Monday, May 21, 2012

It's A Cover Up

Food isn't just for eating anymore. Food is an event, it's a journey and it's a story.  We've seen the popularity of television food shows sky rocket, but the good old fashioned print media still has a strong hold of food followers. This month at The Inspired Plate our assignment was to find a food magazine cover and  be inspired by it.  The interpretation of how to be inspired was left up to the eye of the beholder so our entries my vary. I decided to 'recreate' a cover using the elements of design in my inspiration cover. I chose the June/July 2009 Food Network Magazine Cover.  Who could go wrong with a Bobby Flay Burger? 







  Food_Network_Magazine_JUNE_JULY_09



Before I show my rendition, let me explain what I saw and what I set out to emulate.  First the burger was HUGE, Tall and of course very tasty looking. I found it interesting that the burger was almost entirely covered with cheese. I noticed the grill marks on the  bottom bun and the bazillion sesame seeds on the top perfectly shpaed bun. I also noticed that the colors in the text and even the logo were dependent on the colors in the food and accessories. There weren't many accessories in this example.  Something I latched on to and appreciated quite frankly as I don't have a huge prop closet. So before I even set out to design, I had color, height, use of space and food quality on my mind.   Some things I ran into that were challenging was the actually toasting of the bun. I think the bun in the first image is probably a bit more crunchy than I would like with that much char. ( I wanted to eat mine after so I went a little lighter with the toasting.)  I do think it adds a bit of drama and intrigue to the first image that mine might lack. I also wanted to skip the tomato...no reason really but everyone puts a tomato on. I was hoping to use some different toppings that might add some interest. I chose the red towel to compose my picture to keep the red tones that inspire appetite in the image. I also opted to use the yellow peppers instead of the cheese for yellow element. As an aside...mine did have cheese...my butcher stuffed it when he made the patty, it was a black and bleu burger...and oh yeah was it yum! I liked that this cover had clean lines and while it advertised many parts of the magazine it also had a simplicity about it.


So without further delay, here is my mock food magazine cover...







web_mock-up-cover_with_black_border



Side by Side...
Food_Network_Magazine_JUNE_JULY_09web_mock-up-cover_with_black_border

So come on over, I'll fire up the grill and we can find lot's of tasty toppings to decorate your BIG Burger.  And while you're here, take a look at what the talented Carey Pace | Kingsport Photographer is cooking up on her magazine cover.