The Beloved Cookbook
I love to cook…at this point in my life I am comfortable enough in the kitchen to cook by inspiration. I find inspiration through the seasons and all the different ingredients each one has to offer. Other great sources of inspiration come from simple conversations with my chef friends, watching documentaries, and good old reading. When these sources of inspiration are lacking, I resort to whatever I have in the fridge.
Even though I do not rely on cookbooks when cooking, I still enjoy them. Finding those old gems in used book stores…ones that are filled with dust and have ingredients splashed on most of the pages. You can’t find them at most bookstores. I am constantly in pursuit. If you are not familiar with this type of cookbook, I urge you to start your mission and make your first purchase. You will only understand the attraction once you do.
I am also a fan of some newer cookbooks. Modern cookbooks have the opportunity to really showcase their food. Pictures demonstrate everything from the beautiful ingredients to the tradition and culture behind the dish. I have always had the urge to create my own cookbook. It wasn’t until recently that my dream came true…kind of.
I just started a Master’s program in Interaction Design. Before starting the program I wanted to get ahead of the game and purchase all of my Christmas presents so I didn’t have to think about it within the next few months. Being a student and not generating any income left me with very limited purchasing options. I decided to make my dream come true and make a cookbook.
I compiled all my favorite recipes and typed them out in a streamlined format. I added a few pictures, but nothing flashy. I put a lot of time and effort into styling this thing. I pixel-fucked the shit out of it…then I started design school.
Fast forward to a few days ago. I decided to check out my beloved cookbook that I created so intently. What a disaster! I’m not claiming to be a design expert by any means…but I thought I had a good eye. Turns out I did NOT! What I have learned, and what I would change if I could do it all over again:
- Work in a grid!
- Kerning & leading
- Different choice of type
- Vectorize those images
- Create more hierarchy
Did I miss anything? Hopefully my next cookbook endeavor will be more of a success!
