VFC cookbook
Celebrating diversity and inclusion through food
Designer & Illustrator 
Adobe InDesign / Photoshop 2022
Overview
Celebrating diversity
When I was part of the Venture for Canada fellowship program, I brainstormed with the DEI committee on ways to celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion in our cohort. I came up with the idea to create a little cookbook with recipes from fellows.
Driving delight through illustration
Leading the project from start to finish, I wanted to spread delight by sharing meaningful recipes. Most fellows didn't submit photos with their recipes, so I took the unique approach of creating an illustrated cookbook. I wanted my illustrations to feel vibrant and homey to cultivate a sense of inclusion and belonging.
Early drafts of my illustrations
Versatile design
Designing for desktop
Because Venture for Canada is a remote-first community, I designed the cookbook for desktop first. I was intentional about making each page stand on its own, rather than as a spread (as in traditional book design). For instance, I kept page layouts consistently aligned instead of mirroring odd and even pages.
Designing for print
I still wanted to give readers the flexibility to print the cookbook at home, because nothing beats a tangible book. For optimal and accessible printing, I designed the cookbook in CMYK on standard letter size paper. I also paired hyperlinks with QR codes so readers could still visit recipe websites.
Some final spreads
Some PDF cookbook pages
Key takeaways
Prioritizing versatility
I enjoyed the challenge of designing the cookbook for two possible use cases: being read as a printed booklet or as a PDF.
Showing my personality
I also enjoyed setting the creative vision for this project, as I got to infuse my personal style into the illustrations and the visual identity.
