Design Challenge and Design Ideas

The design challenge for this project was to design, art direct and manage the production of a major cookbook, detailing the life and recipes of renowned Irish chef Maura O’Connell Foley. My Wild Atlantic Kitchen: Recipes and Recollections was to be a compilation of Maura’s favourite recipes created throughout her career in Kenmare, County Kerry spanning over six decades. The dishes contained in the book follow Maura’s ethos of keeping food simple, cooking with care and using the best available local produce. The design of the book needed to reflect this ethos and also Maura’s own creative flair and love of art.

How the brief was fulfilled

“Anchor Studio were commissioned to design, art direct and manage the production of the 408 page cookbook. The overall aesthetic of the book is timeless and understated to reflect the personality of Maura.

A subtle colour palette was selected to complement the serif typeface, Adobe Caslon. The overall effect is one of modest timeless elegance and although Caslon is an English typeface the layouts evoke classic French cookbooks of the past that were a huge influence on Maura. We purposely did not use a food image on the cover of the book as we wanted to create intrigue and curiosity.

Photography plays a huge a role in the book. The food was photographed by the talented Lynda Kenny & Maria Bell. Anchor Studio worked closely with food stylist Joanna Resiak and both food photographers to ensure the desired aesthetic was achieved. The chapters are also interspersed with photographs by Irish landscape photographer Norman McCloskey. Anchor Studio have worked with Norman extensively in the past and felt that including some of Norman’s work was the perfect way to evoke the landscape of Kenmare and its surrounds. Beautiful artwork by Pauline Bewick and Christine Bowen also give the book a playful and accessible nature.

The book was expertly printed in Italy by Printer Trento, with print production managed throughout by Anchor Studio. The inner pages are printed on a high quality uncoated stock (salzer touch 120gsm) which gives the book an artisan, hand crafted feel. The cover has a scratch resistant matt laminate which is good for practical use in the kitchen. The book has now gone into its third print run and all print runs have met their deadlines.

The book was entered in the 2021 World Gourmand Cookbook Awards and won both Irish and European Cookbook of the year in the ‘overall best of the best’ category. We are now in a shortlist of 5 books for World Cookbook of the year in the best of the best category. The awards ceremony will be held in Paris this November 2021.”