Charlotte Abrams Simpson is one of the Art Directors at the Orion publishing group. She left Wolverhampton and moved to London at 18 to pursue her passion for art and design – studying at Central St Martins and the University for Creative Arts Epsom.

Predominantly designing for the leading commercial titles for authors such as Anton Du Beke, Lorraine Kelly and Veronica Henry.

Her experience spans 18 years working in-house and freelance for UK major publishing houses including Harper Collins and Penguin Random House.

Charlotte was also nominated for Designer of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2023.

Charlotte's mission is to ensure the cover design industry continues to expand its diverse and talented pool of designers and to contribute to growing a community supporting underrepresented groups through mentorship schemes. She is a mentor for the Design Publishing Inclusivity initiative 2024 as well as her work curating The Change the Story Design Festival – supported by a collective of designers at Hachette.

Cover Meeting was hosted by Steve Leard and produced by James Ede of beheard.org.uk.

Craig Oldham has been named by his peers as one of the most influential designers working in the UK, and has written books on a range of topics, including education, visual culture, film, and politics. He runs his eponymous and pedagogic creative practice, Office Of Craig, in Manchester and he's also the creative director of Rough Trade Books.

Selected Books: Leeds Postcards (Four Corners Books) 2018. Oh Shit What Now?! (Laurence King) 2018. They Live: A Visual and Cultural Awakening (Rough Trade Books) 2019. The Shining: A Visual and Cultural Haunting (Rough Trade Books) 2022. In Loving Memory Of Work (Common Practices / Rough Trade Books) 2024 third edition.

Follow Craig on Instagram @officeofcraig.

Cover Meeting was hosted by Steve Leard and produced by James Ede of beheard.org.uk.

Sarah Wasley is the Production Director and Design Director of Granta Books.

Sarah began her career at The Women's Press in 1987 as a receptionist and sales assistant, before moving to Quartet Books in the early 90s. There, she worked as an assistant in production, rights, and publicity.

She later progressed to Production Manager, where she was based in the design studio, gaining invaluable insight into the cover design process—experience that helped her secure her current role at Granta Books, where she has been since 2000.

Sarah's role is a hybrid of Production Director and Design Director. She oversees all of Granta's cover design, working closely with a team of freelance graphic designers. She also manages the production and printing of both the Granta Books list and their renowned literary publication, Granta Magazine of New Writing.

Follow Sarah on Instagram @wasley.sarah.

Cover Meeting was hosted by Steve Leard and produced by James Ede of beheard.org.uk.