Most culinary creatives don’t have the time (or desire) to be designers overnight.
Tell me if this hits to home...
- Have outgrown your DIY logo (or never really loved it to begin with).
- You’re tired of scrolling past beautifully branded foodies thinking, “I wish my brand looked like that.”
- Have been dreaming about publishing a cookbook but have no clue how to make it look polished and professional.
- You know your work deserves to be seen but your brand isn’t doing it justice.
You’ve been pouring your energy into your content, recipes, and creative projects only to feel like your visuals don’t match the flavor of what you’re offering.
Maybe you...
You're not alone.
There's a New Path Waiting
- A brand that feels as flavorful and refined as your creations.
- A brand that tells your story, attracts your dream audience, and looks just as intentional as the work you do behind the scenes.
- A cookbook that feels like a piece of art because it was designed with care, purpose, and your unique voice in mind.
I help culinary creatives like you turn your passion into a polished, personality-packed brand that feels as irresistible as your signature dish. From scroll-stopping logos to cookbooks that sell your story (and your offers), I’ll make sure your brand looks as good as your food tastes.
I help culinary creatives like you turn your passion into a polished, personality-packed brand that feels as irresistible as your signature dish. From scroll-stopping logos to cookbooks that sell your story (and your offers), I’ll make sure your brand looks as good as your food tastes.
You bring the vision. I’ll bring the zest.
What if you had...
My proven creative process blends thoughtful strategy with standout design so your brand or cookbook not only looks beautiful, but it works beautifully too.
My Signature Zest Method
Once everything is aligned and approved, I prep your final files and give you the tools to share your new brand or cookbook with confidence.
Ready to Serve
Ready to Serve
Every bold brand starts with a clear foundation. I uncover your unique flavor through research and strategy with clarifying your audience, voice, and goals so I can design with purpose.
Strategy First
Strategy First
Once everything is aligned and approved, I prep your final files and give you the tools to share your new brand or cookbook with confidence.
From typography to texture, we curate every detail to reflect your brand’s essence. This is where your visuals start to speak clearly, confidently, and irresistibly.
Aligned Visuals
Aligned Visuals
From typography to texture, we curate every detail to reflect your brand’s essence. This is where your visuals start to speak clearly, confidently,
and irresistibly.
Design is a team effort. I work side by side with you, turning your ideas into visuals that feel like you. It’s collaborative, supportive, and tailored to your flavor and vision.
Creative Collaboration
Creative Collaboration
Design is a team effort. I work side by side with you, turning your ideas into visuals that feel like you. It’s collaborative, supportive, and tailored to your flavor and vision.
What I Can Cook Up
All the Extra Trimmings
A Stunning
Cookbook
A Brand That Feels Like You
Need a cookbook gift box? Menus? Or something else? I’ve got you covered from starter to dessert.
Logo, color palette, fonts, and all the delicious little details that make your brand instantly recognizable.
From page layouts to typography, I’ll design your cookbook to look as
beautiful as the recipes inside.
Get ready for the full Gourmet Brand Experience. We begin by creating your brand strategy and messaging. Then, we will transition into designing your complete visual identity. Lastly, adding some brand touch points to help you launch your brand.
Gourmet Brand Experience
FULL-SERVICE BRAND DESIGN
This is the ultimate dream brand package for culinary creatives who are ready to go all in to building their brand. It covers everything from brand strategy to a complete visual identity.
6-8
Weeks
- Brand Questionnaire: A thoughtful deep dive into your business. This is where the flavor starts. We'll uncover your mission, vision, values, and voice so everything we create is rooted in purpose.
- 1:1 Project Calls: From kickoff to send-off, we’ll connect live to align on your goals, review progress, and make sure your brand feels just right every step of the way.
- Client Portal: A private digital home for everything such as timelines, files, feedback, and sweet design magic. All in one organized place so you can stay up-to-date on your project(s).
