Information Design — Project 1: Instructable Poster

03.03.2026 - 21.03.2026 / Week 5 — Week 7

Chan Zhi-Ren Zenndan / 0369069

Information Design / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylor's University

Project 1: Instructable Poster

1. Instructions
2. Process
3. Reflection

1. Instructions

Fig 1.0 Module Information Booklet

Project 1: Instructable Poster

Project 1 is a task on constructing a poster based on a selected recipe from the Pasta Grannies YouTube channel. We are to apply what we've learned in the past 5 weeks including principles such as L.A.T.C.H and chunking.

The requirements as posted by Mr. Kannan is as follows:

Study one 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.

Your job is to transmit a set of instructions and at the same time educate the audience. Infographics should be fun, it should simplify the context, while representing information graphically.

Poster size: 1240 x 1750 or 2048 x 2048 pixels

2. Process

I always start by looking at Mr. Kannan’s student examples. Without a point of reference, it's difficult to know exactly what the task requires.

Fig 2.1 Student Example #1

Fig 2.2 Student Example #2

These are the 2 examples that was provided, and I started noting how they constructed the information by "chunking" them. There were prominent visuals, clear flow, and easily readable.

Then, I started browsing the YouTube channel to select a video I want to work on.

I eventually came across Nonna Mara's "Tiramisu Treviso" recipe and I thought it would be a fun task to work on.

Fig 2.3 Recipe selected

Before setting up a document for the poster, I watched the video several times to note the process. Documenting the steps gave me a clear vision of how I wanted the poster to look. Fig 2.4 shows my notes on the recipe steps.

Fig 2.4 Documenting the steps

Now, I can start working on the poster. I decided to stick to the 1240 x 1750 resolution since it's really helpful in maintaining visual flow. Fig 2.5 shows the planned structure of the poster.

Fig 2.5 Planned structure

For the title, I selected a mix of fonts that best fit the theme.

Tiramisu - For Nonna's name

Molliquam - Main title

LTC Italian Old Style — Subtitle & Main text

Fig 2.6 Fonts selected

Fig 2.7 Title setup

I also selected 2 tiramisu color palettes to follow through this project.

Fig 2.8 Color palettes

I then drew an S-shaped line to help determine the start to end point of flow. This freeform line helps create a narrative-like structure that prevents a mundane reading experience. I prefer to have dashed lines, Fig 2.9 shows how I set it up.

Fig 2.9 Dashed lines

Next, I went to Freepik to look for vectors of the ingredients. Fig 2.10 shows my arrangement.

Fig 2.10 Dashed lines

Then, I wrote down the steps needed. I gave careful thought into how much spacing the visuals might need.

Fig 2.11 Writing steps down

The next part took me the most time to do, since I had to look for the best vectors that matched the theme.

I eventually found everything I needed, and arranged them accordingly.

Fig 2.12 Arranging vectors

I added a few touches to make it coherent before submitting for first review. Fig 2.13 shows my first draft to be reviewed in class on 10/03/2026.

Fig 2.13 First draft for review

Unfortunately, we were informed that online vectors are not permitted in our work; instead, we were advised to redraw or trace them and basically use the draft as reference. This was disappointing, as I had specifically confirmed with the lecturer that using vectors was allowed when the task was first announced. This caused a hindrance in my work, especially for Project 3.

So I went straight to retrace the vectors. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to prove the process here, but I mostly used the pen tool to recreate my own versions.

Fig 2.14 and Fig 2.15 shows the comparison between the reference and my own version.

Fig 2.14 Reference

Fig 2.15 My version

Since I couldn't retrace the tiramisu artwork, I found a simplified, flat version of a tiramisu vector. Fig 2.16 shows my take on replicating it.

Fig 2.16 Tracing tiramisu

To get the cocoa dust effect, I applied both Sponge and Ocean Ripple effects to the top layer of the tiramisu.

Fig 2.17 Cocoa dust effect

To add further proof, Fig 2.18 shows a comparison GIF between the two versions.

Fig 2.18 Comparison between reference and mine

With that, I made minor adjustments as per feedback, and I was ready to submit this task. Fig 2.19 shows my final poster.

Fig 2.19 Final poster

3. Reflection

This task initially seemed complicated, especially given how polished and visually engaging the provided examples were. They effectively combined 2D and 3D elements to present information. What made the assignment unique was the opportunity to select a recipe from the Pasta Grannies YouTube channel, focusing on capturing the creator’s energy and personality and translating it into a single poster.

I chose not to follow the typical pasta recipe route and instead selected a tiramisu recipe, which I found more appealing. My process was similar to the L.A.T.C.H. task: I began with research, gathered inspiration from existing works, and took detailed notes while breaking down each section of the video.

However, there was a complication that affected my progress. On the day the task was introduced, I confirmed with my lecturer that using online vectors was acceptable. A week later, when I presented my draft, the class was informed that we were required to create or trace our own vectors. Since this task serves as the foundation for Project 3, the change disrupted my workflow moving forward.

Overall, despite this setback, the task was enjoyable and distinctive. Challenges like this are part of the process, and it is important to adapt and keep moving forward.

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Chan Zhi-Ren Zenndan (0369069)