INFORMATION DESIGN / PROJECT 1 / GCD60504

on

16/2/2026 -8/3/2026 / (Week 3 - Week 5)

Aricia Man Yi Xuan / 0375026

Information Design / Final Project / GCD60504

Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media

Google Drive Link

JUMP LINKS

1. Flip Classrooms

2. Exercises

3. Project 2

TABLE OF CONTENT

1. Lectures

2. Instructions

3. Project 1: Instructable Poster

5. Reflection

LECTURES

Jump Links:

INSTRUCTION

Fig.2.1.1 Module Information Booklet

PROJECT 1: INSTRUCTABLE POSTER

Description:
An infographic poster for ONE recipe selected from Pasta Grannies. Study the video, breakdown and chunk the preparation and cooking process into an instructable poster, Try to capture each Grandma's personality and unique dish identity in your poster as part of the narrative structure.

Requirement:
  • Poster size: 1240px × 1750px / 2048px × 2048px
Pasta Grannies Recipe


Fig.3.1.1 Recipe Selected - Fried Mini Pizza / (Week 4, 25/2/2026)
YouTube Link: [click here]

The recipe is made by Nonna Anna, a cheerful grandma from Naples, Italy. She cooks in a very relaxed way as we can see in the video. She doesn't rush and you can feel that she has been making dishes for many years. Her personality feels warm and welcoming, like my grandma cooking for us at home.

Fig.3.1.2 Montanarine / (Week 4, 25/2/2026)

I decided to chose the Fried Mini Pizza recipe, also known as montanarine. It's a small piece of pizza dough that is deep-fried until golden and crispy, then topped with tomato sauce, cheese, and herbs. The outside is crunchy while the inside are soft and fluffy. This dish is a traditional street food from Naples.

Recipe Breakdown

1. Dough ingredients
  • Sparkling water (250ml)
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of sugar
  • Corn oil (for dough 10ml + frying)
  • Fresh yeast (half cube)
  • 00 flour (500g)

2. Sauce ingredients

  • Plum tomatoes (canned)
  • Garlic clove (one)
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
3. Toppings
  • Provola cheese
  • Olives
  • Oregano
  • Basil
  • Parmigiano cheese (optional)
Steps:

A. Prepare the Dough

  1. Mix sparkling water, salt, sugar, corn oil, fresh yeast.
  2. Add the 00 flour and knead until smooth.
  3. Let dough rest for 2hrs +, this allows gluten to relax and bubbles to form.
  4. Shape the dough into small balls.
  5. Cover them and leave under the sun, rise again for another hour.

B. Cook the sauce

  1. Gently heat olive oil, garlic, salt and plum tomatoes. 

C. Heat & Fry

  1. Heat corn oil in a pan for deep frying.
  2. Fry until golden and fluffy.
D. Toppings
  1. Spoon sauce over fried dough, then add the toppings.

Poster Development

Fig.3.1.3 Layout References (Week 4, 28/2/2026)

Before starting to design, I look for some poster layout designs from Pinterest for my references.
Pinterest Board Link: click [here]

Fig.3.1.4 Ingredients references (Week 4, 28/2/2026)

1. Research & References

Thus, I searched for visual references. I looked for:

  • Ingredients (flour, yeast, olive oil, tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, etc)

  • Kitchen equipment (mixing bowl, frying pan, spatula, tray, plate)

  • Dough preparation steps (kneading, rising, dividing, frying, waiting time)

Design Decision

Fig.3.1.5 Colour Palette (Week 4, 28/3/2026)

Fig.3.1.6 Font Style (Week 4, 28/3/2026)
  • Colour Palette
    The dominant colour is deep red, inspired by Italian cuisine and pizza.
    The accent colours are:
    - golden yellow (Fried dough)
    - Basil Green (Herbs)
    - Cream (Dough & Cheese)
    - Light Blue & Grey (Kitchen tools)
  • Typography
    I chose a playful, hand-drawn font to give the poster a warm, homemade feel. The title uses a bold and chunky display font (Showcard Gothic font).

Fig.3.1.7 Creating Illustrations (Week 4, 28/2/2026)

2. Creating all illustrations 

  • I used basic shapes to draw the ingredients and kitchen tools.

  • I kept the style flat and 2D.

  • I repeated similar shapes (like mini dough circles) for the rest pieces.

After that, I separated the layers of each elements to make it easier for further animations.

Fig.3.1.8 Label the Illustrations (Week 5, 2/3/2026)

3. Label the Illustrations

Then, I labeled each illustration clearly to help me organized the content before placing everything into the poster layout.

Fig.3.1.9 Layers in Illustrator (Week 5, 2/3/2026)
Fig.3.1.10 Development of Main Steps (Week 5, 3/3/2026)

Fig.3.1.11 Development of Putting Titles (Week 5, 3/3/2026)

Fig.3.1.12 Development of Adding Lines (Week 5, 3/3/2026)

Fig.3.1.13 Development of Small Titles (Week 5, 3/3/2026)

Fig.3.1.14 Designing Layout (Week 5, 3/3/2026)
3. Layout & Poster Design

After organizing and labeling everything, I arranged the elements into the final poster layout.

Planned layout structure:

  • Main steps placed in the center
  • Detailed explanations placed on the left and right sides
  • Step numbers (1–7) written
  • Arrows & Lines guide the reader from step to step

Final Poster

Fig.3.1.15 Final Poster / (Week 5, 4/3/2026)

Fig.3.1.16 Final Poster - PDF
This is my final poster design. I used warm colours and soft shapes to reflect Nonna Anna's comforting personality. The final plated dish placed at the bottom.

FEEDBACK

Week 5 (2/3/2026)
Specific Feedback: There has someone also choose your recipe, but it's okay, good, you can continue your work.

Week 7 (16/3/2026)
Specific Feedback: Your poster is good.

REFLECTION

Experience:

This project was quite challenging but also fun to work on. At first, breaking down the Pasta Grannies video into clear steps took some time because the grandma cooks very naturally and doesn’t follow a strict recipe structure. I had to replay the video a few times to really understand the flow of the process, but luckily the captions of the YouTube had the recipe given. Then, drawing all the ingredients, tools, and steps in Illustrator was fun, and I was actually quite enjoyed the process. Planning the layout of the poster is the most decision-making process, every placement of alignment need to be precise so it would looks consistence.

Observation:

Through this project, I realized the layout and hierarchy are important in an instructable poster. If the steps are not organized clearly, the viewer can easily get confused. I also noticed that using too much text makes the poster feel heavy, so I learned to rely more on visuals and short phrases. 

Findings:

From this project, I also improved my Illustrator skills, especially in creating flat illustrations, using consistent colour palettes, and arranging elements. 

TAP ME BACK TO TOP



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