RECENT ADDITIONS
Please accept my sincere thanks and I am happy to announce to others how pleased I am to work with you.
What an absolute joy to work with this talented couple. Dan and Darlene Swanson’s expertise knows no bounds. Working with them over ZOOM, on the phone, and via e-mail, I got to know their dedication to their work, and they got a feel for me and my book and what I wanted to convey. I’m so proud of the result.
I had an idea for a book cover, which Dan expertly entertained, but the picture I wanted to use didn’t excite me as much as I thought it would. I then let Dan loose to work his magic. I should have given him free rein from the start. I gasped when he revealed it to me.
Darlene designed my book interior beautifully, incorporating pictures and artwork to personalize it in a way I never imagined. I requested a canoe paddle icon between sections, so she asked me for a picture of a paddle for reference. I sent her a picture of my paddle, and that’s what is there – not just an icon but MY very own paddle. Incredible.
Dan and Darlene are personable, patient, gifted craftspeople. They won’t let you go until you are completely thrilled.
—Nancy DeWitte Condon, author, Paddle For Water
Darlene and Dan were fantastic! As a first-timer, I needed a lot of guidance on publishing a memoir. Darlene listened to my overall wishes, and then she provided me with various options. She was kind and patient and explained each step along the way. Dan took my very basic ideas for the cover and made it into exactly what I had imagined. Both of them were highly attentive to my needs, and they turned my project into something beautiful. I highly recommend their services!
—Valerie Ward, author, The Windng Path to Me
I did a lot of shopping around before going with Darlene's & Dan’s services. I wanted to hire someone(s) who took interest in me and my book. I certainly found them to be bright (because they liked my book) and friendly. They went above and beyond their call of duty and really helped me fine tune my project.
—Stephen Cole, author Full Crazy Town
If you’re looking for someone to format a self-published book or make a book cover, I highly recommend Van-garde Imagery, Inc. I’ve worked with Darlene and Daniel for years, and they have both been an immense help to me. I have no idea how Darlene takes a Word doc and formats it into a book, but somehow, she works her magic. Daniel designed the cover for my new book, A Rat Catcher Sojourns to the Playful Heart of a Child, and I just love it. I can’t wait to work on my next book and have Van-garde guide me through the process!
—Michael A. Nolan, author A Rat Catcher Sojourns to the Playful Heart of a Child
As a first-time author, I found working with Dan & Darlene to be a great experience. They guided me through the process, helped me make choices, and were willing to answer my questions. I certainly will use them on my next project and can recommend them to other authors.
—Richard A. Sanchez, author Judah Benjamin
Though Larry Jon Davis' art for this book was very beautiful, there was a bit of a challenge for us to fit it on the cover—no fault of Larry's. His single illustration needed to span front and back covers, with parts of the hoop showing on each. However, the four boys on the left were positioned too far to the right in the original. The boy in the yellow shirt stood directly under the hoop, and would have wrapped around the spine. The random texture of the court surface presented a bit of a challenge to fill in the blank spots where the boys once stood. But Adobe Systems came to the rescue with a new feature of Photoshop called "AI [for Artificial Intelliigence] generative fill", which was able to automatically generate the randomness of the court surface to fill the gaps seamlessly and quickly.
Darlene and Daniel Swanson walk you through each step of this process. They pay attention to every detail to make sure your book ‘shines.’ This was a walk in the park compared to my previous experience. I highly recommend them—their expertise, their experience, their suggestions, and their grace and patience. The finished product made me say aloud – “I LOVE IT!”
—Carol Graham, author, Pray the Answer, Not the Problem
