A Taste of Home is a recipe booklet that celebrates the integral ties between family, food, and Filipino culture.
By exploring three of the most popular Filipino dishes, readers are invited to savor in the riches of life and experience a sense of home. Fueled by thoughtful art direction and strong creative vision, A Taste of Home is a culmination of energetic design, dynamic photography, and masterful storytelling. Out of over 220 submissions, it was one of the 65 pieces selected for the 2024 Cal Poly Pomona 2D3D+ Juried Student Art Exhibition.
Project Details
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One letter size booklet (8.5"x5.5" folded) booklet with 15 spreads, featuring over 60 photographs, 3 recipes, cohesive branding, and expressive writing.
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This project began with studying a collection cookbooks currently on the market, taking notes on design and format. The beginning stages also included extensive project management — compiling recipes, researching Filipino history, and planning a production calendar.
My plan was to take a variety images that featured intentional staging, detailed close ups, and thorough documentation. A color palette was selected from the fully processed images, ensuring a cohesive color story throughout the design.
The photography, color palette, illustrations, layout, and writing all integrate and gain inspiration from one another, resulting in a polished an unified product that tells a story.
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Victoria Cruz Almario, Recipes
Michael Tarui, Editor
Emmie Santiaguel, Editor
Boomerang Print, Publications
HeyZine!, Interactive Digital Publications
Art Direction
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Each recipe features a brief synopsis of the dish's origins. Filipino cuisine in itself is a fusion of various influences, reflecting traces of indigenous ancestry, the connections to foreign Chinese settlers, and the impact of Spanish colonization. The featured recipes are organized according to where they fell on this timeline of history, revealing how Filipino cuisine ultimately tells a story of resilience.
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Designed with intention, the booklet features many details that celebrate Filipino culture and heritage. Throughout the booklet, "Let's Learn Tagalog!" lessons invite readers to learn words related to food and Filipino cuisine. Culture is also evident in the design, as the color palette was selected to evoke the warmth and vibrance of the Philippines.
Two typefaces used for this project, Bawal Sans and Quiapo, were created by Filipino designers to reflect street signage seen throughout Metro Manila, Quezon City, and other metropolitan areas in the Philippines. Designed to pair with the Bawal Sans typeface, the star embellishments suggest themes of celebration, as these recipes are usually cooked and prepared in mass quantities to serve guests attending large gatherings.
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Family is the heart and soul of this project. A Taste of Home concludes with a self-written poem called, Mano Po, that speaks to this theme. Dedicated to my mom and grandmother, the poem acknowledges their wisdom and expresses gratitude for imparting that wisdom upon me.
Their recipes have served as a bridge between generations, preserving the richness of our cultural heritage, telling the story of our immigrant family, and holding countless memories centered around food and the kitchen.








