development.

Some initial ideas:

Here are my initial ideas and sketches so far, incorporating some of my chosen elements and concepts...

1)

These are a couple of very basic sketches of ideas for a pop up recipe spread. I thought about including the ingredients and utensils needed around the edge which would create a multidimensional and loud, fun aesthetic. I have included a rough idea of a character that could be incorporated, a little mouse which i feel has obvious links with both cheese and the kitchen as a whole. perhaps something like the rat from ratatouille? The book over all in this case would fold open to have this pop up area fill the space above with the whole recipe, rather than be an added feature on the page. This would make the recipe easy to follow while the book was on a work surface as it would lean upward as though on a stand. I would number the stages as this has proven to be a successful feature in other books and also in my own work throughout the module so far. I would need to consider further the way in which i would incorporate photographs with this style as it would take up a large amount of room. Also typography may look good at top of the pop up area in different layers.

2)

This rough sketch shows a landscape style book. I chose to explore this as i feel the notion of landscape runs throughout the topic. After all the ingredients are sourced from the landscape and the nature that surrounds us. I have looked at how lifting flaps could be incorporated in order to create a multidimensional spread, but also an interactive one. This would also increase the space on which to add more details and info etc. On the left side, the flap has ingredients on the upper, and food miles and location on the "inside"shown with a tractor which could educate a child as to where food comes from, or the process it can go through to reach our plates. Again I have chosen to incorporate large numbers to illustrate the stages in cooking, and have thought about the space next to the numbers in a way where i can show instructions and a photo. The right hand side has another flap that lifts upwards, on this flap i have drawn the utensils need for the recipe in a "pop up" fashion. The top of the flap could read "what else do i need?" or something to that effect.

3)

The idea of a "secret ingredients" book within the main book appeals to me as it could create a more personal relationship with a child. This could be their "secret" and have in it some ideas on how to tweak the recipe or change it up a little. It could have a food miles game within it and a notes page that they can write in themselves. This little book could then be popped back into a holder or perhaps stuck down with a velcro pad in the book. With regard to the stages this time i have used a drawing/symbol of a pure of bread to highlight them. This may look better when made digitally.

With this idea i also thought about the idea of making eggs into characters again. With wellies on? this could be a touch of fun on the page and refers to the idea of the outdoors being a big part of the recipe.

4)

I have included a really quick sketch of a way of propping a book up on a work surface. This could be held with velcro or magnets, or could simply be a result of designing the cover to have flaps that ae strong enough to hold the overall weight of the book.

5)

Some quick sketches of food/characters. As mentioned previously i feel this would give a child something attractive and fun to look at and help engage them with the process. The child could make the characters him or herself from the ingredients and left over bits such as carrot tops.

6)

Some initial ideas of how to involve the food with the typography. I feel this would create an interesting  look that would attract the eye and look idiosyncratic if done in a clever way.

Exploring some typographic styles...

Using food to create the typeface seems as though it could be effective. 

I like the range of colours that come from using foods to create a typeface, they are vibrant yet natural which creates a kind of healthy, juicy and pretty appearance. I especially like the "K" of "book" the onion layers have created an interesting pattern in the letter.
In addition, the use of vegetables to create the shapes, refers back to the notion of healthy sustainable cooking again.

Creating a typeface out of chocolate sauce reminded me of cake baking and may look better or more appropriate in a bakery style book. Also, this way of creating a typeface is quite volatile because the sauce runs everywhere and can be hard to create clear lettering.

Letters made from salt... Could look nice if executed really well, however the materiality of salt is quite hard to control as it seems to "ping" around. Also salt is not good for you so it may not be appropriate or effective in conveying a sense of healthy eating.

Character development:

I created some characters from ingredients/vegetables by adding goggly eyes etc... I feel this adds a fun twist to the idea of a vegetable. Also, when designing my spreads, having a character as a familiar guide could be very effective and allow children to feel comfortable. Children could make their own silly vegetables from left-overs, or create a fun narrative.

An onion made into a face, using the base/root as a nose... Some how these goggly eyes make the thing look concerned! perhaps he doesn't want to be put in a soup? I wonder if this could make children, not, want to cook the recipes as they would be cooking a character?!

A worried carrot?! The natural markings of the vegetable contribute to the expression on its "face"!

This red onion looks barmy! 

