Case Study :: Forking Seattle

The Setup: Ronald Holden — journalist/reporter/editor, award-winning author, blogger and, importantly for his chosen path, the most adventurous of gourmands. When he decided to re-release his book on the history of the local food scene here in Seattle, he knew he needed a snappy new title and a snappy new look to go along.

The Goal: Design a cover that looked nothing like the original, would stand out against the competition, could visually convey the oomph of the new title and channel the feisty nature of the author who chose it.

The Catch: There’s a fine line between eye-catching, attention-grabbing design that bolsters the branded content and being downright offensive. Could we walk that line, AND get it right?

The Big Idea: Once we heard the new title (Forking Seattle is MUCH zippier than Home Grown, non?), we knew that there was plenty of room to explore some creative solutions. So we got to work! Knowing that the client was up for anything, we settled on a narrow list of project parameters: 1) prominently represent the Seattle aspect; 2) explore the nuances of the word FORKING (I mean, come on — when someone pitches a softball, you gotta swing, amiright?!); and 3) make it jump off the shelf!

Survey Says: It was no contest... Ronald knew the one he wanted immediately! We sure do love working with clients who believe in our abilities, happily turn us loose to see what we can come up with, and want the best possible solution for their project to shine through!

Option 1: Fork You!

→ Vivid Orange, White & Black color palette

→ Incorporates both Space Needle and fork to visually support the title

→ Added twist of the Needle shadowing the fork

Option 2: Old School Seattle

→ Green & Yellow palette references both the Emerald City and their Super Sonics team

→ Fork illustration only, choosing to rely on the colors to convey ‘Seattle’

Option 3: Modern Black & White

→ Black & White color palette speaks directly to Ronald’s journalist background

→ Incorporates both Space Needle and fork to visually support the title

→ Tight, justified lock-up of information within the title treatment

The Big Reveal: Drum roll, please! Ronald went straight for Option 3! And he called us back to rejigger things a smidge for his Second Edition, which you can read all about right here. Oh! And I almost forgot that there's a nifty pdf whitepaper you can download here, too. Phew!