I think that cooking is a very personal thing. As we grow and move along in life, our dietary habits evolve with us. From mashed peas to popsicles to instant ramen to steak to prunes, food tells a story. I started cooking regularly in college, experimenting with new recipes that either reminded me of home, or were things I never got the chance to eat at home; in other words, I was cooking whatever I felt like cooking, and it was so much fun.
It became apparent to me that how I was eating now will not be how I'd eat maybe even a couple of years from now. I felt compelled to record my current recipes into a cookbook, serving as a time capsule or a souvenir of sorts of the person I am today.
At around the same time I started to get into cooking, I found myself experimenting more with graphic design as well. It made sense to me to also have the cookbook serve as a an exciting way to challenge myself to design differently. Thus, I started my project, "Measuring with my Heart", a tasting menu for both food and design.
I wanted my project to be substantial, but still intimate. The current plan is to design 10 spreads (20 pages), including 16 recipes.
This project is still ongoing, with no set deadlines or predetermined recipes. I will add to it as I see fit, when a recipe really impresses me for one reason or another: be it the flavor or the memories associated with it.
As a "tasting menu", I'm hoping my spreads will be as diverse as the foods I eat on a day-to-day basis.
The main goal of this project was expression and experimentation, and as such, my process reflects that. Below is a walkthrough of how I built my first spread. This is the approach I am taking in respect to most of my designs in this cookbook.
I start with assembling a little mood board of a theme that really appeals to me. This helps me visualize what I want my spread to look like. Pinterest and Google Images work great for this step.
Next, I must actually get a usable image of the food I've cooked, and then edit it to match the style I'm going for. In this case, my inspiration mood board is marked by cut-out shapes of the subject matter, which maintains their photorealism, so that's exactly what I did.
Once I have my assets, I play around in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign until I get something I like, and what an appropriate term "play" is. Not only is it so much fun, but play is an amazing way to learn. Letting loose and playing around with design helps me explore and learn so much: things I would not discover without poking around. Even failed ideas can be shelved for later or another project.
Take a look at my playing process below:
Having my ideas laid out during play allows me to pick what I liked and didn't like, building up to my final design.
Here are the pages and spreads I've completed so far.
