Existing Products

Emily and Hayley

Overall Appeal – This recipe card has a very clean and well presented look to it and they use bright, appealing colours and quite a large font to make it easy to read and understandable. They use simple but detailed instructions for the audience and the colour scheme is a more feminine colour scheme with reds, purples and light pinks and this would appeal more to a female audience as they can relate to these colours and it wouldn’t become appealing to the male audience as much. I think this recipe card would be more appealing to quite a young audience (young adults) because of the bright, energetic colours and the big fonts and the more detailed but simple instructions. It is too complex for children and the colour scheme is too bright for an older audience, it’s colour scheme isn’t sensible for an older generation.

Use Of Font – They stick to using one font throughout the recipe card and they have made the writing quite big and this makes it easy to read by using a big font and easy to read font too. It adds to the bright and bubbly theme of the recipe card and doesn’t look too small and serious. When they go on to talk about the ice cream and the biscuits, they put the headings for each of them in italics so that it shows they are moving onto a different section and the main headings are in bold so that they draw the attention of the reader to the start of each section. It has a clean and sophisticated because the font is quite tidy and they have also repeated the name of the recipe down the side in a curly and delicate font to add sophistication to the recipe.

Colour Scheme – The colours used in this recipe card contains bright and eye catching colours which help suggest that the recipe card is aimed at a younger audience. The colour of the font matches the colour of the overall card and this creates a link and a theme between them both. They use reverse colours by having the red behind the white font of the title and then the whole card has a white background with a red font for the writing and this works well because it makes the card structured and it keeps to a theme. The colours of the card also link to the colours displayed in the image. The pink font of the title down the side matches the pink colour of the ice cream. The red of the border and fonts match the raspberries and this shows the colour scheme has been well thought about and the purple in the background in the image helps the pale colours in the image stand out against the background.

Writing Style – The recipe card is quite informative and uses commands by using ‘now’ to instruct the reader. They use quite a lot of commas in one instruction to make it more note form than using formal instructions. It also uses a lot of full stops within an instruction to make them short and snappy and easier to read instructions within an instruction. As the recipe is quite simple anyway, they use simple instructions that don’t go into great detail as they want to make it simple enough and this will also keep the reader interested as they won’t be bored of reading the instruction and they also won’t lose track of what they are meant to do because it’s in note form and easy enough to understand.

Quality/Technical Details Of Photography – The photography uses a shallow depth of field. This keeps the attention on the food as they are sharp and in detail and then the background is still easy to see but is out of focus so it doesn’t take over the main subject. The quality of the image is very high and the main subject is really sharp and in focus and it captures every detail in the food. The colour tones from the food match the colours used in the layout. It also uses another image where the instructions are and this zooms into the image and shows the texture and gives extra to look at on the back. It’s taken slightly above the food more than straight on because this shows everything that is on the plate and every aspect of the dish.

Layout – The recipe card has the main image on the front and then has the main, important piece of information (the ingredients) stated first. Then the method is next so the audience know what they need first before they start making the recipe and realise they need ingredients they haven’t got. I think to make the ingredients section stand out more they could put the font into a bold font so that they can see the ingredients section and it’s the first thing they read. They use stars as bullet points when they label the ingredients to make it more exciting and this gives it a more younger and appealing look to the recipe cards.

Overall Appeal – The overall look of this recipe card is slightly different to the first one I looked at. This card uses very dark and uses a different palette of colours to the first one. The green in the border is quite dull and not exactly bright and this shows that they are appealing to a different type of audience by using calmer and dull colours. These will be aimed at an older generation rather than a younger generation and because the recipe for the card is quite bland and boring, the colours used match the tone of the food compared to the dessert which is sweet and more appealing so it has a different colour tones. This type of dish is aimed more at older people as it’s something that would appeal to an older audience. The font is also made so that it’s easy to read and matches the colour of the overall appeal. It also uses simple and easy methods.

Use Of Font – The font on this recipe card is similar throughout the card and it is quite big and the font is made so it’s easy to read. Even though it’s for an older generation, if they struggle reading this type of font is useful because they can easily read them. They make the titles of the new sections bold so that they can be easily seen and then the audience can see what the section is about. They have also made the font size of the titles slightly larger so that they can be seen clearer than the text provided underneath. The font on the right that is the title of the dish has a curly and elegant style to it and this just makes the title stand out a bit more and it also has been enlarged so it takes up a bit of room so that it fills some of the negative space.