- Brand Strategy/Messaging: The soul of your brand, served with clarity. I’ll define your mission, vision, USP, tagline, values, audience, and key brand words that guide every creative decision.
- Creative Direction: The visual recipe for your brand. We’ll craft a cohesive aesthetic through inspiring visuals, curated colors, and expressive type choices that match your flavor and vibe. It includes mood board, color palette and typography.
- Brand Identity Logo Suite: A full course of logo designs: primary, secondary, tertiary, monogram, tagline mark, and an optional icon or pattern. A beautifully flexible system for all your brand touch points.
- 2 Rounds of Refinement: Two full rounds to tweak, polish, and perfect your brand identity so every element feels aligned with your taste and goals.
- Brand Reveal Reel: A celebratory walkthrough video showcasing your new brand in action. It’s perfect for sharing with your audience (and popping a little bubbly).
- Ultimate Canva Brand Toolkit: Prepped and ready for your everyday content needs. Your colors, fonts and brand elements will be loaded into an easy-to-use Canva toolkit for seamless designs that stay on brand. Plus, two social media templates for you to use.
- Bonus Treat (Pick one final cherry on top)
- Menu Design – A beautifully branded menu, perfect for chefs, creators, and
culinary pros. - Pinterest Graphics – Branded, scroll-stopping pins to drive traffic to your recipes, blog, or offers.
I recommend you develop your brand strategy before we dive into your visual identity. It will help set the foundation for creating a cohesive and intentional brand identity.
We begin with working on some brand messaging and then move into designing your logo suite.
Tasteful Brand Intensive
Standard Brand design
An intensive branding service that provides brand messaging and visual brand needs to kickstart your food brand on a four-week timeline.
4-6
Weeks
- Brand Questionnaire: A thoughtful deep dive into your business. This is where the flavor starts. We'll review your already done mission, vision, values, and voice so everything we create is rooted in purpose.
- 1:1 Project Calls: From kickoff to send-off, we’ll connect live to align on your goals, review progress, and make sure your brand feels just right every step of the way.
- Client Portal: A private digital home for everything such as timelines, files, feedback, and sweet design magic. All in one organized place so you can stay up-to-date on your project(s).
- Brand Messaging: The soul of your brand, served with clarity. I’ll define your tagline, brand values, audience, and key brand words that guide every creative decision.
- Creative Direction: The visual recipe for your brand. We’ll craft a cohesive aesthetic through inspiring visuals, curated colors, and expressive font choices that match your flavor and vibe. It includes mood board, color palette and typography.
- Brand Identity Logo Suite: A full course of logo designs: primary, secondary, tertiary, monogram, tagline mark, and an optional icon or pattern. A beautifully flexible for all your brand touch points.
- 1 Round of Refinement: One full round to tweak and polish your brand identity so every element feels aligned with your taste and goals.
- Brand Reveal Reel: A celebratory walkthrough video showcasing your new brand in action. It’s perfect for sharing with your audience (and popping a little bubbly).
- Canva Brand Toolkit:* Prepped and ready for your everyday content needs. Your colors, fonts and brand elements will be loaded into an easy-to-use Canva toolkit for seamless designs that stay on brand.
All content is to be provided by the author. We start with the cookbook strategy, basic messaging, and then progress into designing your cookbook.
Signature
Cookbook Design
FULL-SERVICE Self-Publish Cookbook Design
This package is a full-service self-publishing cookbook design service for culinary creatives who need help with designing their cookbook from start to finish. This service helps provide you assistance with cookbook design, formatting for hardback, paperback and Kindle and setting it up on an online platform (i.e. Amazon KDP, Mixam, etc.).
10-12
Weeks
- Brand Questionnaire: We’ll start with a branding deep dive to ensure your cookbook reflects your voice, story, and signature style from cover to cover.
- 1:1 Project Calls: Personalized check-ins to keep everything on track. We'll connect at key milestones to review, refine, and make cookbook magic together.
- Client Portal: A private digital home for everything such as timelines, files, feedback, and sweet design magic. All in one organized place so you can stay up-to-date on your project(s).
