about — Dotted Line Design

After working as an in-house book designer for a major publisher, I said goodbye to my cubicle to work independently and never looked back. Over the past 23 years, I’ve been involved in every aspect of book, magazine and catalog design; from concept to design and layout, as well as photography direction and styling. My clients range from publishing houses and international companies to small businesses and design studios. I work remotely from my home on the Jersey Shore, but can easily commute to New York or Philly when needed.

Contact
tara@dottedline.net

“I am going to
make everything
around me
beautiful–that
will be my life.”
-ELSIE DE WOLFE

Services

Cover + interior design and layout from concept to completion. From simple 1-color non-fiction to complex 4-color cookbooks and illustrated journals.
Front of book, back of book and feature well design, as well as layout and production management of entire publications
Logos, branded letterhead and business cards, brochures, postcards, flyers. Printer-ready files or printer management to ensure quality and satisfaction.
Photography production, art direction + management of shoots of all sizes. Cookbook, magazine, catalog and e-commerce. Specializing in food and products.
Clean + modern photo styling specializing in food photography; including product/food shopping and light food styling for photo lists small and large.

“Tara is an outstanding design professional. At Reader’s Digest, I’ve had the pleasure of working with her for over 10 years on both covers and page layouts. She translates ideas into creative and beautiful visuals. She always hits her deadlines and never disappoints.”

GEORGE McKEON
Art Director

“Tara has the rare ability of being able to provide exactly what the client desires without asking. Her combination of technical skill and impeccable intuition make her one of the best. If all photo directors were as skilled and dedicated as her, best-sellers would grow on trees.”

MATT GOULDING
James Beard Award-Winning Author

“Tara works creatively and quickly with great insight into not only what we want, but also what we need. She takes technical information and transforms it into material that is clear and engaging for our clients; solving problems we thought were impossible.”