Mexican Cuisine Calendar

PRINTING LAYOUT ILLUSTRATION

Illustration and layout design for a calendar inspired by Mexican recipes. Initially intended as a Christmas gift for a friend from Mexico who missed her home.

The Challenge: Represent the Mexican culture accurately and without falling into any visual clichés.

The Solution: Design 12 spreads for the 12 months of 2025, inspired by vintage tea towels and calendars from the early 1960s.

THE PROCESS

Research

Consult on traditional recipes and the time of year they are associated with, and curating twelve for the year. Some of these recipes were also picked based on my friend's personal favourites, and her family's own traditions.

This phase starts with ugly thumbnail sketches, not yet thinking about the vintage stylization.

Refining

The style was manipulated to fit the geometry and warped perspective of the Mid-Century Modern style. I sought inspiration in Hanna-Barbera backgrounds and props design, as well as art from the Atomic Age.

I also selected the palette following the bold, jewel tones that characterize this era.

PROCESS BREAKDOWN

THE FIRST VERSION

Layout:

After various typography tests, I composited a more traditional layout, with large numbers to mark down the days, and titles inspired by the graphic shapes and patterns of the 1960s.

Nevertheless, after some feedback and user tests (by whom I made the calendar for), I realized I needed to revisit this layout, and transform it into something more functional, modern and mature.

THE SECOND VERSION

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Layout:

The second attempt was made using Adobe InDesign, and this allowed me to have a more structured approach, and provided more cohesion throughout the whole year.

The geometric sans font was more user friendly with the larger space to write appointments and visualize dates.

THE FINAL DESIGN

For the final layout, I combined the funky playfulness of my first attempt by giving its irregular baselines, but the simpler font kept it readable and functional.