- Cookbook Strategy Questionnaire: From content structure to publishing goals, this detailed questionnaire helps us shape your cookbook’s purpose, flow, and creative direction.
- Creative Direction: We’ll set the visual tone with an inspiring mood board, sample layouts, curated colors, and typography that brings your flavor to life on every page.
- Full Cookbook Design: Your culinary story, beautifully designed up to 125 recipes, styled and structured with intention. Every spread will reflect your brand and engage your readers. More than 125 recipes? No problem, it’s $50 per 10 additional recipes.
- Self-Publishing Assistance: We’ll help you navigate the self-publishing process with ease. Includes setup and formatting for Hardcover, Paperback, and Kindle on Amazon KDP (or your preferred platform).
- 2 Rounds of Refinement: Two full rounds of revisions so every detail feels just right—down to the spacing between those ingredient lines.
- Cookbook Graphics Package: A graphics package includes images of your cookbook cover, inside spreads, and a web banner for your sales page and email newsletters. The package also includes an announcement social media post and a Flipsnack preview version of your cookbook, which can be embedded on your sales page. This complete graphics package is designed to help you promote your new self-published cookbook.
- Bonus Treat (Pick one final cherry on top)
- Recipe Card Design – A beautifully branded recipe card to gift, sell, or share with your community.
- Pinterest Graphics – A set of scroll-worthy pins to promote your cookbook, recipes, or brand.
For this package, you choose which design service you need. Designs are done in InDesign or Canva (your choice). It doesn’t include cookbook setup on Amazon KDP or other platforms like Mixam, etc.
If you need Amazon KDP/platform assistance, it may be added on as an add-on service.
We start with the cookbook strategy and then progress into designing your pages.
Signature Cookbook Design (Essentials)
Self-Publish Cookbook Design
This cookbook design service provides you with an essentials option to jump start your cookbook design project. Do you need just a front and back cover or do you need an ebook template? Or do you need an ebook designed? Let’s have a chat.
4-6
Weeks
- Brand Questionnaire: We’ll start with a quick but meaningful dive into your brand, so your ebook cookbook or front/back cover feels like you on every page.
- 1:1 Project Calls: Personalized check-ins to keep everything on track. We'll connect at key milestones to review, refine, and make cookbook magic together.
- Client Portal: A private digital home for everything such as timelines, files, feedback, and sweet design magic. All in one organized place so you can stay up-to-date on your project(s).
- Cookbook Strategy Questionnaire: From content structure to publishing goals, this detailed questionnaire helps us shape your cookbook’s purpose, flow, and creative direction.
- Creative Direction: We’ll set the visual tone with an inspiring mood board, sample layouts, curated colors, and typography that brings your flavor to life on every page.
- Cookbook Essential (Pick One): Choose your own cookbook adventure. Pick from one of the following services.
- 1 Round of Refinement: One round of refinements to fine-tune the details and make sure everything is seasoned just right.
- Cookbook Front & Back Cover: A professionally designed digital cover duo that’s ready to turn heads. Whether on your website, social, or digital shelves.
- Ebook Design (up to 75 recipes):* A beautiful, custom-designed ebook ready to share with your audience. Stylish, strategic, and made to reflect your culinary brand. *Need more than 75 recipes? Additional available for an added fee.
- Ebook Template (Front/Back Cover, Table of Contents, Recipe Page): Reusable, brand-aligned layouts for your Table of Contents, recipe pages, and front/back cover, so you can confidently expand or refresh in the future.
“Working with Ashlee was an
incredible experience!
MEGAN Schetzsle, her wholesome kitchen
She was able to bring my brand and vision to life through her expertise and knowledge of the industry. She created a cookbook for me that takes my brand to the next level and is stunning! I also appreciated that she guided me through the process of discovery and execution so seamlessly. If you are in the food space and need design work, I can’t recommend her services enough!”
