Meet Jess Lagreca | Book Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jess Lagreca and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jess, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
This is probably a typical trajectory, but at the start of my career, I was ALL about the hustle. I was willing to compromise just about everything in order to work, work, work—my overall health, the quality of my relationships, and the recreational activities that brought me joy. It was impossible for me to say “no” to opportunities, and I often low-balled my prices in order to prioritize an abundant workload. In truth, I don’t regret that stage of my career because I believe it led me to exactly where I am today. Though, I am extremely grateful to have a healthier work life balance now! Today, I recognize that I will perform optimally if and only if my personal life is in check. I have learned that prioritizing a healthy diet, sleep, and workout regimen; deepening the quality of my relationships with my husband, family, and friends; and making time for travel, hiking, and reading all fuel my passion in my work. I firmly believe that there is nothing more important than work life balance.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My journey to becoming a book designer was not an easy one, as the book publishing industry can be extremely competitive. My background is actually in fine art—I began taking drawing classes when I was five years old, and I graduated from Penn State with a BFA in oil painting. I wasn’t quite sure how my love for creating would translate into a career, so I figured a good next step would be to learn how to do so commercially. The month after I graduated from Penn State, I moved to Savannah, Georgia where I eventually earned my MFA in Illustration at SCAD. During that time, I fell in love with the interaction between type and image on products. When I wasn’t studying, I spent my free time reaching out to professional creatives of all sorts—creative directors, graphic designers, illustrators, etc.—to introduce myself, pick their brains, and hope that an interaction became the stepping stone of my career. One of the countless emails I sent was a “right place at the right time” situation, for he was a Creative Director at Penguin Random House, happened to appreciate illustration and liked my student body of work, and just happened to need an intern that following summer. From Day 1 of the internship, I felt excited and inspired, and I immediately developed a hunger to become an established book designer. When the internship ended, the job hunt in NYC was brutal. It took 8 months of me applying, interviewing, and getting my heart broken over rejections until I finally landed my first role at Simon & Schuster. I am very grateful to have had both experiences at PRH and S&S, though both were in children’s books, and my desire was in adult trade. I learned that making the jump from children’s to adult’s within the Big 5 was very, very difficult. Again, I found myself heartbroken over being the runner-up to quite a few trade Jr. Designer positions at other houses due to my experience in children’s. I ended up working at S&S children’s for almost 3 years when the pandemic hit, and I was ready for a big change and to leave the gloom of NYC during COVID-19. I found myself searching for “book designer” positions with no location specified on Indeed, simply curious to see what would arise. When I saw a small publishing company in Montana was hiring, I decided to go for it. I accepted the position and moved to Helena right when the pandemic was at its worst out East. I was thrilled for the opportunity to build my portfolio with adult trade book designs, and I fell in love with the Western lifestyle and seeing mountain views every day. I ended up working and living in Montana for a year. I had always freelanced on the side, and during my year in Helena, my side hustle got busier. I remember waking up at 3 am, working on freelance for a few hours, going to the gym or for a run, working my 8 hour day at the publishing company, then coming home and freelancing until about 8 pm. Of course, this schedule wasn’t sustainable, and when my freelancing was becoming more fruitful, I decided to take a leap of faith and freelance full time. This enabled me to work from home full time (which was always something I fantasized about, long before the pandemic allowed it to be a reality for so many), move to Colorado (where I met Nick, my husband), and have a healthier work life balance. I freelanced full time for about 2 years until one of my then-clients, Mayfly, offered me a full time position, where I am still employed today. The biggest lesson I learned over the years is that a lot of hustle and a little bit of luck can go a long way. Always put yourself out there, and remember that “rejection is redirection!”

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love visiting RiNo! Going for a climb at the Movement gym and then grabbing a beer next door at Improper City is always a fun thing to do with friends. My favorite food spots in Denver are Tavernetta, La Loma, Call Your Mother, and Bonnie Brae. It isn’t technically Denver, but when I have friends or family visiting, I always take them to my favorite brewery, New Terrain in Golden.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost, I am grateful to my parents—Tom and JoAnne. They recognized my love for creating art immediately, and enrolled me in drawing and painting classes when I was just 5 years old. I had a phenomenal art education in my lifetime because of their unwavering support. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Thank you to my husband, Nick, who is the most supportive partner I could have asked for. Even though he is a healthcare worker with a background in science, he makes a dang good design assistant when I need an extra set of eyes to review a cover!

I am grateful to all of the talented art educators I’ve learned from over the years: Barbara Yeterian, whom I saw just about weekly from ages 5–18; my BFA professors at Penn State, including but not limited to Bob Yarber, Brian Alfred, and John Bowman; my MFA professors at the Savannah College of Art and Design, including but not limited to Mohamad Danawi, Megan Berkheiser, and Ryan Sanchez; my Continuing Education professor at the School of Visual Arts, Adam Greiss, who still inspires me today with his wealth of graphic design knowledge; and to all of my talented peers who allowed me to feed off of their creative energy over the years.

I am grateful to my current employers at Mayfly book design—Ryan and Julie Scheife—for fostering such an inspiring and healthy work environment. It is hard to come by folks who are both brilliant at their crafts and exceptional leaders. I can confidently say that I have my dream job, and I will never forget how massive of a blessing that is in today’s climate.

Thank you immensely to the numerous authors who have trusted me with the task of designing their covers, interiors, and ebooks. Nothing brings me more joy than when an author expresses their gratitude after our work together is complete. It fills my heart to know that my work has meaning.

Most of all, I am grateful for the unpredictable trajectory that led me here. With my innate love for creating, I never really knew how that would translate into a career, but I knew it simply MUST. I happened to stumble upon a book design internship at Penguin Random House when I was completing my MFA degree at SCAD, and I immediately knew that designing book covers was my calling.

Website: http://jesslagreca.com

Instagram: jess_lagreca

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-lagreca-a9b18895

Image Credits
Headshot photo by Matt Jones