This project called for the creation of cookbook recipe spreads and a webpage that displays two meals colorfully and whimsically. The intention of this assignment was to curate a visual aesthetic and design of two recipes of my choice to make the spreads and webpage realistic and functional. Gathering images and creating a color palette was a key factor in developing a stylized and coherent-looking design. As I reflect on my overall process and outcome, I feel that I was able to successfully create two Cookbook recipe spreads through research, and refinements, focusing on the relationship between type and design that thoroughly addresses the project brief. I actively incorporated the chosen adjectives, vegetarian, colorful, and whimsical/graphical for each recipe spread while still considering legibility and readability in exploring different paragraph styles with my typefaces. I have utilized a variety of different combinations of typefaces, point sizes, line spacing, and line lengths when creating and using my grid structures to keep a balanced spread with margins of breathing room. I made changes to the paragraph style, tracking, leading, and kerning of the text so that lines and paragraphs were evenly distributed in weight and shape. My goal was to allow all of my text and carefully selected assets to be balanced and use fine details to enhance the voice of these designs. Throughout this process, I have furthered my knowledge and practice of typography’s relationship to design. Each placement of a heading, paragraph, or asset was meticulously made and followed the specific grid systems I created for the spreads. Making sure there were no areas of tension between text and assets was vital for creating balance, movement, and rhythm in my spreads. I think I have successfully created a set of cohesive recipe cookbook spreads that have stayed true to my adjectives and would also catch a viewer’s eye to want to engage.
In designing my recipe webpage, I have successfully considered editorial design, practiced setting long pieces of text, carefully considered typographic details, as well as creating a strong relationship between the typography and design work that makes up my webpage. Through the meticulous organization of a screen/web-based environment, I have utilized all of the text and assets of the original recipe and my final cookbook spread designs to create a realistic-looking website for my recipe (#2 - Green Pea and Feta Patties - Green Themed). I included an advertisement, and multiple interactive elements (buttons, hyperlinks, images) and incorporated the color scheme and assets of my recipe spread to continue the aesthetic and overall design. I used headings, subheadings, and paragraph indicators. I also balanced line length, letter spacing, and leading to ensure the colors were vibrant, the contrast was visible, and the pacing of the site flowed naturally. I thoroughly enjoyed the process and I am proud of the final designs.