Logo – AMCARMEN'S KITCHEN

Hello Everyone! Before I begin, I just want to say that this post won’t be as detailed and properly written as the previous two I’ve posted. When I say properly written, I mean like very sort of, professionally done. Those two were actually 3^rd and 4^th year university projects and thus had some sort of professionalism towards the way I wrote – yes, I copied word from word everything I wrote from my research booklet. So would that be considered as plagiarism? My tutors would say so *insert smiling face with tears of joy emoji*

Anyway, as you all know (if you’ve read the about me section of my blog at least once), I started Amcarmen’s Kitchen on April 16, 2014, and if you have been following since the very beginning, you’d remember how tacky my blog was for the first year and a half of its existence. Then a few months ago, back in June, I decided that I wanted to redesign my blog. I am still using a free theme supplied by WordPress, and I will be sticking to it just because it’s clean and minimal which I like, and it’s default colour theme already expresses me as a person, and as a designer. With this, I have based all my other design deliverables on this colour theme.

Before I continue, I also just want to say that I recently started what I want it to become into an annual series, a food bloggers edition of Auguest. If you head on over the the Auguest tab, or click here, you can read more about what this is all about. Also, if you are reading this and are a cook, food blogger, or instagrammer, please contact me if you want to be a part of next year’s Auguest series! My contact details can be found below.

Branding & Logo

When I finalised the reimaging and rebranding of my blog, I decided that I needed a logo to represent the new theme, The Third Culture Foodie. In a nutshell, the theme is based on me being a third culture kid and really diversity is really what I am about. Having lived and studied in Australia, I have learnt that it is a highly multicultural country in both race and food offered. This is why I know a lot of dishes outside my roots and why I am always interested in learning new dishes from different cultures. Therefore, the logo is pretty much self-explanatory and related back to everything that I have just said.

Business Card

I first got the idea of making business cards when I attended a talk on the Business of Food Blogging, hosted by General Assembly. I met a fellow food blogger, Brendon from Brendon The Smiling Chef, that night who gave out business cards and I even said to him that that was such a great idea to get, not only your contact details out, but to also promote your blog when you meet new people. So, when he held a Food Bloggers Instagram Meet Up at a restaurant in North Strathfield a few months ago, I made sure to get some cards printed out to give out to the other food bloggers at the event, all of which, except for Brendon who organised it of course, I had never met before.

At that time, I had a much simpler business card design which basically just had my logo and name on one side, and all the social media links and contacts on the other. I did this very quickly just so that I’d have something to hand out on that night. Since then I’ve decided to redo my business card and came up with the designs above. Basically, one side of the business card is unique in a sense that it will feature a different recipe – well, not the full recipe, just a list of ingredients and then a bit.ly link to the full recipe on the blog. I was thinking of printing 5 different recipes for my business cards.

Quotes

This was something that I had only started recently when I decided to have monthly themes on my blog. When the new month kicks in, I post a quote on my Instagram page to let my followers know of the upcoming theme on the blog. It’s no brainteaser really as they quite obviously state what to expect. The quotes aren’t original; I usually just do a Google search for some quotes and usually pick the funniest or wittiest ones.

Social Media

You can find Amcarmen’s Kitchen on Facebook and Instagram – please support by following my social media pages 🙂

Website

Before I end, I just want to say that looking back at everything with Amcarmen’s Kitchen, I’ve realised how much time and effort I’ve put into, not just my cooking, the styling, photography involved in shooting my dishes, and producing a blog post 3 times a week, I also put a lot of time into the design of my blog and keeping up to date with social media; not to mention with the cookbook coming along as well! Not many people realise how much time and effort goes into running a blog.

Sneak Peak: Amcarmen’s Kitchen Cookbook

I know some would’ve just scrolled through to see this part of the post because you’re all excited about this; I do thank those who took the time reading and going through everything else. Anyway, I have mentioned this to a handful of my closest friends before, like a really really REALLY long time ago, and I’m hoping that the wait will be over soon! I’m currently in the process of redesigning my cookbook for the nth time and I did say to some that I had planned to get this out by mid this year (which obviously didn’t happen), but I am hoping that I can get this done by early to mid 2016. For now, enjoy this 4-page preview. My first cookbook (when it does eventually get printed), will feature 50 of my most favourite recipes!

– Ally xx

Project Background

“There are only a few eating spots and they are expensive and dismal, what a shame because there is so much potential there.”

The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust have stressed many times that there is a great need to improve the food and beverage system on Cockatoo Island. There are currently four small existing outlets ranging from cafés to food caravans and bars, most of which have received average to poor reviews by local Sydney siders.

Therefore, Catch Magura is a newly developed restaurant that aims to reconnect, rehabilitate, repurpose and reactivate Cockatoo Island to the rest of Sydney. The concept of how Catch Magura came to be is based on the early settlements on Cockatoo Island. The Aboriginal Eora people utilised the island to hunt and the surrounding waters of the Harbour to fish (many varieties of fish and shellfish including oysters, mussels and cockles). With fish available all year round, there was no need to leave the coast for food. Their main food source was then supplemented by vegetables and grubs that could be found on the island.

Hence, the name Catch Magura essentially means ‘Catch Fish’ where the term magura is translated from the Aboriginal Eora language Dharug Dalang. The restaurant will develop agriculture and aquaculture practices on the island which will most importantly solve the issue of keeping food fresh and of good quality, and reduce the need for transporting food to the island. In addition, these practices will promote sustainable food sourcing in terms of “eat what you grow” and educating visitors/customers by making them conscious and environmentally aware in their dining choices.

Environment/Spatial Design Aspect

Site Location

Adaptive reuse refers to the process of repurposing old sites or buildings for new uses as a way of dealing with issues of conservation and heritage policies. By reusing an existing structure for the restaurant, less energy required to reconstruct the space, as is the material waste that comes from destroying old sites and rebuilding using new materials.

Building 118 was an Electrical Tool shed during the ship building years on Cockatoo Island. Most of what used to be inside the building has been removed and is currently being used as storage space. The building is also planned for demolition by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust.

Further Development

Vectorwork Renders

Catch Magura Vectorwork Render of the Interior

Graphic Design Aspect

Branding & Logo

Instruction Graphic

As part of the initial project brief supplied, we are to include an information/instruction graphic for our project, and thus I have chosen to create an instruction graphic outlining how customers can engage with the sustainable farm and dine at Catch Magura:

COLLECT: Upon arrival at the restaurant, confirm your booking at the front. You will then be given a fishing rod, some bait, and a fishing net.
CATCH: Catch whatever you want at our aquaculture facility. There will be staff around to assist you if you need any help.
CHOOSE: Once done, hand your catch to a member of staff and be seated at your table. Decide from a selection of choices on our menu.
COOK: Our chef will then cook your catch from what you have decided. Also note that any extra ingredients needed are grown on the island.

Nothing is more satisfying than enjoying a delicious meal that you’ve caught, knowing that it is from a sustainable food source!

Business Card

The final business cards are printed onto recycled seeded paper embedded with thyme herb seeds. The reason for this is to further promote and extend towards the customers of Catch Magura, about sustainability and sustainable growing. Customers can take home a business card and plant it in a pot or on the ground and start their own home-grown herb garden. The simple instruction graphic on the back of the card shows them how they can do it. The business cards will be printed by using soy-based inks for a greener option as well as safe to plant and consume.

Menu Design

The final menu design is a small A5 booklet printed on 300gsm White Recycled Paper from Beer Labels, and bound together by hand using the saddle stitch method.