Carmilla

Graphic design & Illustration
Book Covers & More

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Scroll down for FAQ and Price List!

Fiction Book Covers

Non-Fic Book Covers

Logo Design

Branding & Marketing

Illustrations & Maps

Price List

Basic Cover Design

COVER DESIGN ILLUSTRATIONS

Branding

Cartography (Map Design)

Character Illustration

PACKAGE DEALS

About the Artist

About the Graphic Designer: Carmilla Mayes
Graphic Designer & IllustratorCarmilla Mayes has been a graphic designer since 2004, and has seven years of experience in book cover design, social media branding, and other branding experience. She works in many aspects of the design industry and has never been afraid of a challenge.She holds a BA in Graphic Design and Media Arts. In 2020, she placed among the finalists for a graphic design contest.EXPERIENCE
MEDIA GRAPHIC DESIGN
Strategic Results (2022 – Present)PowerPoint Design
Deck design
Layout & Photo Editing
BOOK COVER DESIGNER & ARTIST
Blue Pen Author Services (2021 – Present)Book cover design
Book cover art & illustration
GRAPHIC DESIGN & SOCIAL MEDIA BRANDING
365 Writing Challenge Community (2018 – Present)Branding & Book Cover design
Social Media Content writing & Image Design
Market Research
Media Kit Design and Content Writing
Website Assistance and Editing
BOOK COVER ARTIST
Cloaked Press, LLC & Other Small Publishing Houses (2017 – Present)Branding
Book Cover Design
GRAPHIC DESIGN & BRANDING DESIGNER
Fantasy & Coffee Design (2015 – Present)Customer service
Graphic design and Illustration
Logo Design
Book Cover design
Merch design
TATTOO ARTIST
RedBird Twisted Tattoo Studio (2009-2015)Customer service
Art design & procedural
Medical grade cleaning
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design
Southern New Hampshire University (2020 – 2022)
GPA: 3.96Bachelor of Arts in English & Creative Writing
Southern New Hampshire University (2016-2020)
GPA: 3.96Allied Healthcare Science Degree
Sanford Brown University (2013-2015)
GPA: 4.0Awards
Indie Book Trailer Award for “The Rite of Wands” by Mackenzie Flohr on Indie Book Trailers & MoreIndie Book Trailer Award for “A Shining Star” by R. Castro on Indie Book Trailers & More
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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions & Agreement Information
This FAQ is a part of all TERMS OF SERVICE between Client and Fantasy & Coffee Design.THESE ARE NOT NEGOTIABLE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, YOUR INVOICE WILL INFORM YOU TO READ THIS AND YOUR CONTRACT THAT IS NOW INCLUDED IN THE INVOICE. FAILURE TO DO SO AND BEING ANGRY WITH ME FOR NOT LIKING THE T&C WILL RESULT IN A BAN OF YOU EVER BEING ABLE TO COMMISSION ME AGAIN.AS OF JUNE 26th, 2021 ALL INVOICES WILL ALSO INCLUDE A 3-Page Agreement as part of Terms & Conditions.An Important note to all clients:
Clients/commissioners DO NOT have the right to mint/sell commissions for NFT.I do NOT work Saturday or Sunday.I’ve emailed you and you haven’t gotten back to me. Should I email again?This is a two part answer. If you have contacted me and I have not responded in 3 business days (Mon-Fri) and it is an initial contact, please email me again! I may not have your correct email, because typos happen!If you have sent me your design brief and I haven’t replied. More than likely, I have it, and I just have not gotten to your project yet because I have clients ahead of you. I will get back to you asap!Please feel free to email and check on your ETA whenever you like, I try to respond to all non-design brief emails within 3 business days.What’s your availability & how do you schedule clients?My availability depends on the month, contacting me to find out is the best way to know. I schedule four (4) clients a month, and to schedule with me I require a $50 non-refundable deposit for any orders surpassing $100usd. This cost will set your spot on my schedule. When your spot comes up if you have not paid 50% with the deposit, the rest of the 50% of the project cost must be paid before I start work. Once the first half is paid, we will begin the project, and the final 50% will be due upon completion. I only offer the 50% up front and 50% after completion with orders over $200usd. When you’re scheduled you go into my calendar like an appointment, and you will receive and email prior to the start time as a reminder if you have not paid the full first half (full cost if under $200) before I will begin. Contact me for clarification or questions. Please continue reading for more information.Do you offer refunds?No. The only way I am willing to offer any sort of refund is in the event that ZERO work has been performed on the project. If you’ve paid the deposit and cancel before paying the 1st half of payment, that is non-refundable (the deposit). If you paid the first half, or even the full, and we’re near completion, chances are