2014
author
Lucia Blanáriková (SK)
title
Design to the Rescue: The Yum cookbook
degree
M.A. project
e-mail
school
Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava
supervisor
Marcel Benčík
Every designer might wonder at times to what extent his/her work should be visually perfect, and how far it should correspond to the expectations and needs of a target group. Lucia Blanáriková began her graduation project work by asking herself just this question. Designers seldom take mentally impaired people into account as users, nor are the latter commonly design lovers. Design is always a major challenge for them. For the group the designer worked with, cooking was part of their therapy. They did research and testing at the various stages of work before coming to the final result. Blanáriková was not only an observer, but also became part of the therapy group. For her this was a lesson on how to rein in her ego and design something for others. In this way she avoided some common mistakes and focused on the heart of the issue. Every recipe in the resulting cookbook is color coded, illustrations show how to prepare the dishes step by step, and the book is rounded off with legible typography. The meals are divided by different times of the day. The repetition of information (illustration plus text) and its clarity (one phase of cooking per page) helps people with mild handicaps to make sure they are proceeding correctly.