Lisa Berman Design
image + word + impact
My Nepenthe: Bohemian Tales of Food, Family, and Big Sur
Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2009
Cover and Interior Design/Layout, photo selection/cropping, blad, promotional materials. Also, web design for Author
romneysteele.com.
A cookbook, memoir, and historical book. I loved this project! My dear, long-time pal, Romney "Nani" Steele (who I met during my publishing days at Brooks/Cole, as well as my waitressing days at her family's restaurant, "Nepenthe" in Big Sur) requested that I design her book.
Andrews-McMeel usually works with in-house designers, so I designed on spec, and landed the job. They said it was the first time they approved a design on the first pass! It was an honor to work on this book as Big Sur and Nepenthe will always have a special place in my heart. Nani and I have always connected when it comes to art and design. I have since designed the logo for her current restaurant "The Cook & Her Farmer" in Oakland, CA (see separate entry).
Working with new images by whiz photographer Sara Remington, along with amazing historical photos made my job super fun and easy. Of course, I did have to sort through 1000s of images! When Nani's second book "Plum Gorgeous" was ready, Andrews-McMeel requested our team once again! (see separate entry)
Cover photo by Kodiak Greenwood. Fabric on cover by Kaffe Fassett (Nani's uncle). There is also a lovely spot varnish on the cover (not visible here), I hope to get a good photo of it soon.