Print | graphicdesign

PRINT DESIGN

Print Design and Object-ness

One of my favorite things about art is the chance to create objects. To bring into the world things which were not. In this age of digital media, that opportunity diminishes significantly every year. By going paperless, we are also going object-less. This is not to say that paperless isn’t a great initiative. Nevertheless, the thing I love most about design is making something people can keep. They can hold onto or cherish this thing. I love that. A sentimental person myself, I love to be able to collect pieces of paper, programs, tickets, and other evidences of some of the best days I have yet experienced. This is why I have such an inclination towards print.

An Idea

One of my favorite print projects was creating a little cook book out of Hello Fresh recipes. For those unfamiliar, Hello Fresh is a meal subscription service where subscribers can get fresh ingredients and recipes delivered right to their door to take the guesswork out of cooking. I was given a whole stack of these recipes as a joke, and thought hey, why not make something? I scanned them all into the computer and began by creating a template page after which to model all the other pages. I began by isolating an image and placing it front and center on the spread. Then, I took the instructions that come on the back of the cards and rearranging them in a way that is more appropriate for a portrait orientation layout.

The Design

I wanted to give the book a more personal feel, as recipes are traditionally handed down through family and friends and end up with marks and additions written in the margins. I went in and made little notes and drawings all over the page that were reminiscent of this idea. That’s it. One of my biggest pet peeves about recipes found on the internet is that you have to sift through paragraphs, ads, and images that often have nothing to do with the actual recipe because blog writers are looking for word counts rather than usability. For this reason, I kept the page incredibly simple: just the recipe, and that’s it. This was one of my favorite projects I have ever done because, even though it tested my file handling abilities and attention in discrete details, I was happy to be able to use my theoretical art and marketing knowledge in this campaign-based piece.