I have already put 10-50 hours of work into your project. No refund will be awarded as such. If you’ve only paid the first half, and wish to cancel before completion, the final payment is due at 25%-75% depending on the time put into the project.It is important to acknowledge you are not just paying for a product, you are paying for my services, which include Admin work and Design work, as well as all the hours I put into research on marketing and needing assets to use.This is non-negotiable.What if our project goes over the time you expected?Sometimes this happens. If we’re in the revisions portion of your designs or illustrations, this can often go outside of the scope of work. I do my best to work with everyone on revisions – while I only offer 10 included revisions before you are required to pay for each further revision, if you’re being patient and kind with me, I am usually very chill about waving the extra charge.
What are your prices?My prices vary depending on project. I offer a lot of variation, including the following:* Hiring models and providing photography for your design/cover art. These things cost extra, especially if I need to provide an outfit. I include the price of hiring a model, costume, and whatever else I might need within the invoice – but only if you ask for it specifically, or we agree on it in discussion together.* Painting/hand drawing – these things take more time, and as such cost more, especially if I need to purchase anything extra specifically for the assignment. Of course, this is only after a full transparent conversation with you.* You want a lot of edits after you see the mock-up, or you want several mock ups to choose from. (Extra time/work is involved.)* Needing or wanting stock imagery from Shutterstock, Bigstockphoto, and similar pay-for stock sites.Are you available?I am available for work, however, you need to email me and schedule with me. This means if we talk and I say I have availability in December, you need to schedule with me then for December. At which point your project start date is December 1st. It does not mean your project will be done in that month. If you try to schedule with me in December instead, I probably will not have availability until a few months later. So please schedule in advance.Do you do any rush projects? (As in I need this much faster than the usual time scale for a project.)I am happy to rush a project, however, there is a rush charge of $70 per week faster you need this. Please consider your budget before doing this.Do you work with small publishers or indie presses as a freelance designer?I have, can, and am willing to do so. I have done work for JABberwocky Lit. Agency, Cloaked Press LLC, and Aurelia Leo. If you are a small publishing house, major publishing house, indie press, or even an e-zine or magazine publisher, please feel free to contact me.Do you offer 3D images like DAZ 3D?Not often; if someone else has made the image and I find it useful on a site like pixabay.com, possibly, but it won’t look like a 3D rendering when I’m finished. I don’t think old school gamer style covers are marketable in today’s industry. If that changes, I will update this.How long do you take to finish a project?Project time involves, how many clients I have before you, time to work on sketches, time to work on the project itself, time for us to work on any changes. On average the time per project is 3-5 months for one item, if you have multiple items or mock ups for a project, the time scale is 5-8 months. That being said I will provide a quoted time for project along with your invoice.How does payment work? How do I pay you?Every payment is made through PayPal.com as of this time. Often 50% of payments must be made in advance, under $200 the full price is due upfront. I send a PayPal invoice that will involve a terms & conditions that will outline that all communication between client and designer works as a binding verbal contract that can be held in a court of law after payment is rendered. I consider my sending the invoice and your paying it as good as signing a legal document, and so does PayPal. I also accept Venmo and CashApp.Any projects over the price of $200.00usd will be done in a split-payment method through PayPal invoice. You will pay half upfront and the rest upon completion of project before delivery of non-watermarked images can be sent.Why do I have to pay everything before you start a project? (for under $200usd.)Because you’re paying for more than a right to use my work for whatever you’re planning to use it for, you’re paying for my labor and my time. This upfront payment is a contract between us.Do you work on a sliding scale?Often for commonly marginalized individuals, or those in need, I have been known to work with your budget (within reason, I do have to pay bills as well, of course). Please Contact Me for more details.Do I own rights to the