This is 10 Questions, an interview series where we get to know the designers from the directory a little better. Today, meet Nejc Planinšek! Nejc, based in Slovenia, is fueled by a love for bold colors, multilayered compositions, and the belief that every book should look like the next bestseller. He brings the same passion to his covers that his authors bring to their stories. Read on!

1. Visually take us through your professional journey. Create a diagram that summarizes your career to date.

2. Some of us don’t think we have a certain design style. Some of us think we do. If you think you have a style, how would you describe yours?

Nejc Planinšek: When I first began freelancing, I started by designing posters, which are all about instant readability, recognition, and boldness. That philosophy has carried over into my book cover design as well. I approach every book cover I create for my clients as if I were designing the next bestseller. I like to use bold colors and multilayered compositions, and I intertwine the book title with the illustration as much as possible.

3. We all know that great covers get killed. How often does something you submit get chosen in the very first round, and how often do you have to go through multiple rounds before you get an approval?

Nejc Planinšek: I only share drafts with my clients that I know would work for the book in one way or another. In fact, the majority of my final covers come from that very first batch. That said, I do spend a lot of time working with the author to refine the chosen draft until it’s exactly what we both envision. I never rush this process. I figure that if someone has spent years of their life writing a book, the very least I can do is give them my best.

4. Do you ever go through periods where you feel completely creatively tapped out? How do you refill your cup and then get back to work?

5. Describe your usual work schedule. Everyone’s is different.

Nejc Planinšek: I like to keep a pretty tight schedule. I wake up early and start my day at the office at 8 a.m. I make a list of everything I need to do, from most important to least, and then dedicate the next couple of hours to the biggest task of the day. Most often that’s design work, but it can also be important emails, briefs, or administrative work related to my business (there’s always more of that than I’d like, haha). Around noon, I take a long break for lunch and a nap. When I return, I cross off the remaining items on my list and usually wrap up around 4 p.m. Weekends are strictly off limits for work.

6. What’s one creative skill you wish you had time to pursue so that you could incorporate it into future designs?

Nejc Planinšek: Oh, god. Calligraphy by far. My handwriting is really bad, to be honest, and I would love to improve it someday. I actually have a whole Chinese calligraphy set at home that unfortunately still remains unopened.

7. What’s your ideal auditory environment while working?

Nejc Planinšek: Music, and lot’s of it. I find complete silence to be dreadfully boring and uninspiring to work in. My previous apartment overlooked a river and a bridge connecting the old city center with the rest of the town. I just loved working by the opened window, listening to the water pass by and the people going about their day. I’d love to work in a similar environment again someday.

8. 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?

Nejc Planinšek: “Design what’s popular. Then when you’re all done, make one intentional mistake. One little off detail that no one else would.” That’s what my very first boss told me as we were walking back from lunch. I still think about that advice every so often.

Everyone at that design firm really took me under their wing and showed me how it all works from a business standpoint. We’re all still very much in touch. They’re like family to me, and without them I would have had a pretty hard time making it to where I am now.

And speaking of family, there’s also my mom, of course, who’s also an artist at heart and nurtured my creative side from the very moment I could hold a pen.

9. Name one author you would love to design for before you retire.

Nejc Planinšek: Stephen King. Or Cormac McCarthy. Either one. Some of my very first cover design projects were alternative versions of their book covers that I created for fun, just to build up my portfolio when I was starting out on my freelancing path. Going full circle like that would be quite the dream.

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? 

Nejc Planinšek: “That’s something you can do?”

For more Q&As from our pool of talented designers, explore the 10 Questions series page.
Special thanks to Amanda Hudson for creating the series’ blog post cover design.