About

I’m a graphic designer living and working in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Starting out with a creative studio originally based in San Francisco, I founded DesignLeaf Studio in PA after relocating here. I’ve been designing books for 25+ years, in genres of management, leadership, workplace ethics, self-help, and children’s fiction, with award-winning and bestselling titles. DesignLeaf also creates logos, catalogs, marketing collateral, and invitations.

An obsession with great book covers and love of art and design fueled my enthusiasm for breaking into the book design and publishing industry in the 1990s, and I haven’t looked back. I’ve worked with creative, art and marketing directors, project managers, editors, as well as directly with authors. Clients served: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Thomson Learning/ Wadsworth (Cengage), Jossey-Bass/Wiley, Brooks-Cole, Key Curriculum Press, California Maritime Academy, Benicia Main Street, Heifer International, Chesapeake Watershed Initiative, Verve Marketing & Design, and self-published authors.

You’ll find tips and information in the Author Resources section, which is especially helpful for first-time and self-published authors. Writing and producing a book is a labor of love, and if you’re new to book publishing, I can offer guidance through the process.

I hold a B.S. in Art Education from Indiana University of PA, taught middle school art in Berkeley, CA, and further studied printmaking and graphic arts at San Francisco State University. I’m also a plein air painter—recently working in watercolor—soaking in the color, light, and flavors of the surrounding landscape.

Playing outside, exploring, spending free time with my family and friends, and our two very enthusiastic dogs are some of my favorite things.

—Susan Malikowski