Chopping Block: Japanese cookbook marries food and design

Moé Takemura wanted to make Western consumers more aware of Japanese foods and their health benefits. In her new book, Foreign Japanese Sweets, she outlines the ingredients used in traditional Japanese snacks and sweets, and also provides substitute ingredients which are more accessible in Western shops.

The cookbook has an unusually graphic aesthetic. Shot by Takemura from above on white paper, ingredients are laid out in minimalist colour blocks. Step-by-step instructions are accompanied by pictures of cooking utensils in symmetrical and geometrical styles.

Takemura's presentation elevates the book from being a collection of recipes to a piece of impressive design work.

This aesthetic echoes the Infosethetic microtrend that LS:N Global has previously reported on, in which designers and artists, among others, are finding original and visually impressive ways of presenting data.