717 Graphic & Design Studios

A five-stage process for book covers

A small UK studio, 717 Graphic & Design Studios, designs book covers for authors, self-publishers and publishers, alongside logos, print and web work for businesses. The studio argues that a reader gives a cover only a few seconds, so each brief starts with one sentence describing what the cover should tell a reader about the book, and the rest of the process builds on that.

From the brief to the final files

Every cover follows the same five stages. The studio opens with a consultation in which the designer learns the topic of the book and the points most likely to sell it. Next comes the choice of fonts, colour scheme and imagery, which the studio says should match the tone of the text and the reader it is aimed at. It states that the stock images and fonts it uses are high quality and free of copyright restrictions. The designer then presents one to three initial ideas with 3D mock-ups, and revises the chosen direction, whether pictorial or type led, until the client approves it. Final artwork is delivered as a PDF suitable for printers, and an ebook version can be supplied too.

Print, branding and web work

Beyond book covers, the studio designs logos and branding, flyers and adverts, brochures and catalogues, menus and packaging. Its web work includes five-page brochure websites, ecommerce sites, social media covers and email marketing designs. The firm describes itself as a design and branding agency with a small team that works mainly for small and medium-sized businesses, and it also takes on larger companies. It can handle printing as well, so a job can run from first design through to the finished product.

Reach and the clients it serves

The studio says its designers have worked with small and large publishers and with authors for more than ten years, and that it takes clients locally, nationally and internationally at a range of budgets. Its own material says that a good number of clients come back, which it puts down to treating each client's business as if it were the studio's own.

717 Graphic & Design Studios is a UK design and branding agency run by a small team of graphic designers. It concentrates on small and medium-sized businesses but also takes on larger companies, and it can handle printing so that a job runs from design to finished product.

What 717 Graphic & Design Studios does

• Logos and branding: identity design for new and established firms.
• Print design: flyers, adverts, brochures, catalogues and menus.
• Packaging: product and menu packaging artwork.
• Book covers: custom cover design for authors and publishers, with revisions until the client is satisfied.
• Web design: showcase websites and full ecommerce sites.
• Printing: print production to complete a project.

Customers and markets

Mostly small and medium-sized UK businesses nationwide, plus authors and publishers for book covers. Clients quoted on its site include NTU Online, Nurokor and the Cavell Nurses' Trust.

Key facts

• Based in: United Kingdom
• Team: a small group of designers
• Clients: nationwide across the UK