Colour Scheme – The colour scheme is totally different to the first recipe. They use quite dull colours and they have not used bright colours in this recipe. The writing has the same colour as the border on the recipe and they use reverse colours with this card as they use green borders and white font over the green and then the white background has the green writing over the top of it and this uses reverse colours. The title of the recipe on the side has a lighter green colour and this still uses the same palette of colour but it stands out more against the white background and as it overlaps the image, if they used a darker font it would make the image less visible. Having the white writing against the green border makes the title of the recipe easier to spot and read. The warm green tones relate to the actual dish in the image which uses quite calm and dull colours from the soup and the dark background.

Writing Style – The writing style of this recipe card has been made so that it can be easily read and it’s quite informative and uses commands for the first word of each step and this makes it quite personal and as if the card is talking directly to the reader. There are quite a lot of full stops and commas used again in this recipe card because it makes the steps easier to understand and easy to follow so that the reader doesn’t get lost. It makes it easier that they don’t go into a lot of detail because this would confuse the reader and make it more difficult and the aim for the recipe cards is to make it easier, especially if they are older as they would need something that’s easy to follow without a complex vocabulary.

Quality/Technical Details Of Photography – The photography uses again a shallow depth of field so that the soup and the main focal point of the image is standing out from the background and the background is out of focus so that the main focal point is focusing on the dish. The image is sharp and in focus and is not over exposed even with the light shining on the soup. The colour of the spices on top compliment the image and they use a range of light and they also try to capture the shadows in the image by having the bottom of the dish darker than the top of the dish. They take the image from a birds eye view so that they get all of the dish and the soup in the image and they have put a spoon next to the dish so that it looks like a natural image and that it hasn’t been set up. Layout – The recipe card has a similar layout to the first card I looked at. It has the main image on the front of the card and it has the ingredients first as this is the main part of text that needs to be read first. Then it has the method underneath as this is the part of text that needs to be read second. They cut part of the main image out and placed it on the back to get a macro shot of the soup and to make it look appealing to the audience. They have placed the writing on the left as it is seen easier on the left as this is where our eyes start on a page and so this makes it easier for the reader to see the text and it has a lot of negative space on the back to make the writing stand out more.

Overall Appeal – The overall appeal of this recipe card is different from the other two cards I have looked at. This has a more basic colour scheme and more basic layout. It is aimed at a more younger audience, it could even be for a child with a parents help along the way as it’s a very simple and easy to read layout. The colour scheme is limited to bright colours so this could make it more attractive to the parents but the simplicity of the recipe makes it easier for younger children to understand. This type of recipe card is aimed at both females and males as the colour scheme is quite unisex and the colours don’t show that it’s mainly aimed at one gender. The instructions are done in 4 steps and the layout is very simple with not a lot of colours and fonts coming through and this does look quite dull and boring for people at a young age.

Use Of Font – The font on this recipe card is all one font and they have kept it nearly the same size throughout. The font size is quite big so that the audience can read it properly and doesn’t have to struggle when reading it. I think that the font of the title doesn’t have the effect that makes it jump out at the audience and is quite simple. I think it could have been made slightly larger and with a different font to the rest of the card. They have made the steps in the method section bold so that the reader can see the start of a new step and so it stands out from the actually steps in the method. They have used italics for the ‘why not try this’ section because this shows that it’s separate from the rest of the card and it shows it’s a title of a section of text and makes it less simple.

Colour Scheme – The colour scheme has very limited colours within the recipe card. They have a lot of negative space around the writing and this makes the colours from the writing stand out on the page. This type of colour scheme wouldn’t appeal to a younger audience but I think that it would appeal to the parents of the younger audience. The pale green from the soup on the image matches with the green writing on the back and this creates a link between the two. The purple writing matches the purple in the image of the cloth and this creates a link again. It helps the card come together and keeps a colour scheme in place. The pattern on the front of the card is a light purple and this is so it doesn’t overpower the colours in the image but adds some extra colour on the front so it doesn’t look bland. I think the colour scheme is quite basic and not exactly appealing but they have linked it all together well.