She was able to bring my brand and vision to life through her expertise and knowledge of the industry. She created a cookbook for me that takes my brand to the next level and is stunning! I also appreciated that she guided me through the process of discovery and execution so seamlessly. If you are in the food space and need design work, I can’t recommend her services enough!”
A Seasoned Professional
I’m a Multi-Passionate Creative
Not Just Any Designer
I have 18 years of design experience.
I know how to plate your brand or cookbook visually so it connects
instantly and keeps them coming
back for seconds.
I’m not just a designer who thinks macarons are cute (though, they are).
I LOVE working with color.
I’m a food-obsessed, cookbook-published, & lemon-loving creative who lives, breathes, and yes - eats this daily.
Why Work with Me
Because I get food. Like, really get it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
You Ask, I Answer.
The Creative Zest works with the following type of clients:
• Food Bloggers
• Restaurants
• Bakeries
• Cafés
• Food Brands
• Nutritionists
• Personal Chefs
• Food Copywriters
• Others in the Food Industry
• Food Photographers
• Food Stylists
• Dietitians
• Executive Chefs
• Recipe Developers
Each project with The Creative Zest involves a free consultation call to determine your goals, vision and a custom proposal with details and service options for you.
Since every client's project is different, this initial call is crucial to discuss your needs, preferred investment of choice and your goals.
I'm happy to serve clients with various budgets with a wide range of design services to meet your needs. Most of The Creative Zest projects are in the four- or five-figure range.
Even if you're not sure whether your budget matches up with my pricing, I encourage you to still reach out. I often create custom packages beyond those on my main services menu for those wishing to remain budget conscious.
Discovery calls are meant to be as an opportunity for me to learn about you and get curious about how working with my studio can help add more flavor to your business. These calls are a casual and valuable time for you to explore and discuss what you hope to solve.
It starts with learning more about you and your business/brand, your journey, what inspired you and what you love to do.
Then, I'll ask more about project goals, what problems you are encountering, what success looks like to you, and what kind of return on your investment you hope to gain.
Next, we'll discuss investment in ranges, package options, discuss your budget (if you have one), and talk about estimated project timeline.
Lastly, we'll wrap things up by discussing the proposal process and what things look like moving forward.
My creative philosophy embraces simplicity, creativity, and fun. My process inspires deep thought while keeping things fresh, approachable, and easy
to understand.
I have more than a decade of marketing and design experience. I relish the opportunity to help our clients succeed. My diverse background allows me the flexibility to think outside the box and provide a fresh perspective. It's like getting an experienced creative consultant along with the designer—what a great value!
I create a culture of warmth and positivity. I draw inspiration from my clients’ drive for their brand. I use my curiosity to find creative solutions and I am dedicated to delivering top-notch, juicy results to help your brand grow.
I value my relationships with my clients, provide high-quality design solutions and strive to create harmony between business and life. I ensure every client project is given thoughtful consideration and handled with care.
Hey, I’m Ashlee!
Meet Your Designer
I'm the brand and cookbook designer behind
The Creative Zest, a brand and cookbook design studio catering to culinary creatives by building stunning brand and cookbook designs.
My studio is based in the mountains of northern Utah. My expertise lies in brand design for culinary creatives dedicated to their creative vision, whether they're food bloggers, dietitians, food entrepreneurs, food photographers, nutritionists, bakeries, cafes, food brands, food stylists, or private chefs, etc.
I'm the brand and cookbook designer behind
The Creative Zest, a brand and cookbook design studio catering to culinary creatives by building stunning brand and cookbook designs.
My studio is based in the mountains of northern Utah. My expertise lies in brand design for culinary creatives dedicated to their creative vision, whether they're food bloggers, dietitians, food entrepreneurs, food photographers, nutritionists, bakeries, cafes, food brands, food stylists, or private chefs, etc.
Hey, I’m Ashlee!
© 2024-2025 THe creative zest, llc. all rights reserved. privacy policy. site by THE CREATIVE ZEST.