Nabeeha Anwar
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Where are you from? Queens, New York
Race/Ethnicity: South Asian
Languages: English and Urdu
Where do you currently work at?: Penguin Random House
Current Position / Role: Junior Ad/Promo Designer in the Berkley imprint
One favorite book you've designed and why? I've had so much fun designing assets for so many different books so far, but I definitely think designing for Uzma Jalaluddin's latest upcoming novel "Much Ado About Nada" has been particularly memorable for me. Having been a fan of Uzma's work prior to getting involved in the industry, it became a very full circle moment for me to get to be a part of one of her projects!
How did you get into design? I've been involved in the arts since I was a kid, but I think I started getting serious about pursuing editorial design in college when I started working for our student-run newspaper, The Daily Orange. I joined before even stepping foot on campus, and I eventually even became the Presentation Director. It was one of the first times I felt really confident in my creative direction skills, and I got to work on so many amazing projects and join a community of artists that really believed in me. It was an incredibly significant learning experience for me also.
What do you like about being a book designer in publishing? My favorite part, particularly in designing for ad/promo, is getting to challenge myself to visually build on the worlds these authors are trying to portray for their audiences. It really allows you to connect even further with the content that you are consuming, and let yourself utilize your own visual storytelling skills and get lost in the art for a little bit.
What did you learn about publishing that you wish you knew before? I learned that there are so many different ways to get involved in the publishing pipeline creatively beyond cover design, and that there are so many hardworking people involved in making sure audiences are getting the best experience out of a book that they can.
What's one goal you have for yourself in this industry? I hope to get a lot more involved in the artist community within publishing, and continue to learn the ins and outs of the industry and use that to grow as an artist! I would love to also get more involved in freelance design/illustration, and one day publish my own graphic novel :)
How do you overcome a creative block? Whenever I experience a creative block, I usually try to move around and get a change of scenery. If I'm in one place for too long, I don't feel as inspired to try creating something new and it really shows in my work. If I'm not up for that, I'll try to learn something new, or look back at things that have inspired me before, whether it's a book, movie, song, or even just scrolling through my favorite art accounts on Instagram. Whenever I do that I always start to get excited by whatever caught my eye in the first place all over again, and it motivates me to create something that could make other people feel the same way.