substance of the book and should remain central to the design. The back cover should be intentionally simple and text-focused. It should use the same off-white background and navy typography, with restrained teal or gold accents if appropriate. I am not planning to use an author photograph or additional back-cover imagery. SCOPE OF WORK The selected designer will be responsible for: 1. Refining the existing front-cover layout and composition. 2. Improving the typography, spacing, alignment and visual hierarchy. 3. Professionally integrating and, where appropriate, polishing the supplied systems illustration. 4. Ensuring that the title and subtitle remain clear at Amazon-thumbnail size. 5. Designing the spine. 6. Designing a clean, text-based back cover. 7. Reserving the correct area for the Amazon KDP barcode. 8. Preparing the complete wraparound paperback cover using the final Amazon KDP template. 9. Making one final spine-width adjustment after the manuscript’s final page count and paper choice have been confirmed. 10. Preparing a front-cover image suitable for the Amazon product page. 11. Providing an illustration or graphic asset that can also be used on the corresponding book website. The designer should be comfortable working with an AI-assisted concept image. The supplied image is intended as a strong creative and compositional foundation. Please explain whether you would polish the existing raster image, recreate elements as vector artwork or recommend another production approach. DELIVERABLES The final deliverables must include: - Print-ready Amazon KDP paperback cover PDF - Complete back-cover, spine and front-cover wrap - High-resolution front-cover JPG or PNG for online use - High-resolution standalone version of the central illustration for website use - Editable original source files - Any linked design assets required to edit the cover - Font names and licensing information - Stock-image or graphic licensing information, if applicable - Commercial-use rights to the completed design - Two clearly defined revision rounds - One final technical adjustment after the page count and KDP template are confirmed Preferred editable formats include Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop. Please identify the software you will use in your proposal. No unlicensed stock images, fonts or design elements may be used. Please do not introduce additional AI-generated imagery without discussing it with me and receiving approval. PAYMENT AND MILESTONES The total fixed-price budget is US$250. I will not pay any freelancer directly or release any fees in advance of receiving the agreed work. I will fund the active milestone through Upwork’s secure project-funds or escrow system, as required by the platform, but payment will be released only after the corresponding deliverables have been submitted, reviewed and approved. I will not make off-platform payments, deposits or advance payments directly to the freelancer. Proposed milestones: Milestone 1 — US$100 - Review of the supplied concept and creative brief - Professionally refined front-cover design - Typography and composition improvements - Presentation of the recommended finished visual direction - Completion of the agreed revisions to the front-cover direction Payment will be released after the Milestone 1 deliverables are submitted and approved. Milestone 2 — US$150 - Final front cover - Spine design - Final text-based back cover - Print-ready KDP wraparound PDF - Amazon-ready front-cover image - Editable source files - Standalone website illustration - Licensing information - Final technical adjustment after the confirmed page count and KDP template are supplied Payment will be released after the completed files have been reviewed and approved. I previously had an unfortunate experience in which a designer received a substantial payment in advance, produced poor-quality work and did not follow the supplied direction. Clear communication, careful listening and milestone-based approval are therefore essential requirements for this engagement. This does not mean that I expect speculative or unpaid design work. It means that work and payment must follow the agreed Upwork milestone process, with clearly defined deliverables and approval before funds are released. IDEAL DESIGNER The ideal candidate will have: - A strong portfolio of professional nonfiction book covers - Excellent typography skills - Experience designing business, leadership, operational or professional-development books - Experience preparing print-ready Amazon KDP covers - The ability to work from an established creative direction - Strong listening and communication skills - Careful attention to detailed instructions - Experience refining AI-assisted visual concepts - The ability to provide organized, editable source files - A practical understanding of print production, bleed, safe zones, spine calculations and barcode placement APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS Please include the following in your proposal: 1. Three examples of relevant nonfiction book covers you personally designed. 2. At least one example demonstrating strong typography. 3. Confirmation that you have prepared covers for Amazon KDP. 4. The software you will use for this project. 5. Your proposed approach to refining or recreating the supplied illustration. 6. Confirmation that editable source files are included. 7. Confirmation that two revision rounds and the final spine adjustment are included. 8. Your estimated completion time. 9. Confirmation that you accept the milestone and payment terms described above. 10. A brief explanation of what you believe distinguishes an effective nonfiction book cover from an attractive graphic. Please begin your proposal with the words “Sustainable Volunteer Program.” This will confirm that you have read the complete posting. SCHEDULE I would like the initial front-cover refinement completed within approximately seven to ten business days after the contract begins. The full KDP wrap can be developed after the front-cover direction is approved. The final spine adjustment will occur when the manuscript’s final page count and paper specifications are available. IMPORTANT Please do not submit a generic proposal or offer to create a completely unrelated cover concept. The successful designer will be selected primarily on the quality of their nonfiction cover portfolio, typography, ability to follow an established direction and demonstrated understanding of the project. I value thoughtful professional recommendations. If you believe an element of the supplied concept should be adjusted, please explain why and show how your recommendation would strengthen the cover without losing its central meaning.