InDesign Skills, a community of graphic designers, illustrators, and print experts offer up some examples of effective cookbook design. Some reflect on vintage-inspired illustrations, others combine colorful graphics, geometric shapes, and mixed typefaces while encouraging design with context and meaning. http://bit.ly/2IV4Edb @indesignskills.

Drawing on these two articles and my experience working in Graphic Design, here are three actions that I recommend to amateur chefs or graphic designers who may find themselves composing some tasty recipes in print and digital format that people will want to buy.

• Vision – Incorporate the writer’s vision into the design and visually embody the book’s narrative, through visual language.
• Visuals – Show the author’s personality by adding interesting illustrations and photography, authentic to the writer’s lifestyle.
• Fonts, colors, and layout – The perfect trifecta as you experiment with trends in vibrant colors, playful typography, and a strict grid system to create a stunning identity.

If you imagine cooks already have too many cookbooks in the kitchen, don’t count on it because if you combine a meaningful story, compelling design, and engaging content – it will indeed overcome that goofy notion.