Jólegyél (Be Well – Eat Well) is a creative and interactive editorial design project that explores the relationship between food, seasonality, and personal experiences. The project takes the form of a plant-based cookbook, combining recipes, illustrations, handwritten notes, and personal reflections into one visual experience.
Rather than functioning as a conventional cookbook, Jólegyél approaches food as something personal and experiential. Each recipe is connected to memories, thoughts, and observations, encouraging the reader to slow down and experience cooking as a creative and immersive process.
The book was designed as an interactive editorial piece where the visual and physical elements work together. The combination of a handmade-looking cover, textured materials, and carefully arranged pages creates an intimate feeling that reflects the personal nature of the content.
Inside the book, recipes are accompanied by handwritten thoughts and observations. This personal writing adds another layer to the publication, making the cookbook feel more like a visual diary than a collection of recipes.
Illustration plays an important role throughout the project. Instead of using conventional food photography, the ingredients and dishes are interpreted through expressive hand-drawn illustrations. The loose lines, imperfect shapes, and vibrant colors give the publication a warm and personal character.
The illustrations were created to capture the natural qualities of seasonal ingredients while maintaining a playful and experimental visual language.
The visual language continues across the different pages through colorful compositions and expressive drawings. Food, plants, objects, and everyday moments are brought together to create illustrations that feel spontaneous and organic.
This approach allows the publication to communicate more than just information about recipes. The illustrations become part of the storytelling, helping establish the mood and atmosphere of each recipe and season.
Alongside the larger illustrations, smaller hand-drawn studies of fruits, vegetables, and other ingredients are incorporated throughout the book. These drawings emphasize the connection between the recipes and the natural ingredients behind them.
The use of hand-drawn elements also creates a sense of authenticity, reinforcing the idea that cooking can be an experimental, creative, and deeply personal activity.
Seasonality is another central element of the project. The publication explores edible plants and ingredients associated with different seasons in the Carpathian Basin, presenting them through an organized yet expressive visual system.
Each ingredient is illustrated individually and accompanied by its name, allowing the reader to understand the seasonal variety while maintaining the visual character of the overall publication.
Overall, Jólegyél combines editorial design, illustration, typography, storytelling, and visual research to create a publication that feels both informative and personal.
The project transforms a cookbook into an immersive visual experience, inviting readers to explore food not simply as something to prepare and consume, but as a way to connect with nature, memories, creativity, and everyday life.