Bon Appetit Magazine celebrates the world of great food and the pleasure of sharing it with others. Every issue invites readers into a hands-on experience, engaging them in all aspects of the epicurean lifestyle: cooking, dining, travel, entertaining, shopping and design. The magazine reaches a total of 8,003,000 people, 75% women, with a median age of 48 and income of $91,849. An upcoming issue will be dedicated to college eating. The publication needs a poster of an informational graphic showing the Starbucks consumption habits of undergraduates over the course of seven days. This poster will be folded and included in the magazine.

The challenge is to create informational graphics that translate the raw data collected into an easy-to-understand and visually appealing poster. Focusing on the consumption habits of college students at Starbucks coffee houses, surveys were taken over the course of a two-week period in regards to what drinks and pastries were purchased, and how often. The information is processed into a series of icons with minimal text on the Bon Appetit poster that works with a legend to heighten understanding without overwhelming the reader. The sleek and sophisticated aesthetics of Starbucks corporate standards was considered, yet the designs had to refrain from confusing Bon Appetit readers into thinking the poster was an advertisement produced by the coffee company.
For the hand-sketched icons of items purchased, I drew inspiration from the chalkboard menu drawings of frappuccinos and mochas posted over the barista station at local Starbucks. This less refined approach to the legend balanced out the static photography of the gradually draining white espresso cups, working as a metaphor for the passage of time over one week. The earth-toned color scheme and muslin coffee bag background were also carried over from the company’s previous espresso print advertisements. The slab-serif font Archer was selected for its formal legibility and prominent usage in other magazines focused towards the target demographic of women age 48 with an income of $91,849, such as Martha Stewart Living. The horizontal green bar dividing the middle of the poster mimics the shape of a “coffee jacket” used to keep a latte consumer from burning their hands.

I researched the poster by touring a variety of Starbucks coffeehouses to record the aesthetics of the interior design, recognizing what basic visual similarities were required for every location. In addition to this, the print and television commercials created by Starbucks served as an influence for the poster’s visuals. I explored an assortment of info graphic charts and graphs made visually appealing with illustrative, vector, and photographic approaches to translating from other raw data. I also consulted product advertisements within the coffee industry for influence. Martha Stewart Omnimedia and Bon Appetit were considered as well in regards to the design themes most commonly seen with this target audience.