Project Type Programs
Overview
Instructional Design Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
A digital 11" x 17" instructional carrot cake recipe design created with the user's experience in mind
The Concept
My goal was to create a "wabi-sabi" watercolor styled, visually structured, and easy to follow design for a homemade carrot cake recipe in 3 weeks.
I started by collecting artistic inspiration to serve as my basis for style and feel as well as reference recipes for layout. At this stage, my only thoughts around color and typography were focused around a sans serif or potentially a script and using orange, since it's a carrot cake recipe.
Early on I also itemized each ingredient, appliance, amount of steps, and time it would take to make the recipe. To ensure accuracy, I made the cake and altered the time constraints (it tasted very good afterwards).
The Process
During my process, I experimented with different illustration styles. My first iteration had no illustration and instead a photograph, however since it was solely visual, I pivoted to illustrations that could more easily serve comprehensible purpose.
Layout was also one of the biggest challenges, because the recipe had 12 long steps and 7 appliances that needed to be carefully categorized in order to prevent confusion. My inspiration was anchored by an idea I had for a giant carrot to separate each section to make it easier to read while still being functional. It went through many alterations, but eventually made it into the final design!
The third iteration seen here was the most influential, determining the trajectory of the project quickly. This was also the point at which I decided on an almost monochromatic color scheme that remained legible if someone wanted to print it out on a black and white printer.
The Product
Although there were several changes from the last draft to the final product, it is noticeably different and more refined! Differences like smaller margins, colored illustrations, watercolor background, and an altered layout with the ingredients, time, and appliances provided much needed polish to the design.