30 Sep 2026 10:00
182: Cookbook Design with Frances Abrantes Baca
Kate and Kristin speak with Frances Abrantes Baca about her wide ranging design experience in the food media space. The founding design director of the award winning magazine Gastronimica, Frances shares her thoughts about the design elements that go into a cookbook—color, contrast, titles, page numbers, typeface, layout, covers, spines and, don't forget the table of contents. She discusses what catches her eye, what the differences in specific design roles are and where she finds inspiration before revealing what design choices draw her in and which drive her nuts. She talks about her newsletter, her process and leaves us with a few ideas and tips for authors and aspiring designers both.
Hosts: Kate Leahy + Molly Stevens + Kristin Donnelly + Andrea Nguyen
Editor: Abby Cerquitella
Mentions
Frances Abrantes Baca
Episode 18: Pro Tips from Cookbook Critic Paula Forbes
Episode 11: Understanding Cookbook Design with Alice Chau
Episode 91: The UX of Cookbook Design
The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst
What Makes a Cookbook Cover Successful?
Bay Area Women in Publishing Mentorship
Subscribe to our weekly Substack newsletter for more information about each episode and a peek at what's coming up.
Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to purchase a copy of the books mentioned in the show
- Wine Simple by Aldo Sohm and Christine Muhlke
- Tasting Rome by Katie Parla and Kristina Gill
- Cookbooking: a Fan's Guide by Debbie Berne
- The Design of Books by Debbie Berne
