🏁 Two hacks and countless iterations

Three things I am making, loving + thinking about this week

MAKING

I’ve been making good progress on the boxed brownie recipe collection. A typical project like this begins with the concept; in this case, I wanted to create a collection of riffs on the traditional boxed brownie. The actual design doesn’t happen until I have an idea for the format, production, or artwork. The Chili Potato recipe collection, for example, started with the artwork: a potato wearing a fur coat in heels and a grid of Mrs. Potato Heads wearing Marilyn Monroe wigs.

The inspiration for the boxed brownie collection ended up being the box itself: the cover is semi-gloss white card stock, the inside front cover has an unfinished cardboard texture, a vellum end sheet mimics the translucent bag containing the mix, and the interior pages are a light brown paper to match the color of the dry brownie mix. 

Coming up with the idea is the easy part. Once the format is solidified, it’s on to the writing and design. I begin working on the text, pagination, and layout digitally in InDesign. I rough in the pages, titles, recipes, and potential images. Before going any further, I print a rough proof of concept to get a feel for it in my hands and see how the pages interact with each other. At this stage, the design is bare bones—not a lot of color or content. As the project progresses, I alternate between printed proofs and digital design. A lot of refinement happens on-screen—there are many, many iterations, big shifts, and tiny tweaks that never see the printed page—but I periodically print a new mock-up to check how it feels and reads as I continue to refine and finalize the content.

I’m currently on printed proof #8 and digital revision #who-knows. The good news is that I’m over the messy middle hump and getting closer to the finish line. 🏁

Above: two sample spreads from the printed mock-ups, cycling through progressive stages of refinement.

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LOVING

Here’s a hack to keep in your back pocket to elevate any meal whether it’s a burger or a brunch:

Tater Tots tossed with Truffle Salt = Truffle Tots

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THINKING

ISSUE #37  |  March 23, 2023

I take periodic breaks from Instagram when it starts to sap my creative energy, and I begin to regret/resent the amount of time I spend on it. I know it’s time for a pause when I catch myself scrolling… scrolling… scrolling… without even really looking at or reading anything.

So, I delete the app from my phone. But here’s my little trick: I still check it in a browser on my phone. That way, I can still see, like, comment, check messages, and peruse my feed. It’s by no means a good user experience—in fact, it’s pretty awful. But that’s the point.

After 3 to 5 minutes of scrolling through my feed and stories, I’m sufficiently annoyed with the browser experience, and I leave. Works like a charm every time.

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I posted that over a year and a half ago, and since then, the dissatisfaction with Instagram—mine and seemingly everyone else’s—has only grown. So, if you’re at the point where you want to distance yourself but not completely let go of IG, might I suggest this browser hack?

I still like to see what other accounts are up to, and I follow a lot of artists who are still active on Instagram. I haven’t posted anything to my own feed since December, and I changed my profile to read: I feed my creativity and cats, not the algorithm. Connect with me via the Makeist website and my free weekly newsletter.

And a purely unscientific observation… I think I’m served fewer ads and suggested-for-yous in the browser vs. the app. If you try it out, let me know what you think and if it helps you break the scroll.

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THREE LINKS I THINK YOU WILL LOVE

Do you post or do you RELEASE?

Exclamation Points: A Redemption Story

Why Creatives Will Win by Thinking Small