From first ideas to final print-ready files, Banana Bear Books offers complete creative support for children’s books and related products.

What We Do . . .

• Book Design: Covers, jackets, interior layouts, and typography
• Creative Development: Concept sketches, storyboards, style and character development
• Art Direction, Developing artists, Illustration & Artworking
• Novelty & Format Design: Board books, novelty formats, gift and books+
• Product Design: Packaging, toys, plush, and sound chip concepts
• Production Support: Production specifications, checking proofs, dummy making
• Brand & Pitch Development
• Marketing & Promotional Design for websites and social media
From idea to finished product, we help bring children’s publishing and merchandise brands to life. ✨📚🐻

Collaborating with artists and illustrators is one of the most rewarding parts of the book design process for us. We love discovering new talent and helping illustrators develop their characters, style, and visual storytelling.
From initial research and visiting degree shows, to meeting with agents and working alongside artists in the studio, we enjoy building close creative partnerships with both emerging and established illustrators.
Supporting illustrators throughout the design process and helping them grow into successful published artists is something we’re truly passionate about.

From storyboarding to sketching cover concepts, designing picture books is what we love doing most. We particularly enjoy working closely with illustrators, supporting them throughout the creative process to shape a beautiful page-turning book filled with colourful illustrations and engaging text compositions.
We are happy to be involved at any stage of a project — from initial concept development and visual planning through to fully prepared, print-ready files.

We specialise in the design of a wide range of novelty book formats, including die-cut books, push pull and slide mechanical books, pop-ups, lift-the-flap, touch-and-feel, wipe-clean books, sound books, LED light books, cloth books, make-and-do, press-out models, craft formats, and more.
Every project begins with a strong idea, which is then developed into an engaging, interactive format designed to delight young readers.

Whether working with watercolour, acrylic, or digital art, we tidy scanned artwork, adjust colours, fix typography, and resolve inconsistencies. We can adapt and repackage existing art and designs for new formats and always on hand to add a touch of magic with our Apple / Wacom / Cintiq magic wands.

At Banana Bear Books, Anna brings stories to life through her illustration skills. She has drawn, painted, and now digitally created art for most of her life. With a degree in Illustration and training in fine arts, life drawing, painting, photography, and product design, Anna loves sketching, developing new characters, and imagining book ideas.
Her styles are varied, from traditional media to digital tools, though her favourite remains pencil and line work. Beyond creating her own illustrations, Anna also supports other illustrators throughout the book design process, helping them develop characters, styles, and layouts for children’s books.

At Banana Bear Books, we’ve designed a wide range of sound books, from push-button panels to hidden mechanisms activated by light or page turns. We’ve also sourced and composed melodies, and character sounds — from animal noises and funny effects to musical instruments — across a variety of book genres. We’ve even recorded original sounds for specific projects.

We have a strong understanding of pop-up and paper-engineered books, collaborated with top paper engineers and guide clients and artists through the design process. From file setup to production specs and printer tests, we help bring interactive books to life. Check the Novelty section of my portfolio for examples, including some we’ve designed myself.

We have extensive experience designing for Licensed Brands and Classic & Heritage publishing lists across a wide variety of book formats including ranging from preschool to picture books and more. We’ve also prepared book designs and promotional materials for numerous successful TV tie-in winning publishing pitches, including Twirlywoos & Bing.

We design a wide range of novelty and book-related product packaging, including gift boxes, tins, plush products, activity and craft kits, books+, tote bags, and more.
Our designs range from bespoke creations to style-guided licensed products, ensuring each item is visually engaging and perfectly suited to its audience.

We design activity books that engage and entertain children, including titles with puzzles, stickers, wipe-clean pens, colouring pages, and Books+ formats. Every activity book is crafted to be fun, interactive, and visually appealing, encouraging creativity and learning.

We design plush toys from initial market research and fabric sourcing to full toy specifications, including safety considerations and gift tag design. We have experience creating soft push toys for book gift packages and enjoy working closely with production teams to deliver safe, high-quality, and appealing toys.

From standard hardbacks and paperbacks to board books and a wide variety of novelty formats, we have extensive experience creating books of all types. We can design and produce dummies and new formats, perfect for selling, presenting at book fairs, or testing concepts.
If you have an idea, need inspiration, or have missed your repro dates, we can help bring your book concept to life with a professional dummy ready for presentation or production.