Gray to cover for Bravery as Penguin General acting art director

Penguin General has appointed Jon Gray as acting art director while Richard Bravery goes on parental leave.

Gray will join in June and oversee the design of the Viking, Hamish Hamilton, Fig Tree, Sandycove, Penguin Life and Business imprints.

He has worked as a freelance designer under the moniker “gray318” for more than 20 years, designing covers for writers including Zadie Smith, Sally Rooney, Salman Rushdie and William Gibson. Prior to working as a freelance designer, he worked in-house at Little, Brown and Random House.

Gray said: “I’m incredibly excited by the opportunity to join the team that Richard has built at Penguin. To get to work alongside a hugely talented team across this calibre of titles is any book designer’s dream. I’m grateful to Richard and Tom Weldon for the trust they’re showing in me, and I can’t wait to get started.”

Bravery, art director, added: “Jon’s reputation proceeds him, he is an exceptional designer working at the highest level and we are all hugely excited to be working with him. He is a perfect fit for the Penguin General list and is already a big part of the publishing culture here having created memorable designs for some of our leading authors.”