This is 10 Questions, an interview series where we get to know the designers from the directory a little better. Today, meet Emily Mahar. Emily is a book cover designer and avid reader, who has worked at Penguin Random House and Macmillan before making the jump to full-time freelance in March of 2025. When she’s not reading or designing, you can find her training for the NYC marathon, baking something sweet, or catching cool insects.
1. Visually take us through your professional journey. Create a diagram that summarizes your career to date.
2. Do you show your designs to any non-coworkers before submitting them—a trusted husband or teenage daughter? Who and why?
Emily Mahar: Yes, my partner is the lucky one! While not being a designer, he has a good eye, and has provided a lot of great feedback in my early stages.
3. Tell me about someone from your past who played a role in you becoming the designer you are today. What did you learn from them? Or, how did knowing them impact your career trajectory?
Emily Mahar: My mom (not really in my past, she’s still very present in my life) while I was a kid really impacted my desire to be a designer. I grew up with her always scrapbooking on the kitchen table, and when I was old enough, started to follow in her footsteps. We were always crafting and creating together. I think scrapbooking taught me how to lay out and organize information and visuals in a clear and pleasing way. She always celebrated my creativity and gave me ample opportunities for me to flourish.
4. What’s your ideal auditory environment while working?
Emily Mahar: I joke that I do my best work while I’m actively ignoring something! So I guess I like background noise, whether that be in the form of a familiar TV show, easy listening audiobook, or an album I know by heart. I’ve even had hours-long FaceTime calls with friends that end up with both of us just doing our own thing, but together on the phone. It simulates the collaborative studio work environment I had from college.
5. If you’re a freelancer, what’s something that you miss about being in-house?
Emily Mahar: I am so new to freelancing, but I already miss getting to email and chit chat with the Art Department team every day! I also miss getting to see the many rounds of comps created by other designers at the weekly jacket meetings. It’s always so exciting and inspiring to see the breadth of work that is shown.
6. Do you use any tools besides the usual Adobe products? What are they!
Emily Mahar: My scanner, lightbox, charcoal pencils, and paint/paint brushes. I’m increasingly trying to work more with my hands and rely less on digital tools. There’s something so satisfying about creating by hand, and I think the end result is so much more raw and beautiful.
7. Describe your usual work schedule.
Emily Mahar: I’m such an early bird. I’m the most creative and productive in the morning. Sometimes I’ll start working around 8:00 AM, breaking a few times throughout the day for a coffee, walk, and later lunch. I usually start winding down around 3:30 PM, unless I have a lot of things going on, in which case I will keep at it until 5 PM or after. Since making the jump to freelance full-time, I’m still in that trial-and-error phase of finding the right balance and schedule that works best for me.
8. Which celebrity memoir are you dying to work on?
Emily Mahar: Taylor Swift, if you’re reading this…
9. About how many times have you written “a novel” on a piece of paper and then scanned it?
Emily Mahar: Hundreds!! I’ve actually kept a lot of the papers from hand-lettering for past projects. I also find the array of materials that I’ve written on to be funny: I’ve used post-it’s, napkins, newsprint, fabric, notebook paper, tape, foil… the list goes on!
10. The INABC Exit Question. You’re at a party and you just told a stranger that you’re a book cover designer. What’s the most common response you get from people when they hear this?
Emily Mahar: “That’s so cool! Do you get to read the books?” or “Have you designed anything I’d know?”
