We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Natasha MacKenzie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Natasha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

There are a number of projects that have been very meaningful to me over the years since I started my career in Book Design. I’ve had the opportunity to design books for my favourite childhood superheroes, had my work featured in Entertainment Weekly and Spine Magazine, and I have illustrated covers for some truly amazing stories. It is hard to narrow it down to just one project in particular. But, if I had to choose, one project that stands out is the book covers I created for the Firefly novel series.

Like any true Browncoat, I was absolutely devastated when the TV series was cancelled. There was no word of warning, and this incredible SciFi Western – about a renegade crew surviving against all odds, travelling across the galaxy as they evade authority agents out to get them – was over. The show only had one season, but the community it sparked is different from any other fandom I know. Unlike the major SciFi franchises, one season (and a movie to wrap up the loose ends) was all we got. But the size of the fandom was massive, and is still massive with fans just as addicted to the show now, over 20 years later, than when it was first released. Even the cast of the show still talk about it fondly, and make many ‘Firefly’ appearances when they can. So, when the narrative continued in comics, fan fiction, and novels, it was a way to keep those characters that we all loved so much, alive, when we could no longer see them on screen.

One of my favourite things about being a Book Designer, one of the main reasons I became one, is getting paid to fall into other worlds. Spending my 9-5 reading someone’s story and being able to bring it to life on a cover. You can imagine how it must have felt when I was offered the opportunity to not only design the covers for this wonderful series, but to bring the characters I’d loved so much since I was a late teen, back to life. To be a part of the community that kept Firefly going after it was taken off the air. I was able to read these new adventures before they hit the shelves, and spend time creating the designs that would grace the covers. I designed 8 covers for the series, one special edition, and I have even been lucky enough to meet Summer Glau – who signed my special edition.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Originally, I’m of Scottish descent, I was born and raised on the Western prairies of Alberta Canada and I now live in Manchester, UK, where I design and illustrate book covers for publishing houses and authors across the globe.

Before opening Miss Nat Mack Studio, I studied Marketing and Communications, and Graphic Design and Illustration and after obtaining a degree in both fields I went on to complete my Masters in Publishing with the University of Arts in London, UK. From there, I worked for over 4 years in-house in the publishing industry, art directing and designing covers for a variety of books – in-universe, fantasy, horror, YA, up-and-comers, thriller, crime, comic revivals, art-of-film, and (many) more.

Just under two years ago (August 2021 to be exact), I started Miss Nat Mack Studio. My independent design studio has enabled me to work with several publishers and authors around the globe, designing book covers across multiple genres, but specialising in Fantasy & SciFi, Horror & Thriller novels. I take ownership of all the stages of the design process; from market research and trend forecasting, to asset acquisition and illustration, to final prep for print production. I manage and oversee all aspects of a book’s cover development. Having such an eclectic background and skillset – creating and implementing region-wide marketing campaigns, working with organisations to develop brand identity, and designing book covers across a range of genres – allows me to produce visually stunning designs that work for my clients, and everything is backed by both strategy and psychology.

Through the combination of my triple-threat skillset and more than 15 years’ combined experience in Design, Publishing and Marketing, authors and publishers across the globe have reached a wider audience, won numerous awards and achieved greater sales. My work has been featured in Entertainment Weekly, Spine Magazine and Screen Rant, and I have been lucky enough to work on some incredible projects for some truly amazing authors.

I could not imagine doing anything else, and because of that I genuinely put everything I can into my work. It combines all my passions, all my quirks, and creativity all into one. Each cover I work on leaves my studio with a little piece of me attached. I care about the stories I design for – without them I would not be able to do what it is I do – “Every great design, begins with an even better story.”

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Once upon a time, and in-between my Marketing & Communication and Graphic Design & Illustration degrees, I was a costume designer in Canada.

I was working for a theatre company in their guest services department because I was initially planning to pursue a career in marketing for theatre. While I was always an illustrator – forever drawing and painting at every opportunity – growing up in Alberta, Canada, there were not a lot of creative career opportunities at the time. Marketing was a path that allowed me to be creative, while still being a viable pursuit in my hometown.

