Project Overview
IKEA: Cook This Paper is designed to show people that “getting creative in the kitchen can be deliciously simple”—to do so, IKEA has created a series of brilliant recipe posters that are printed with food safe ink on parchment cooking paper.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Anothony Chelvanathan, Steve Persico
Project Brief
Each recipe poster features illustrations of the ingredients needed to make that particular meal. To prepare the dish, simply place the ingredients—including seasonings and sauces—over their drawings on the poster. When the ingredients have all been neatly laid out, all you have to do is to roll them up in the parchment recipe poster, and cook the entire package. All Illustrations were inspired by the dish and each recipe incorporated IKEA food items.
Project Innovation/Need
IKEA is all about creating a better everyday life for people. Lately, the focus has been on the kitchen and everything that goes on inside that space. As part of a larger campaign, we looked at all aspects of cooking and trying to make them better, easier and more creative. We realized trying new recipes is a little scary for people. We set out to make it better, easier and more creative by using creativity to reinvent the recipe. Plus, we love food and think about it all the time—so it was an idea that was close to our hearts.
This piece was one part of a larger campaign to make time in the kitchen more fun, easy and creative for people. It was an idea that existed in many forms: starting as dessert recipes printed on large peel-away posters, then evolving into recipes printed on different cooking materials, then eventually into the idea that was executed—fill-in-the-blank recipes printed on parchment paper. The more we worked on the idea, the better it got.
Design Challenge
In this case, thinking of the idea and getting the client on board was the easy part. The hard thing was execution. We needed a rare printing process, unique substrate (parchment) and food-safe ink. Our production team worked endlessly to find a supplier that could make it happen. It was an endless barrage of "No," but eventually a "Yes" that then turned out to be an "Ooops, we can't do that." Persistence paid off, and we found someone who could make it happen. When you have a great idea and it seems like it just might not be possible, it's frustrating and demotivating. But we found a way.
User Experience
During the IKEA kitchen event, Cook This Page Parchment Paper Recipe Series posters were hung in stores for people to take home and follow. With the recipes printed on cooking paper, people just had to fill in the ingredients blanks, roll it, cook it and eat!
IKEA store managers created in-store events across Canada to show that cooking can be fun, simple and exploratory. The posters were also offered to customers to take home. All 12,500 parchment paper recipes available in 18 locations were snatched up within hours.
Branded Experience
This award celebrates creative and innovative design for branded experiences intended to persuade an audience to purchase or take some action upon products, ideas or services. Consideration given to the technical, conceptual and aesthetic elements, user experience, audience engagement and message delivery.
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