Design, editorial layout and art direction
Book designer and editorial layout specialist with over 10 years of experience in children’s and young adult books, illustrated novels and cultural publications. Specialised in careful typesetting, visual consistency, and adapting content to different editorial formats. Accustomed to working under tight deadlines in coordination with editors, authors and illustrators.
SERVICES
Picture book design and layout
Visual construction of the book: narrative rhythm, text-image relationship, pagination and composition.
Cover design
Concept and design of covers for children’s and young adult books.
Special layouts
Design and layout of complex editorial projects such as activity books, non-fiction books or hybrid formats.
Collection design
Creation of the visual concept for a collection: graphic system, typography, hierarchy and consistency across titles.
Lettering design
Creation of custom titles and typographic elements for covers or interiors.
Editorial guidance
Suggestions and improvement proposals regarding rhythm, clarity and text structure.
Clients
What clients say
I have worked with Desi on several editorial design projects and it has always been a pleasure: she has excellent visual judgement, quickly understands what the text needs and translates it into a clear and attractive layout. She is organised, meets deadlines and delivers solutions with great taste. I would recommend her without hesitation.
I have worked with Desiree on the layout of several Éccomi books, as well as on editorial design and covers, and the experience has always been very positive. She is fast, efficient and highly intuitive and experienced, which makes working with her easy and enjoyable. She always brings good ideas and solutions, and is deeply invested in every project.
Working with Desiree Arancibia has been a key part of our digital development. She supported us with web design, brand building and corporate identity at Benestarum. She stands out for her creativity, speed and innovative approach — especially her ability to understand what you want to convey and make it happen in no time. She is very easy to work with, an excellent facilitator, and brings strong commitment to everything she does.
“Desiree is the person who has laid out and designed the cover of all my books. Knowing I could count on Desi by my side was like a haven of peace — the certainty that the work would always turn out perfectly.
Desi is one of the most intelligent, hardworking and generous people I know. Thanks to her I was able to build my website from scratch, guiding and supporting me every step of the way. She is constantly learning and growing, and combined with her extensive experience in the publishing world, she is a model professional.
Add to that her ability to explain every concept with clarity — which will make her course an essential resource for anyone who wants to step into the wonderful world of publishing. I can only wish her the very best in her new projects. I am certain she will shine once again.
Editorial Training
- 2026 — Creating and marketing non-fiction books — Plataforma Parix
- 2024–2025 — Editorial illustration course — Billar de letras
- 2024 — Creating and managing a publishing house or picture book collection — Plataforma Parix
- 2024 — Annual illustration course — Taller Fosforito
- 2023 — The Seed. Course on writing non-fiction books — Asociación Álbum
- 2022 — Open up, picture book! Course on writing picture books — Asociación Álbum
- 2021 — Story in a bottle — Benjamín Recacha · Atrapavientos
- 2021 — Creative writing course — Jorge Gonzalvo · Atrapavientos
- 2020 — The author knocks at the door — Arianna Squilloni · El sitio de las palabras
- 2017 — Editing children’s and young adult literature — Arianna Squilloni · Laboratorio de escritura
- 2016 — Picture book writing workshop — Arianna Squilloni · Thule
- 2014 — Picture book — Anna Llenas · Laboratorio de escritura
- 2012 — Growing as an illustrator — Miguel Tanco · Ra-ta-plan
University Education
- Graphic and Industrial Design · Universidad Católica de Chile (1997–2002)
- Postgraduate in Communication Strategies · Elisava, Barcelona
Ongoing training in editing, art direction, editorial marketing and digital tools.
Skills
- Design & layout: InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat
- Art direction & coordination: collection management, suppliers and authors
- Collaborative tools: Trello, Google Drive, Dropbox, Canva
- Languages: Spanish and Catalan (fluent) · English (Happy to work remotely via email)
- Writing & content: creation and adaptation of texts for editorial and non-fiction projects
- Web & digital: experience with Mailchimp and WordPress