Meet the creative director behind Erelis Design

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Where meaningful books find their form

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Like many creative paths, mine began with a love of drawing and an early fascination with books. What started as childhood sketching gradually became something much deeper: a professional life built around helping authors turn important manuscripts into books that are visually strong, carefully made, and true to the substance of the work.

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I am Nada Orlic, founder and creative director of Erelis Design, a studio specializing in custom book design and development.

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My background is in book design, illustration, and the traditional art and craft of making books. I studied at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade, where I completed the pre-Bologna five-year program in Book Design and Illustration, followed by postgraduate magisterium studies. My training included drawing, illustration, typography, printmaking, book design and binding, giving me an understanding of the book as both a visual idea and a physical object.

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That education also shaped the way I approach a manuscript. For me, designing a book has always meant entering the world of the text, understanding what is important in it, and finding a visual form that belongs to that particular book. The cover is not an isolated image. It grows from the subject, the author, the audience, and the character of the work itself.

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I began working professionally in graphic design in 2005. From around 2011, my work with independent authors grew substantially as international freelance platforms made it possible to work directly with clients around the world. Over the years, I have created thousands of covers and worked with books across a wide range of subjects, from business and professional expertise to memoir, history, personal development, fiction, and deeply personal family projects.

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Those years of direct collaboration have added another kind of education. Every author approaches a book differently. Some arrive with a very developed visual idea, while others know what they want the book to communicate but need help finding its visual direction. Working through those differences over hundreds of projects has taught me how to listen closely, recognize what matters in a manuscript, separate useful ideas from distracting ones, and guide a project toward a result that feels appropriate to both the book and the person behind it.

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Today, my role often goes beyond the cover alone. I help guide books from manuscript to finished edition through design, interior formatting, editorial coordination, and publishing guidance, bringing the different parts of the project together into a coherent whole. Some books need more than strong visual design. They need structure, consistency, experienced judgment, and someone who can see how the individual decisions affect the finished book.

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I work especially well with authors creating legacy books, expert-led books, memoirs, and select private editions. Many of my clients are founders, professionals, memoir authors, and individuals who have reached a point where they want to shape their ideas, experience, or personal history into a finished book they can feel proud of. In these projects, I look at the book as a whole, from its visual identity and physical format to the way it will be experienced by the reader.

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My approach is collaborative, thoughtful, and selective. I take time to understand the manuscript, the audience it is meant to reach, and the role the book is meant to play in the author’s life or work. Whether the project is a business book, a memoir, a family history, or a carefully developed private edition, I aim to create a finished result that reflects the quality of the material and the individuality of the person behind it.

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Alongside cover design, I offer or coordinate the core elements needed to bring a book together well:

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✓ custom cover design for print, digital, and audiobook formats
✓ interior design and formatting
✓ editorial coordination through trusted professional collaborators
✓ publishing guidance and production support
✓ selected author branding, website, and promotional materials where needed

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Over the years, I have built relationships with trusted editors, formatters, and other specialists whose work aligns with my own standards. When a project calls for additional support, I bring in the right people carefully, so the different stages of the book remain consistent and professionally handled.

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Every collaboration begins with a close look at the manuscript, the goals behind it, and the kind of book it needs to become. I believe in honest communication, realistic timelines, and thoughtful work that does not feel rushed or generic. That philosophy is at the heart of Erelis Design and of the studio experience I want each author to have here.

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When I step away from client work, I return to pen and ink drawing, photography, books, and time in nature. Those interests continue to shape the way I see detail, atmosphere, structure, and visual meaning, and they remain closely connected to the work I do.

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I would be glad to learn more about your manuscript and discuss how a tailored, design-led approach could support your project.