Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Spada.
Hi Maria, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m Maria Spada, a book cover designer and artist based in Cebu, Philippines. I’ve been designing book covers professionally for more than a decade now, and over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to create more than a thousand covers for authors and publishers around the world.
Creativity has always been a huge part of who I am. I knew from a young age that I wanted to pursue a creative path, even though my late father wasn’t always enthusiastic about the idea of me choosing an artistic career. When I was fifteen, I discovered Photoshop in 2005, and something just clicked. I became fascinated with the possibilities of creating images and worlds digitally, and I honestly never stopped using it.
I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, majoring in Advertising, from the Philippine Women’s University.
While I also work in graphic design, digital art, and traditional art, book cover design became the space where I felt I could bring together everything I loved—art, storytelling, typography, and visual world-building.
In 2016, I landed a job with a publishing company, where I gained invaluable experience working directly with authors and learning more about the publishing industry. That experience helped shape me not only as a designer, but also in understanding how important a book cover is to an author and the story they’ve spent so much time creating.
In 2019, I decided to take a leap and start freelancing independently. It was terrifying at first. There was a lot of uncertainty, and I didn’t know where it would lead, but I kept working, learning, experimenting, and creating. Slowly, my work began reaching more authors and gaining recognition.
Looking back now, I think my journey has really been built on persistence. I started as a kid who simply loved creating things and then became a teen who just played around with Photoshop, and somehow that curiosity grew into a career that has allowed me to work with stories and authors from all over the world. More than ten years and a thousand covers later, I still feel incredibly grateful that I get to do something I genuinely love for a living.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When I was starting out, I was essentially trying to convince authors to take a chance on me. Looking back, I sometimes joke that I practically begged people to hire me. I started small, took whatever opportunities I could find, and slowly built my portfolio one project at a time. There were definitely moments of rejection and uncertainty, especially when I was still trying to establish myself and wondering whether I could actually turn something I loved into a sustainable career.
One of the biggest challenges of being a designer is that the creative industry never really stands still. Design trends change constantly, technology evolves, new tools emerge, and what audiences respond to visually can shift surprisingly quickly. You can’t simply learn something once and assume you’ll be able to rely on it for the rest of your career. There’s always something new to explore, whether it’s a different style, a new approach to typography, changing market trends, or even entirely new technology that changes the way creatives work.
And honestly, as I get older, I sometimes feel the pressure of that even more. There are moments when I look at what younger designers are creating or see new trends emerging and wonder if I’m falling behind. I think that insecurity is something many creatives quietly experience. But I’ve learned that feeling challenged doesn’t necessarily mean you’re becoming irrelevant—it can also be a reminder to stay curious.
There have been periods of uncertainty, rejection, self-doubt, and moments where I questioned whether I was good enough or keeping up. But I think those struggles have also kept me humble and hungry to keep learning. Even after more than ten years in this industry, I still feel like I’m learning—and I hope I never reach a point where I feel like I know everything.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a book cover designer and visual artist, and my work primarily focuses on creating covers that help bring an author’s story and world to life visually. Over the past decade, I’ve worked on more than a thousand book covers across a wide range of genres and for authors from different parts of the world.
While I specialize in fantasy, young adult, and paranormal fiction—which are genres I personally love and naturally gravitate toward—I’ve never wanted to limit myself to just one genre or visual style. I’ve worked on romance, thriller, horror, science fiction, historical fiction, nonfiction, and many others. I enjoy the challenge of moving between completely different worlds and figuring out what makes each story visually unique.
I think my versatility is probably what I’m most proud of as a designer. I don’t believe in having one signature style that I apply to every project. Instead, I try to let the story dictate the design. A dark fantasy novel should feel completely different from a contemporary romance, and a young adult adventure should speak to a different audience than a psychological thriller. I enjoy researching genres, understanding their markets, and finding the right balance between creating something visually striking and making sure the cover communicates what readers can expect from the book.
What sets me apart, I think, is a combination of versatility and genuine enthusiasm for the work. Even after creating more than a thousand covers, I still get excited when an author sends me a manuscript summary and I get to imagine what its world might look like visually. Every project is different, and I still love the process of taking a story that exists only in someone’s imagination and helping give it a visual identity.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is patience. I don’t believe that everything happens instantly, especially in a creative career. Building a portfolio, developing your own style, gaining the trust of clients, and having your work recognized all take time.
When I first started, I naturally wanted things to happen faster. But looking back, I realize that the years of quietly doing the work—one project, one cover, one client at a time—were what ultimately shaped me into the designer I am today. Recognition didn’t happen overnight, and I don’t think success always has to come from some dramatic breakthrough. Sometimes, you simply keep showing up and getting better until you look back and realize how far you’ve come.
I’ve learned to trust that process. Not everything needs to be immediate, and not every struggle needs to be visible. Sometimes growth happens quietly, and I think there’s something very valuable about that.
Pricing:
- 300
- 280
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mariaspada.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/marispada.design
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariaspada.design/
