THE RECIPE

In a digital world, post-COVID-19 shutdown, many companies are revamping many aspects of what it looks like to interact with clients. That is no exception for KNOCK Inc. when it comes to their holiday card. In 2023 a team of creatives, including myself, were given the opportunity to show KNOCK's gratitude for another year of partnership with their clients through a digital holiday initiative. Having heard in an earlier meeting that KNOCK is one of the most diverse agencies in Minneapolis, I wanted to highlight the beauty of our multicultural agency. I began to think of aspects of culture that span all cultures. Pretty quickly the role that food plays in every culture of bringing people together in conversation and community, came to mind. Thus the idea of a KNOCK recipe book was born!

FOR YOUR ULTIMATE ADVENTURE

Seymour is the premire paddle company of the northland. Located just a hop skip and a jump away from the Boundary Waters on the beautiful shores of Lake Superior in Duluth, MN, Seymour was founded in the ultimate paddling city. The founder, John, has been creating and paddling with his handcrafted paddles in the rough waters of Lake of the Woods since 2014. Seymour paddles are not created just for beauty, but for comfort and durability in the rugged terrain of the northern wilderness.

THE PLATING

Illustrations were the primary method of conveying culture visually. Each illustration is packed full of meaning and nuance gathered from KNOCK co-workers through interviews. For example, Alexandra Cuervo's Arepa recipe from Columbia (top right) is presented with butter, Cotjia cheese, tomatoes, and limes all on the side. These are to represent items that her family likes to top their Arepa's with, while on the actual plate are items Alexandra normally enjoys. In this style of illustration much more of the personality of the recipe giver, as well as the culture they come from, shines through.

FOR YOUR ULTIMATE ADVENTURE

Seymour is the premire paddle company of the northland. Located just a hop skip and a jump away from the Boundary Waters on the beautiful shores of Lake Superior in Duluth, MN, Seymour was founded in the ultimate paddling city. The founder, John, has been creating and paddling with his handcrafted paddles in the rough waters of Lake of the Woods since 2014. Seymour paddles are not created just for beauty, but for comfort and durability in the rugged terrain of the northern wilderness.

THE LOCALE

While food is well known to be the universal coming together of a community, as the research into food and cultures progressed, we ran into issues related to origin. Many dishes have been traded among cultures as people have moved throughout history, likewise, country lines have shifted, ultimately changing the "place of origin." While we wanted to acknowledge the often fraught history of whose culture a dish ultimately originated from, that story was too complicated to explore in this project of gratitude. We chose to highlight our co-worker's personal relation to their dish and how they engage with their culture while making and enjoying it. In a nod to the culture our co-workers shared in this project, Fuechee Thao, designed the beautiful stamps below.

OUR COMPASS

Seymours true north is to craft customized canoe paddles to meet our customers specific paddling needs. In creating paddles, we want to support people’s exploration of the wild and the protection of it. We strive to create as little impact on the environment with our paddles as we possibly can.