I created a mouth and stuck the eyes on a little "off" in order to create a silly looking character and expression. I feel the onion now seems like an inviting fun and silly creature.

I especially like this mushroom character. I am instantly under the impression that it is a "he' and that "he" is a bit dopey and melancholy. 

The broccoli Man!

NAtural formations on the stalk have created a recognisable face!

The nature of a leek seems to have been captured quite well just by adding the eyes, The vegetable seems lazy and dopey somehow. 

Overall I feel creating characters with the veg was fun and could give children something to do as well as something to familiarise themselves with. Perhaps i could incorporate the idea of a seasonal competition using the seasonal veg in the childs local area, they have to make it ito a character and post their pics online? tis would also add a liking feature for a website or app.

Further Research

More examples of children's cook books...
Also, inspirational concepts, features and art styles etc that I find particularly appropriate or interesting for this project.

This is something i would love to incorporate into my design, after considering the idea of making season based contents pages, or having recipes laid out in order of seasonal availability for the ingredients etc. looking at this is really valuable. This shows what month each food type is in season and comes in a variety of forms including a poster. It is an engaging piece that children should be interested in.

This isn't the best image in the world, however it does show an example of some interesting typographic elements. The wording is slightly raised and looks to have been created with the food that the book explores. I like the way that special attention has been made in order to make the book cover feel like part of an end result, in this case a cake. It looks edible and i find that really inviting.

I think this art style is great for an 8+ market. It is clean cut, photographic and inviting. The way that the image has been structured to show a birds-eye view of the food gives the viewer a sense they are involved and looking from their perspective, while also not complicating the picture overall with side angles etc. I think if an image was photographed from an "arty" or "professional" angle as it were then somehow this may appeal to an older audience. I think the incorporation of the chopping board and tea towel in the image also creates an informal appearance as though your "mommy" just made the food. I definitely want to lick the spoon! The typeface used is clear and chunky without being too heavy for the image and is laid out in a way that compliments the page.

I like the simplicity of this spread. It is neither too cluttered or confusing which are traits that would create an unsuccessful book. However, I feel that the text is far too small during the stages of making, even for a competent reading child i think this would be too small. Also, although the typeface of the larger title is appropriate for the spaghetti recipe as it looks stereotypically italian-ish the bars on the T's do not stand out clearly enough for me. Seems to read "spaghelli with lomalo sauce"!

I think that including an image of where food comes from i.e. the garden, is a really good idea, as children would automatically make a connection then between food and the garden. It also highlights the idea of locally sourced ingredients and sustainability. The use of a translucent font is nice as at the same time as being clear it does not sit on top of the image as much as it could, it blends a little and takes away form the clunkiness of the typeface which i think is a good thing here.

The texture and look of this book overall is really interesting and unique. The lined paper  pages are a familiar thing for young children of the target age range as attention is being payed to their school books. This reminds me of the doodles that I used to do in my practise books. This style stands out to me, but again the font is so small it is almost illegible. Not enough attention has been payed to the scale for me.

I enjoy the typeface being made from a sort of "cut-out" food backdrop which has then been made more 3-dimensional through the added drop shadow. This leaves a clear and tidy appearance.

This cover seems a little dated yet shows clearly children involved in a cooking process with raw natural ingredients which is important. 

I found the chalk board typeface of this cover really appealing as it conveys a sense of the traditional, and the simple. I always find hand drawn type and images more organic which for this project may be the most appropriate. The type has also been used in a way that fills the cover which is effective.

Again here, font has been used as a focal point on the cover. A play and cutlery have been created through the placement of words which is contemporary and clean. The bold colour with a simple white text allows the eye to see clearly the key points and makes the typeface easier to read and navigate.

I really like this spread, The paper has a nice texture to it, or at least is printed in a way that makes it appear that way. The hand drawn images are clear yet stylised. The majority of the formal text is standard computer based typography with what appears to be a hand rendered style font to accompany it. The contrasting pink and natural green go really well together and attract the eye without creating a visual overload, which i have seen before with such colour combinations.

Again I really like this cover concept. The font looks as though it has been laser cut from cookies... Very intricate yet organic and clear. The black backdrop compliments the foreground text and it appears that the letter shapes create a shadow which adds depth.

Food as typography:

Here I have included some images of typography that has been made with food, this i feel is a great touch and would be really appropriate for this project by clearly showing some healthy foods at the same time as grabbing an audience's attention through type.