Writing Style – The writing style of this recipe card is very simple and is expressed using a basic vocabulary. They don’t go into detail about what to do in each step and keep it to a minimum. They write the card in note form and at the bottom where it says ‘why not try this’ they use bullet points to explain what else they can try with this dish. This shows that this card is aimed at children or also teenagers as it’s very simple and quite informal purely because of the simplicity. It explains everything in note form rather than explaining the step in further detail. This makes it easier to follow along with and it also makes it easier to read and this is why it suggests that it’s more for a younger audience.

Quality/Technical Details Of Photography – The image on the front of the front of the recipe card isn’t as high in quality as the other images and it does look slightly grainy compared to other two cards. They haven’t used a shallow depth of field like the other images and this works with this image because it adds colour to the image because if the background was out of focus then this would reduce the brightness of the colours in the background and as the soup is quite low in bright colours, the background helps compliment this. On the back of the card they have used a cut out image of a vegetable and I feel this image isn’t exactly necessary although it does add extra colour to the card. They have cut this image out so that the green stands out against the white.

Layout – The layout for this card is very simple and separated. There is a lot of negative space around the card and doesn’t fill all the gaps possible in so that this helps the writing stand out. They have listed a simple list of instructions without going into detail and put the method of how to make the recipe in a box. This helps separate the method and instructions and this also helps the method stand out to the reader and they have done it so it’s easy to read. They have put a design on the front with the image to make it look decorative and more appealing to the audience at the front and enticing. The information isn’t crammed and is easy to read for the audience.

Overall appeal- This recipe card is very structured in the way it has been set out and shows a clear organization of where everything was put, however it is fairly simple also as there isn’t much going on and only the essential content is involved. It is very clear and clean cut also as there isn’t any unnecessary information included in the cards, there is quite a bit of white space where nothing fills in the gaps which makes it look much simpler. They have ensured that the photography shows the food at it’s best and makes it look appealing to the readers of this recipe, to do this they have made sure it is well presented and gives an elegant and sophisticated style. There is a slight lack of colour as the colour they have used is fairly dull and definitely not eye catching in any way. There is slightly more colour that has been used in the images, as they have shown off the red of the fruit which makes it look more appealing for the reader. It has a modern approach to showing the recipe to their readers, as they have ensured it looks elegant and that the format isn’t too cluttered.

Use of font- The font shows structure and allows the recipe cards to look sophisticated as they have stuck to the same one throughout , however there is a slight change in font on a small piece of text that runs horizontally down the side of the page, which is slightly harder to read and looks almost like handwriting. This change in font gives the cards a much more interesting look as using the same font throughout may have made the cards look slightly dull. The font chosen is clean and simple to read, meaning their readers should have no trouble trying to read through this recipe. Using a combination of the two fonts draws attention to it as the change in font used on the text down the side grabs some of the readers attention. Yet the simple font used for the information and recipe is easy to read and much more practical to use for the important section of the card.

Colour Scheme- The colour scheme is fairly dull and lacks difference and originality as this definitely wouldn’t be the thing to grab the readers attention. This is much different to some of the other recipe cards I have seen as many others chose to use vibrant colours that immediately appeal to the audience and interest them at first glance. When designing our own we are definitely going to be choosing brighter colours than this as we feel it is much more appealing to look at. However the scheme of the colours used is very structured as it all links in with each other which does make it appear much more organizes, clean cut and well presented. They have also used a little more colour in the images of the food which entices people to attempt to make this food themselves, also the use of the green leaf on the food links with the rest of the colour scheme of the recipe cards which definitely adds to the quality of the presentation skills used.

Writing style- The writing style used on this recipe card is fairly formal, and very instructive as they are clearly telling their readers what to do in order to make the food they are showing in the images. They have set it out clearly and used bullet point and numbered sentences showing the structured style of this text. There is a mix of sentence lengths as this is dependant on the instruction they are giving, however the style of the text is all very consistent. This writing style is used on all recipe cards, with the exception that some may include more or less text or less informative sentences.

Quality/technical details of photography- The images used don’t appear to be too advanced and look quite simple, however show the food well and are definitely well presented. The images don’t show too much skill as they are from a slight side angle and show the food in full detail. They are good quality images and allow the detail of the food to be seen which makes it much more appealing. There is another image on the page also as there is a more zoomed in picture of the same food to give much more detail, this still doesn’t show much skill as all has changed is the zoom setting of the lens, or they have edited a zoomed in image out of the original. The image is quite warm and colourful which makes it much more attractive to the eyes and focuses purely on the food with the only other distraction as being the plate and cutlery.

