I created book design and 15 mushroom illustrations for Villisienikeittokirja (The Wild Mushroom Cookbook) by Sami Tallberg. Sami Tallberg is a Finnish chef and food writer known especially for his foraging and wild food-focused books, catering and courses.
The task was to design a book that would be “psychedelic, magical and elegant”. I created the energetic book design including vibrant illustrations and a bright colour scheme to reflect the sparkling character of the author Sami Tallberg.
In addition to the cooking recipes the book also offers a list of key features for identification of every mushroom. Since it’s possible to identify every mushroom from a photograph, the illustrations could be unrealistic, bold and psychedelic as the author wished for. The illustrations are also used to structure the layout and every chapter begins with an illustration spread. In the book the author talked a lot about the beefy texture of mushrooms so I decided to combine 3D techniques with vector graphics to create a more three dimensional and meaty feel for the mushrooms.
Client: Sami Tallberg · Services: Art Direction, Graphic Design, Illustration · Styling: Minna Lilja
Mushroom Photography: Lasse Kosonen · Food Photography: Olga Poppius · Still Life Photography:
