Cooking & Design

Cooking and Design are not foreign enemies, and for me they have a symbiotic relationship. It is no surprise that cookbooks are the most commonly designed books. From the recipe to the beautiful image cooking controls the push and pull of form and function. There are many food makers, whether chef or the at home type that want it to taste great and plate beautifully. If recipes are not well organized it can become a nightmare to work with. Some recipes start with information but forget to tell you until a paragraph later that you were supposed to let the eggplant sweat before you put it in the marinara.

Plating is no different. Just like on Top Chef and Iron Chef presentation is part of the battle. Imagery is only a minute portion of design. Taste and sustenance are the functionality that makes cooking not an art but design.

The I Know How to Cook book that I added to this collage was a cookbook I bought at the Border's clearance because it is beautifully designed and has wonderful  illustrations. This book is more than a pretty cover (which the dust jacket could be a poster if you wanted); it's recipes are well organized and provide good information too! I love my new cookbook.

All of these images and more can be found on my pinterest.

My Book List: Design

I am always looking for good for suggestions for books, particularly for design. I wanted to provide some suggestions for good books for designers or aspiring designers to read:

• The Mac is NOT a Typewriter by Robin Williams | This is a great book about using proper typographer on your computer (not just for mac users, but of course all the short-cut macros are for mac only.

• Zag and/or Brand Gap both by Marty Neumeier | These books focus on the marketing side of graphic design. Marketing is not just about selling stuff, but an idea.

• How to be a Graphic Designer, without Losing Your Soul  by Adrian Shaughnessy | This addresses many working styles and has a lot of great designers adding their wisdom of in graphic design.

• Stylepedia by Steven Heller and Louise Hill | A excellent collection of design throughout history and globally. A great way to be inspired.

If you have any great suggestions. I am always looking for a new design book to soak up!