Project Description

Fear is a great motivator, and in this case it was the fear of wedding day disappointment if I didn't come through. Also the fear of a severe beating around the head and neck by a coworker armed with a stress ball.

Family Recipes was a gift from two sisters to their brother on his wedding day, intended as a collection of recipes and reminiscences from their family and friends all over the world. One of the sisters, a Project Manager at Lush Concepts, asked if I could lay everything out and send it off to Blurb or wherever.

I think I believe that objects become imbued with the amount of love, craft and effort which is put into them, and sending something so personal to a digital printing place didn't seem right. Instead, I did the printing, scoring, tearing, folding and stitching myself, as well as sanding, staining and drilling the mahogany covers. It wasn't completely altruistic - I'd been wanting to make a book with wooden covers for ages, and this was the perfect opportunity.

It all came together, just in time. At the wedding, there were smiles and tears - mostly due to the thoughtfulness of the content rather than the book itself of course, but still. The majority of design, especially digital, is ephemeral, and it's a rare honour to have a hand in creating something of permanence and meaning.