Grace Robson

grace-robson.cargo.site↗

Hi, I’m Grace, a Communication Designer particularly passionate about branding, publication and art direction. I work on the lands of the Boonwurrung people and I’m especially interested to practice in culture and arts sectors. I strive to be bold and to inject personality in each of my works. For the 2023 Survival project, I created a completely unique and fun-filled publication. My book, ‘Stay Dead Jelly Salads’, draws on my sense of curiosity and is a celebration of my experimental design ethos. Manifested as a coffee table book, the hard-cover publication follows my journey in Italy, researching, testing, and sharing vintage jelly salad recipes with classmates.

Stay Dead Jelly Salads - Publication

As you may know, jelly salads and the 50s go hand-in-hand. For many, they represent the wacky and experimental, food and design fads of mid-century Western culture. Right now, we live in an age where nostalgia is everything and trends come into our lives as fast as they leave. During this cycle, we often witness the resurgence of styles from yesteryear; 70s flared jeans, 80s bomber jackets, ect. So, why haven’t jelly salads had their comeback? Why didn’t jelly salads survive the 50s? ‘Stay Dead Jelly Salads’ chronicles my research to find out whether or not these ‘salads’ could hold up in our contemporary age.

'Stay Dead Jelly Salads - Publication'

Throughout the publication, I kept typographic treatments simple to let each jelly photo sing. I went with an art-book-styled approach, enlarging most images to take up a whole page or entire spread. Paired with my honest and personal writing tone, the publication is half diary, half cookbook.

View full video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jaH0PI0Vdk

Stay Dead Jelly Salads - Publication

I chose a publication format to engage my audience with something physical. The small book offers a tangible and meaningful experience and can even act as a decorative object within the home. ‘Stay Dead Jelly Salads’ is designed to be lightly nostalgic of old cookbooks, however, is still intended for a contemporary reader.

Stay Dead Jelly Salads - Food Styling

This project gave me the opportunity to dip my toe into food styling. Both during and after making each jelly salad recipe, I set up a table scape that would either enhance or contrast its absurdity. I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of my project, seeing my visions come to life on camera.

Stay Dead Jelly Salads - Food Styling

Having the input of peers was also an integral part of ‘Stay Dead Jelly Salads’. Although deeper topics are covered in the publication, making food and sharing it is at the heart of the project. This idea is highlighted by the series of photos and quotes from a class jelly party. Seeing people gather around and interact with the spectacularly ridiculous salads provides the light at the end of the book. It grounds the publication on the reward of perseverance and the fact that we, as people, are connected by food, no matter how disgusting it might be.

Stay Dead Jelly Salads - Website

The complimentary website acts to document and promote the project to a wider audience. As well as providing background information about the project, the site allows free access to a PDF version of the book.

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