This limited-edition cookbook designed by Seachange Studio for the Cazador restaurant was recently awarded with three PANZ Book Design Awards (Publishers Association of New Zealand): Best Book, Best Cookbook & Best Cover. It was also shortlisted for the Best Typography award.

This choice was criticized by some journalists as noted by Kris Sowersby on Twitter.

There's a lot of interesting comments by designers and judges to read on the PANZ website, but the ones about typography are the most valuable ones, even if the book eventually didn't get the award.

Sea Studio: The overall typographic design references field guides and art catalogues in showcasing the game and recipes in all their glory. The display typeface Matrix, is a forgotten serif typeface, that reflects the raw, stripped back aesthetic of the food and restaurant. The use of a flexible broken grid means every single recipe has a unique typographic layout. This is to reflect that each recipe is deeply personal and unique to the Cazadors.

Judges’ Comments: Contemporary typography meets a very traditional approach to cooking, and acknowledges the decade when it all started the 1980s. Time-honoured butchery techniques and family recipes are energised by strong hierarchy of recipe names and changes of position on the page. The hero type face bears the signs of being carved as if touched by the chef’s knives. It also seems to summon up Persian history and the Farsi handwriting from the old recipe books of the founders.

“[…] The linen cover, reminiscent of an 1980s tablecloth, creates a nostalgic feel but it also seems very personal and reflects the unique identity of the restaurant. We love the exposed binding and stitching which allows you to look at the skeleton of the book but also evokes the game meat carcasses that the book celebrates. The judges also loved that it lies flat, assisting its functionality.” — Judges’ comments, PANZ Book Design Awards