Hi all. I'm Jin and I'll be working on the designs for the Stack Exchange sites as they graduate from the beta phase. Each site will have its own unique theme that will reflects its topic. However, all sites will share quite a bit of common elements so they feel like they're part of the Stack Exchange family.
For Cooking site design, here are some of my ideas:
Design Goal I'd like the site to resemble the feel of cooking books and magazines, or restaurant menus. It should put people in the "cooking mood." I've been looking through a lot of cooking publications lately and I see some common design elements in them. I also think adding a slight vintage look to the design will suit the theme of "Seasoned Advice."
Colors
Warm and vibrant colors are appetizing. Here's the color palette I came up with for the site, inspired by cooking books.
Logo We have a great domain name picked out, "Seasoned Advice." I think a chef's hat is the most recognizable imagery associated with cooking. It is used in most cultures.
Initial Design Here's my mockup of the homepage. I used some old paper texture to give it the vintage look, and the colors are inspired by cooking books. The background of the site is a picnic table cloth pattern. Again, the goal of this design is to create that warm, appetizing and joyful feeling associated with cooking. You can see a full resolution version here.
I'd love to hear your feedback.
Update added Question view page mockup. (not all site elements present).