Layout- The layout is a little more creative than others I have seen, as it has a border and a few other things spread across the page including images and different text boxes. However it is still fairly basic as there is a simple border, a large image taking up the first page and the second page shows another smaller image with a column of text alongside it. The layout of the cards definitely doesn’t show imagination and lacks difference as this style is continued on many of their recipes.

Overall appeal- Overall this recipe card shows colour, not too much text and has been well presented on to the card in a way that can appeal to their audience and inform them of the recipe as well. It has been set out in a similar way to most recipe cards as it is quite simple and clear which makes it much easier to understand for their audience, it has been well structured to make it clearer and it gives off a modern and elegant look as it isn’t too cluttered and doesn’t include any unnecessary information. They have ensured that all information is included and the style of the card is consistent on both sides of the pages, the consistency shows the company’s professionalism and the structure they like to keep with their work. The colour used still isn’t too bright, which is very similar to the last recipe card, however it is all linked in, making the presentation of the cards look much better. This looks as though it has been made for a slightly older generation as this is more of an appetizer and would be used as a started for meals. We can see this is as it hasn’t been made with overly bright colours which is commonly done when targeting younger audiences.

Use of font- The font is exactly the same as the last recipe card I had looked at as they have used a basic and simple font for the main body of text as this is really easy to read and follow for the audience. It has been set at an average size so it is easy to read but not too big so it looks cluttered and too full. The main headings are slightly bigger to highlight they are actually headings as no underlining has been used. There is only one other font used which seems to be more in the style of handwriting and includes more swirls which makes it much harder to read in comparison to the rest. They have shown practicality by selecting this as the font for a small amount of text and a simple and basic font for the main, informative section. The combination of the two adds difference and makes it stand out and also look more appealing as it helps to draw attention to it.

Colour Scheme- This shows a little more colour than the other recipe card I have looked at so far as this is much more vibrant and involves other colours other than the red they have clearly tried to focus on. They have shown the inside of the ‘purses’ revealing greens and yellows, along with the red of the salsa at the side of it and the redness of the ‘purses’ that can be seen. This colour used in the photography is all linked in with the rest of the pages as they have used a similar red colour for the border that matches the colour of the salsa and could also be linked with the colour of other vegetables linking it once again. The red is also continued on to the text as they have used a red colour font that links again with the rest of the colour scheme. The green is also used several times as they have used it in their logo and their food. The consistency of the colour scheme has been presented very well and shows the structure they have used. Writing style- The writing style is very similar to the other recipe card I had first looked at as it has been written in a fairly formal way, however it is all based on instructions as they are telling the audience what to do, meaning they have to be precise when explaining what to do. They have a limited amount of text on the first page as it only included the main heading of what they are making and on the second page it has all of the main informative writing that needs to be read when creating this food. They have set this out in bullet points and numbering which has shown structure once again.

Quality/technical details of photography- The photography used on this recipe card is similar to the other cards I have seen as they are clearly high quality images as they show lots of detail in the food and allows the audience to see the food clearly, also with the additional picture of the zoom in of the food it helps the audience to see exactly what the food is going to look like and what it should look like if they are too cook it. They have spread one of the images across a whole page meaning they have clearly wanted to show off the food and show exactly what it is like and how they should aspire for their food to look. There isn’t many other things in the picture as it solely concentrates on the food as this is the main purpose and focus of the recipe card. The background is a little different from the other recipe card I have looked at, yet it isn’t made to be a main focus which again draws attention back round to the food.

Layout- The layout of this is fairly simple and has been organized in a way that is really easy to follow for the audience and hasn’t been done in a confusing way that could be potentially seen as cluttered. It also hasn’t been done so it looks too empty and so includes too much white space which shows the smart structure that has been chosen. There is quite a lot of white space on the second page in comparison to the complete lack of it on the first page. The white space allows the audience to follow the page better as it doesn’t have lots of distractions that could easily confuse.

Overall appeal- The overall look for this recipe card is much different from the others I have seen as this one has a much different layout and has gone with a completely different style as it appears to be more minimalistic and simple, using the large image as a kind of background for the page. This looks like it would be appropriate for a slightly older generation as this is the kind of thing that may be used a starter of a lunch and wouldn’t be seen as something to make quickly which may be something that the younger generation would want. The simplicity of this recipe card does make it look much more classic and shows the kind of audience they are maybe aiming it at as they haven’t used overly bright and vibrant colours and they also haven’t used a lot of the page and kept it fairly basic with the image being the main focus and the rest being white space. This shows that they most likely aren’t aiming at the younger generation as they have gone for a really classic look and stayed away from the harsh, bright colours.

