Open for freelance

Sara Loos RGD

She/Her

• Art Direction
• Book Design
• Creative Direction

Contact Website

Truth Be Told - Cover Design

Sara Loos RGD

Toronto-based designer who specializes in book design and print materials with almost 10 years of experience in the publishing and nonprofit industries. Sara completed a Master’s of Book Design at the University of Reading in 2015 and began her career at House of Anansi Press as a Design Assistant working on both the adult and children's books. She then took a position as a book cover designer at Simon and Schuster Canada. In 2021, she moved to the nonprofit industry and began her work with YWCA Toronto, using her design to serve and support the women, girls and gender diverse people of Toronto. Her freelance work has offered her the opportunity to work with independent publishers and small businesses across Canada. She joined the RGD community first as an Associate RGD member and then a Certified RGD member in 2022. Her work has been recognized by the RGD community, winning an Award of Merit in the 2021 In-House Design Awards.

Toronto, ON

Member since February 28, 2022

Senior Design and Production Coordinator @ YWCA Toronto

Skills

• Art Direction
• Book Design
• Creative Direction
• Photography
• Print
• Production
• Typography
• UI

• Work
• Contributions

Truth Be Told - Cover Design

Truth Be Told - Cover Design

We wanted to create a type only cover that would appeal to a young, feminist audience yet still look distinguished. We decided on a black, cream and red colour palette that would evoke patriotism. A strong, bold serif font allowed the title and author name to pop and red accents helped create dimension to the design.

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Ciné Roman - Student Project

Ciné Roman - Student Project

This project was completed as part of the MA in Book Design at the University of Reading and we were tasked with taking a film and turning it into a book. I chose Melancholia, by Lars Von Trier, taking inspiration from Von Trier’s contribution to Dogme 95, and created five books each with their own set of design constraints.

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Power Politics - Layout Design and Typesetting

Power Politics - Layout Design and Typesetting

This was an A List series reissue of Margaret Atwood’s Power Politics. The A List is a series design, reintroducing some of House of Anansi’s classic books. The challenge of this project was to maintain the integrity of the original text design, while updating it to fit as part of a series design.

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I'm an RGD Member because...

“of the amazing work they are doing to support the design community. They fight to ensure that design standards are upheld and push back against organizations that are attempting to exploit designers' work. I feel good knowing I'm supporting an organization that is also supporting me.”

Toronto Mayoral Election - Social Media Campaign Design

Toronto Mayoral Election - Social Media Campaign Design

We designed a campaign to ask for the mayoral candidates investment to address the many issues facing our citizens. We also decided that each point in our campaign would have a person accompanying it to really humanize the campaign.

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Federal Election - Social Media Campaign Design

Federal Election - Social Media Campaign Design

My first major project at YWCA Toronto was to create social media assets and an overall branded look for a campaign we were running to bring attention to ending the she-cession in Ontario. With the help of my manager, we landed on this final look for our social media campaign.

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Window Decals - Large Scale Design

Window Decals - Large Scale Design

We were asked to create some window decals to celebrate Indigenous History Month and Pride Month. I worked with my manager to create the digital versions of her sketches and managed production and installation of the decals. You can see them in the windows of YWCA Toronto’s Elm Street location.

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The best part about the RGD is...

“the sense of community it creates for designers. Often, designers work alone either as freelancers or a sole in-house designer. The RGD offers a way for us to come together, learn from each other and really shine a light on the amazing work the community is doing.”

Street Banner Design - Large Scale Design

Street Banner Design - Large Scale Design

Each year YWCA Toronto updates their street banners outside their head office. This past year I was asked to reimagine the design. Our goal was to demonstrate our commitment to advocacy work, affordable housing, training programs and the safe spaces we offer to our community.

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The Deerholme Foraging Cookbook - Book Design

The Deerholme Foraging Cookbook - Book Design

I was asked to redesign a cookbook called The Deerholme Foraging Cookbook. I have always wanted to design a cookbook so this was a very exciting project. We wanted the design to be fresh, minimalistic and include some nods to nature since it is about foraging for your ingredients.

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Deep Underwater - Layout Design & Art Direction

Deep Underwater - Layout Design & Art Direction

I took on the role of Art Director to create this beautiful book about a young girl who goes on an under water adventure and explores the secrets of the sea. I was tasked with sending art notes, creating a PDF layout for roughs and helping the illustrator create the layered and dynamic illustrations for this beautifully nuanced book.

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The best advice I've ever received is...

“rejection is redirection. Often times we can't see it in the moment but there was a reason we didn't get the job or sign the new client. It led us to something else, often better than what we could have imagined.”

The Breadwinner - Graphic Novel Layout

The Breadwinner - Graphic Novel Layout

Inspired by traditional graphic novels, I created this layout using stills from the Oscar nominated film The Breadwinner. The goal was to create a layout that would match the pace of the film, translating the story from screen to page. Cover design by Michael Soloman.

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Last One Alive - Cover Design

Last One Alive - Cover Design

For Amber Cowie’s thriller Last One Alive, we chose to go with an ominous water scene for the cover that gave traditional thriller feels.

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The Hunted - Cover Design

The Hunted - Cover Design

Roz Nay’s upcoming thriller The Hunted needed a cover that had a beachy, tropical look that really emphasized the uneasiness and ominous feel of an ecotourism thriller.

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