Categories Pastry Chef Articles
The keys to the award-winning design of Files by Ramon Morató
Creator of the publishing design project: Zoo Studio
Just one year after its release, Files by Ramon Morató, published by Grupo Vilbo and available in our online bookstore Books For Chefs, has been recognized with the 2022 Bronze Laus for publishing design. The book gathers the chef’s most emblematic projects from 2015 to 2021, addressing pastry and chocolate from a 360-degree perspective, from research and science, applications, techniques, and practical solutions, the latest trends and new consumer habits.
The design was developed by Zoo Studio, a studio which specializes in graphic design and visual communication founded in 2006 that has collaborated with companies, public and private entities, in fields as diverse as food, culture, technology, education, pharmaceutical industries, social entities, and more. Effort, nonconformity, and the will to explore new possibilities, combined with attention to detail, is the basis for designing projects that provide real results.
We spoke with Gerard Calm, CEO, graphic designer and art director of Zoo Studio, who is excited to have won this Laus, since “it is an award for excellence and represents recognition from the design sector for a job well done. This year more than 1,200 projects were presented, and participating means competing with the best!
According to Calm, in publishing design, it is important to use the right language and create a functional design. “The appropriate language is marked by the typology of the book, which depends on whether it is literary, technical, among others. It will have some characteristics or others. And the functional design is achieved with an orderly structure, an easy reading rhythm and good legibility thanks to the good use of fonts, in this way we contribute to the reader having a satisfactory reading. But what differentiates one book from another is the concept, explained through format, design, and materials. This is the key for the reader to choose one book or another”.
“What differentiates one book from another is the concept, explained through format, design, and materials. This is the key for the reader to choose one book or another”
But what are the keys to the design of Files?
Sorting and classifying ideas
Files is a book with more than 500 pages and with a lot of content. Zoo Studio received the commission at the end of 2019 and finished producing it in July 2021. It has been a project that lasted almost two years and was affected by the pandemic.
“Ramon did not want just a recipe book, he wanted to go further, explain the most emotional part behind each recipe, record why they are made in one way or another, if it is the result of an experience, of a journey, or what the creative path that has led to the final result was. We put his ideas in order, we helped him classify them, and we developed the Files concept, which is what gave the design its final form”.
Grouping content into files
The book is a compilation of experiences and the most relevant work material that Morató has carried out over the last six years.
“This material was filed in folders, so we grouped the book using kraft paper as the wrapper for each project, to emphasize the file concept. Continuing with the idea of the book, we created the name, Files”.
Clean design
The design is clean and easy to read despite the large amount of information. The cover is white to contrast with the kraft color of the spine.
Ease of reading
The layout of the book is bilingual and, to avoid duplication of text columns, “we worked with two different fonts and grids, one for each language. This is how we create a rhythm between the two languages that can relate to the images without overloading the pages.”
Hard cover
The hardcover binding provides the elegance and rigidity necessary to support the thickness of the book. In addition, “the binding with the exposed spine allows us to see all the folders that make up the book, thus reinforcing the idea that it is a collection of documents.”
