: Avoid text error in a huge book My question is extremely weird, so please don't down vote before read it all. I'm a programmer enthusiastic and a graphic/web designer. 6 months ago, I came

@Eichhorn212

Ideally, there should be at least three steps done by different people -- editing, design, proofreading (or super-ideally, editing, proofreading, design, proofreading). These roles were a lot more fixed before computers. Now, technology makes it physically possible to fudge them without immediate negative consequences; not everyone is educated to the importance (and specialized skills) of each role; a lot of us are at least partially cross-trained; and even more of us think we are cross-trained. So scope creep can be a big issue. A good editor or proofreader is usually happy if a designer happens to notice a mistake that got through, but in a healthy and professional business arrangement, it shouldn't be your responsibility. That said, it's kind of an anything-goes world out there, and while it's good to protect ourselves and the quality of the process, sometimes you have to do stuff that's not ideal. Your best protection is spelling out expectations before a job starts, and then remembering to keep a smile on when you say "no" to inappropriate requests, and in a worst-case scenario, just getting through it and continuing to look for better clients.

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@Speyer780

I am a designer and a proofreader. I've encountered this situation more than once.

No, you are not expected to proof what you are laying out unless you explicitly state so in your contract. And if you do agree to proofreading, then you dang well charge for it.

Your time is not free. Your expertise is not free. If you are being paid to design, then it's the client's responsibility to find and fix any mistakes. Conversely, if you are being paid to proofread, it's the client's job to find someone to design the piece and make the typography work. The proofreader doesn't mark widows; the designer doesn't mark typos.

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@Jessie844

Should I be expected as a graphic designer to proof read an entire
book?


As long as your job is specifically as designer: most certainly not! Stay clear.

There is a large field devoted specifically for that. Proofreading is a highly skilled task, and as is the case with graphic design, not everyone can do it and do it well.

You should not do it. Or if you do, and are actually good at it, you must charge for it. The going rates might be higher or lower what you earn as a designer, so make it perfectly clear that these are two extremely specialised tasks.

As we prefer people to understand that graphic designers are people that have skills, that we are not time wasters that just likes to fiddle in illustrator: also respect other peoples fields.

Not everyone can be a good designer, not everyone can be a good proofreader.

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