Use of font- Unlike the other recipe cards I have looked at this one sticks with the same font throughout the whole thing and only changes the way they present it. For example the majority of it hasn’t had any changes to it, however the heading and the list of ingredients seem to be in bold in comparison to the rest. They have also used text at the top right hand corner where they have continued to use the same font, however they have then used a bold font for the words ‘lunch’ and ‘tea’ making them stand out from the rest. Another noticeable difference in text is the line of writing under the main heading as this seems to be much thinner and may actually be a different font all together.

Colour Scheme- This colour scheme has been thought out as they have ensured that some of the colours linked in with each other, I think doing this makes it look much more professional and shows the effort put in to making it, this is something we will also try and do when taking our own photographs. The green used on the plate has been linked in with the garnish on the food, and the bread links with the colour of the place mat set out. The actually recipe card doesn’t really have any colour on it as they have stuck to just using the text and the image as a kind of background for the card which makes it look much simpler and minimalistic which ensures it won’t look too cluttered and busy on the page. There is on sign of colour on the age and this is by a line that has been placed next to the list of ingredients needed which has been set as the same colour as the green from the image. Using no other colour on the page has given a really nice effect, however some may say this makes it look a little dull and maybe slightly too plain.

Writing style- The writing style of this recipe card is pretty basic, they have stuck to instructions of how to make the food and the list of ingredients that will be needed to do so. There has been no other kind of writing style used on this recipe card and as they have stuck to a structured and simple style with not too much writing on the page. They haven’t used bullet points to structure the list of ingredients which is different from the others I have seen as they have only used numbering to instruct the audience as to how to cook the food. They have a fairly limited amount of text on this page and have only used what is essential for the recipe, this makes it look much more professional as they haven’t written about things their audience won't want to read.

Quality/technical details of photography- This image does appear to be high quality as it has been enlarged quite a lot to fit across the page and the quality hasn’t been strained and it can still be seen in full detail. The image is very prominent on the page and is the main focus of the card, this means it had to look appealing and well presented and it has been made to look this way. Unlike the others this is the only image on the page, however due to the size they have set it at it does show the food very well and there isn’t really any need for a second image. The colour in the image is bright and clear which draws attention but not too vibrant to make it appear as more of a meal set for a child, the colours are all linked in as the colour of the plate matches the garnish on the top of the soup and the bread matches the colour of the place mats the plate has been set on. This isn’t a very advanced photo as it is from a basic angle meaning not much creativity was needed for this.

Layout- The layout is very simple as they haven’t needed to put many things on to the page as they have kept it very simple and classic in the way it looks. They have only included text and the one image, they have clearly wanted the image to be prominent and to act as the main focus to draw the audience’s attention to the card. They have done this may ensuring the image is really big across the page and they have then shaped the text around this image and leaving quite a lot of white space as they haven't used a background.

Summary• By looking at different recipe cards we have found that all of them use quite short and simple step by step instructions on

how to do the recipes and they don’t make their instructions too complicated or go into too much detail as this will lose the interest of the audience and make it more complex for them. So when we do our cards we need to make the instructions simple and short and stick to using note form rather than formal instructions as this will make it more appealing to the audiences. For our cards we are going to take the images ourselves and looking at the images within these cards they have used high quality photography and some have taken macro shots of the dish as well as having a main image. This can make the food more appetising and ensures all focus is on the food. They match the colour used for the text with the colour of either the food or decorations within the images and this links them both together and creates a connection between everything. Some of the images use a shallow depth of field which helps the audience to focus on the food and making the background slightly out of focus makes the main focal point stand out to the audience. This is a good idea to use for our own images as it will help us to focus on the main focal point with the use of colours and camera techniques. Some of the colour schemes are quite dull and have used basic colours, this is because they want to appeal to an older audience who may not be attracted to the use of bright colours. On the other hand, some cards have used bright colours that stand out to a much younger audience. For our recipe cards we are going to be aiming them at young adults, this is because we feel it is more appropriate to use bright colours which is something we are planning to do. However we will still be aiming for a clean, sensible approach to the recipe cards and will be targeting both male and female, meaning we won’t have to restrict our cards to just one gender.