A case study on a project that was lowkey unrealistic and deeply fulfilling.

Plot Twist: What I turned into my Typography II (Feb 2020) class for this project was actually this:

But just like how COVID-19 has made all of us pivot, I realized I needed to pivot this project as well if it were to serve my end user well.

The problem with printing physical books was 1) money 💸 cuz ya girl is not rich! and 2) COVID.

The problem with e-books is that they are not interactive. And they are easily lost in the digital interwebs of content. And so much of the literal feel of the physical book (I used 130 lb linen paper) obviously did not translate well (pronounced: at all) to digital.

I found Notion only a few weeks ago. So... yeah. I completely pivoted this project in less than a week. It taught me a super valuable lesson.

I had procrastinated finishing this project all summer, but I wasn't sure why. I was passionate about the concept and loved the idea of people finding new, easy dishes to cook during busyness and quarantine. Like I mentioned, I originally started and finished the physical book in February. I never planned to released this on my birthday all the way in August. What was the problem?

I realized I lost motivation for the project because I knew I wasn't going to love the end product.

Screenshot of the original front and back covers of the book.

Screenshot of the original front and back covers of the book.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I 100% knew exactly what would happen if I took the ebook route. I'm all for prototyping and testing. In fact, at the start of summer, I had found the best free platform to publish the ebook on. And I tried it out and kind of hated it. Because my current best solution before this Notion page was an ebook, I knew so much of what I loved about this project, such as the physicality, uniqueness, and aesthetic, would be lost. In retrospect, this is why it took so long to finish the dang thing.

Next time I feel stuck, I want to remind myself of this project and question myself.

Is the form communicating the content in the best way possible?