One day, one of the producers came up to me to discuss my illustration skills. They were in desperate need of someone to illustrate the costume designs for an upcoming show, as the previous person had to drop out at the last minute. An incredibly long story short – I read the script, illustrated the designs, pitched them to the Director, and I was hired on the spot. I was immediately in-love with the job… until I wasn’t.

I really enjoyed costume design. There was an indescribable feeling of being able to bring a character to life from a page in a script. Determining what a character would look-like, what they would wear, and how they would wear things. Spending hours illustrating those details and then creating them in real life for an actor to wear on stage. To spend so many nights hunting for accessories, scouring fabric shops, and sewing last-minute additions just before curtain call. The only problem? When people say theatre becomes your life, they literally mean it becomes your life. I was working days in the sewing room, nights at the theatre, and reading scripts in-between. There was no time for anything else. Everything was for that job, and while I had such a passion for the theatre I wanted more from life than costume design. I wanted more experiences, more travel, time with other family and friends, and… spare time!

My cousin, Mackenzie Proudlove of BroBrick, was the one to push me to explore other areas of design and if it weren’t for him I probably wouldn’t be doing what it is that I do now. He suggested looking into a graphic design path – everything I loved about costume design but something that would allow me to focus on the other things I cared about. Another incredible long story short, and that’s exactly what I did.

I went back to school and completed my degree in Graphic Design & Illustration, later my Masters in Publishing, and now I still get to spend those hours falling into someone else’s world, designing a physical creation that brings a story to life – just in a different way.

Sometimes, you think you know exactly what you want to do with the rest of your life – what career is supposedly meant for you, the only viable option – when a random day, and a random conversation, pulls you in a completely different direction to what you were actually meant to do. But who knows, there are still plenty of days left for more random conversations.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

No more work for free.

This was one of the biggest things I had to learn when starting my design career, and one of the things I wish someone had told me when starting out. Design and illustration are valuable skills, and whether you are a fresh grad or a senior art director, you deserve to be paid what you are worth. Artists and creatives will be forever devaluing their own work if they continue to offer their services for free.

I think one of the hardest things for any creative, in any industry, is the lack of general understanding of their skill’s worth. Society’s general lack of understanding of what it is, what goes into it, and the overall outcome of what happens when it’s done right. I am lucky to have a great group of people in my life, my own personal cheer team who push me to go after everything I want from this career, but even they sometimes think that I sit at my desk and draw pretty pictures all day – which is actually only about 20% of what I do.

With not understanding the overall value, and with these products and services consistently being offered for free, or severely underrated by creative service providers, why would the average individual have any reason to pay more? – ‘Why should I pay you X amount when we can get it for free from someone else’? ‘We got this for only £5 from so-and-so. Why do you we need to pay you X for the same thing?’

However, I think the narrative is starting to shift thanks to platforms like TikTok and Instagram. You are able to naturally come across creatives discussing what it is they do, and the issues around what it is they do. The years of practice, the expense of the tools needed, the cost of education, the hours spent developing the other 80% of what goes into their product/service, and what the outcome actually is when it’s done right – you get what you pay for.

One of the best videos I saw recently was a designer explaining the difference in mindset when it comes to design vs. other industries. ‘You wouldn’t ask an architect to build three houses for you to choose from and then only pay for the one. You wouldn’t ask a mechanic to fix your car for free as it would be great exposure for the automotive shop. You wouldn’t ask a restaurant for a free meal to determine whether or not you like the food before you ate there.’ etc.

Society values designers and illustrators more now than when I was initially going to uni, but it’s a slow shift. One of the only ways all creatives will be more valued in society is if we all start valuing ourselves and our skills worth, first.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.missnatmack.com
• Instagram: @missnatmack
• Twitter: @missnatmack
• Other: Tik Tok: @missnatmack

Image Credits
The Woman & The Wolf Photography