Design Academy Admissions

If you are a designer with talent to showcase but think voices like yours are not seen…
If you’re a recent design graduate looking for opportunities within the creative industries….
If you’ve been designing for years but can’t get a foot in the door…
… the Design stream of the Academy may be the right place for you.

Our course offers crucial insights across a range of industry topics, including:
·      A greater understanding of the design, typographic and illustration opportunities in Adult and Children’s Publishing.
·      A greater knowledge of the commercial book design process.
·      A more diverse and inclusive pool of designers which HarperCollins can commission or perhaps employ.
·      A reputation for following words with actions and making HarperCollins a destination for new talent.

The Design Academy will be running it’s next course in the Autumn of 2023 and applications are now closed.

Your backstage pass

Our course offers crucial insights across a range of industry topics, including:

A greater understanding of the design, typographic and illustration opportunities in Adult and Children’s Publishing

A greater knowledge of the commercial book design process.

A more diverse and inclusive pool of designers which HarperCollins can commission or perhaps employ.

A reputation for following words with actions and making HarperCollins a destination for new talent.

Before you apply

When you complete the course, you’ll be awarded the HarperCollins Academy Certificate. You’ll also be invited to join the Academy’s Alumni Network and connect with fellow students and industry contacts.

Please do read our enrolment criteria. Motivated designers can apply for one of the Academy’s limited 10 places into two live teaching streams as shown below:

Five places in the Design for Adult Publishing course which runs every Monday 12.00-14.00.

Five places in the Design for Children’s Publishing course which runs every Monday 14.00-16.00

So don’t miss out!

Please only apply for one course. Applicants will be selected based on samples of their work, assessed by a panel of HarperCollins experts. The course is free of charge, all students need is access to Photoshop and Indesign or Affinity and must be comfortable working with these programmes.

Successful applicants will be confirmed nearer the date.

Please note that in order to apply for the HarperCollins Design Academy you will be taken to a blind recruitment system to complete an application. Some of the wording will refer to CV’s and ‘hiring’, please ignore these references as they do not apply to the Academy.

Applications are now closed

Enrolment Criteria

The HarperCollins Design Academy is running two separate courses for:

Design for Adult Publishing

Design for Children’s Publishing

You may only apply to enrol in one course however successful applicants will still be able to access materials from other courses.

Applicants for enrolment in the HarperCollins Design Academy must:

Be resident in the UK or Ireland;

Be 18 years old or over at the date of course commencement;

Be from a Black, Asian or a Minority Ethnic background;

Have access to the internet and a computer / laptop which is in in good working order;

Have access to Photoshop and Indesign or Affinity and must be comfortable working with these programmes.

Make their applications in the English language;

Not be represented by a literary agent at the date of course commencement

If you do not meet these criteria your application will not be progressed further. You may only apply for yourself and not on behalf of another person.

There is no charge for enrolling or participating in the HarperCollins Design Academy but successful applicants will need to cover their own costs and expenses.

By applying to enroll on the HarperCollins Design Academy you are agreeing to accept these terms and conditions. Any breach of these terms and conditions by you will mean that your application will not be valid.

Selection

Each course on the HarperCollins Design Academy can accommodate up to 5 students.

HarperCollins will select the successful students in its sole discretion and HarperCollins’ decision as to who to invite to enrol shall be final.

Successful applicants will be notified nearer the date and will be given more detailed course terms to review and agree.

The Course

Modules

The HarperCollins Author Academy courses will commence on the week of 25th September and continue for a period of six weeks (the “Term”).

The course will comprise various training sessions, including pre-recorded videos and inter-active webinars, and coursework.

There will be live webinars facilitated by HarperCollins Design Academy tutors in specialist fields lasting approximately two hours in each week of the course. The live webinars could take place during the working day, or evening. Students must attend the live webinars and it is up to the individual student to plan accordingly. We firmly believe that the more students put in the more they will get out of the course and active participation in the live webinars is encouraged.

All other modules and work must be completed in the student’s own time during the Term.

The live webinars will be recorded for students to re-watch and for the HarperCollins Design Academy facilitators to monitor progress and students will be expected to give consent for their contributions to be recorded for this purpose.

Students will retain copyright in any material that they create during their course or submit before, during or after it.

Mentor

During the Term of the course each student will be provided a HarperCollins mentor from one of our Design teams. Mentors will be available for an hour each week, in working hours, for the duration of the 6 week course. Mentors will help guide the student through the publishing process and be a sounding board for work they develop during the Term.

Graduation

At the end of the course, and once a student has completed all masterclasses and assigned modules, students will receive a HarperCollins Academy Certificate and be eligible join the HarperCollins Author Academy’s alumni network. Additionally, during the 6-week programme and for a period of 12-months after it you may organise a portfolio review directly with HarperCollins. HarperCollins is not obliged to offer you work, equally if HarperCollins makes an offer for you to work with them, you are not obliged to accept that offer.

Additionally for 12 months after the end of the course Students will be able to access the course materials, recorded Live Webinars and other videos.

At the end of the autumn course students will receive a HarperCollins Design Academy Certificate. Each student can also join the Academy’s Alumni Network. The Network is a community for underrepresented authors and designers to continue the conversation, create critique circles, and meet industry professionals after completing the course.