project after you’re finished?Once I have sent a non-watermarked, finished project to you, it’s yours. This is the best benefit of having upfront payment, it means once I send it, you can share it, use it, etc. without having to wait for the final payment for a sign off. You have full commercial use of the image. I only use commercial-free use images.Do keep in mind that I am not liable for any alterations you make to the cover or designs after I have relinquished these to you. I will not make any cover changes on a design I have done for you prior if alterations have been made by someone else. This is because I keep all the editable files on my external hard drive so that I can always have the work in a clean format for changes if necessary. If someone else makes changes, you are no longer sending me a workable image.I reserve the right to post the image/design as it was done by me in my portfolio, even if this is not the final image you choose to use or work with. As with any of my work, I am the rightful artist and designer of the piece and also reserve the right to the credit of my work. However, if major alterations are made to a piece I have done for you, I reserve the right to have my credit removed from the item and not associated with me.How do I credit you?For all credits please put, “Cover Art & Design by Carmilla Mayes”What happens if my cover has the same stock image as someone else?I aim to make sure that even if it is the same stock image, no one will ever notice. This has happened to me in the past, and I definitely won’t be doing it again.What if I want a specific style, can you emulate it?90% of the time, yes. I will be fully transparent with you if it is not something I am capable of doing.What are things you absolutely do NOT do?Dead animals, rape imagery, sexual acts (that are pornographic). (Note: zombie animals are fine, and kissing/necking for Erotica imagery is fine.)What if I saw you’re running a discounted price? Will you honor it even if I contact through email?Absolutely yes, also be sure to tell me who or how you found me!What if I’m your friend, do I get a discount?No. I only offer discounts when I have it posted on Social Media, for Military (who have proof), and only if we’ve discussed the discount at length for other reasons.What if I am unhappy with the mock-up you show me?Often if we cannot come to something you like within the edits, and you decide you want a fully new cover, we would open another invoice and start again. I highly recommend paying the little extra to get more than one mock-up to avoid this, and save you money.What do you need for a cover or image before you start?These are what I normally ask for on a cover design:* what you are interested in seeing.
* a book blurb/synopsis.
* page count, book dimensions (5×8 is industry standard for paperback in adult fiction, and 6×9 is industry standard for Young Adult fiction – but it’s your choice).
* colors you prefer.
* symbolism/imagery that fits your storyThese are things I will ask for other images:* what you’re trying to express.
* symbolism or imagery you envision.
* colors you prefer.Please keep in mind I will send you a design brief, and you will be able to fill out these questions in that document for me.Can I book you in advance for a design? Something I need in the future?Absolutely, yes. Please contact me for more info.What if I don’t have my page count yet?Perfectly fine, I will note that the page count isn’t ready, provide the eBook at finish, and as soon as you have a page count make the final adjustments for your print cover. Doesn’t matter when that is, I usually ask for 1-2 days grace to complete this.My publishing site (KDP, INGRAM, etc) sent me an email with an error in the cover, what do I do?Email me with their email attached (forward it), I will fix whatever it is as soon as I can get to the computer so you can get the revision set for review. I don’t want anyone missing a publication date!We have political or Ideological differences, will you still work with me?Yes, so long as your project doesn’t violate my “won’t do” or the law. This means no hate speech. But I retain the rights to decline service to anyone.I found a typo on my cover, what do I do?Email me, I will fix it immediately. (As soon as I can get to a computer.) But please be certain to proofread things before sending them to me, I usually just copy and paste information!Do you make fan art?I can, and do, yes.I’d prefer to speak with you on the phone or in person, can we do that?I do phone conversations when necessary, but they are not my preferred form of contact due to personal anxiety. Also, I can do in person if you live in my area and can come to me (a café nearby) or we can do Skype/Zoom calls if you’d like. But overall, e-mail is my preference.Do You Use Ai for images?Absolutely not.I have another question that isn’t on this list:
Please contact me