For the Love of Food

I'm Allergic to Dairy!!

Every time my boyfriend and I go out to a restaurant I forget to tell the waiter that I'm allergic to dairy. And somehow I always end up with a plate full O cheese! I didn't order it but it just creeps up onto everything... salads, soups, even cheese less things have cheese these days. So i have a solution... Save the kitchen, waiter, me and my boyfriend the hassle... BUTTONS! Email me if you want one too :D

Caramel Crunch Recipe Cards

A SHORTBREAD special! Double click on this recipe card to use as a tag on your Valentine's Day gifts! Not to mention that this recipe is fabulously easy and fabulously delicious!!

Valentine's Day Coupons

For My Man :D

7 am... can't sleep... So i made cute Valentine's Day (or any day) coupons. Click here to download a set of 4 and use them yourself! If you have Illustrator you can even edit the name and holiday! Happy Valentines Day!

What Ever Happened to the Rebus?

I used to love those word puzzlys as a kid and for some reason I started looking different ones up today. After much research I decided to make one of my own in honor of my current design inspiration & the upcoming Valentine's Day! Oh and how could I forget. I bought a new font today called Memoriam... Had to take her out for a test drive DUH! :D

AIGA Event

What Drives You? Join AIGA Boston for a day of design inspiration at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. We will be introduced to the exhibit by MoMA Creative Director, Brian Bergeron, who will give us an exclusive talk on how museum exhibits and other events effect messaging and creative at the retail level. Directly following the talk we will go on to explore the "Bauhaus 1919-1933: Workshops for Modernity" exhibit. Afterwards you will be free to visit the many other inspiring exhibits such as: Tim Burton; The New Typography; Irving Penn; Gabriel Orozco; and Monet's Waterlilies. Alternatively you can relax in the Bauhaus Lounge specially created for the Bauhaus exhibit. The museum will be open until 5:30 PM.

A Quote to Live By!

“The work you do while you procrastinate is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life.”

-Jessica Hische

Filling in the Gap

Found an adorable idea online for a Tooth Fairy Kit... working on recreating it now for my parents dental office. What an adorable way to celebrate tooth loss! Appropriation is the sincerest form of flattery :D

Eatin' Beans

In Boston for the weekend... Check out these awesome posters! They have tons of other cities too! Even one of the brain :D

Amazing Poker Face Parody

Menu Mind Games

I just read this incredible article in New York Magazine about the importance of design, particularly menu design! Read below for the most amazing marketing tricks using Balthazar's amazingly designed menu as an example. It just goes to show the importance of design and layout!

1. The Upper Right-Hand Corner

That’s the prime spot where diners’ eyes automatically go first. Balthazar uses it to highlight a tasteful, expensive pile of seafood. Generally, pictures of food are powerful motivators but also menu taboos—mostly because they’re used extensively in lowbrow chains like Chili’s and Applebee’s. This illustration “is as far as a restaurant of this caliber can go, and it’s used to draw attention to two of the most expensive orders,” Poundstone says.

2. The Anchor

The main role of that $115 platter—the only three-digit thing on the menu—is to make everything else near it look like a relative bargain, Poundstone says.

3. Right Next Door

At a mere $70, the smaller seafood platter next to Le Balthazar seems like a deal, though there’s no sense of how much food you’re getting. It’s an indefinite comparison that also feels like an indulgence—a win-win for the restaurant.

4. In The Vicinity

The restaurant’s high-profit dishes tend to cluster near the anchor. Here, it’s more seafood at prices that seem comparatively modest.

5. Columns Are Killers

According to Brandon O’Dell, one of the consultants Poundstone quotes in Priceless, it’s a big mistake to list prices in a straight column. “Customers will go down and choose from the cheapest items,” he says. At least the Balthazar menu doesn’t use leader dots to connect the dish to the price; that draws the diner’s gaze right to the numbers. Consultant Gregg Rapp tells clients to “omit dollar signs, decimal points, and cents … It’s not that customers can’t check prices, but most will follow whatever subtle cues are provided.”

6. The Benefit Of Boxes

“A box draws attention and, usually, orders,” Poundstone says. “A really fancy box is better yet. The fromages at the bottom of the menu are probably high-profit puzzles.”

7. Menu Siberia

That’s where low-margin dishes that the regulars like end up. The examples here are the easy-to-miss (and relatively inexpensive) burgers.

8. Bracketing

A regular trick, it’s when the same dish comes in different sizes. Here, that’s done with steak tartare and ravioli—but because “you never know the portion size, you’re encouraged to trade up,” Poundstone says. “Usually the smaller size is perfectly adequate.”

A Vegan Holiday Card

© Designed by JshortDesigns

Anyone Who Helped with My Site...

Form Follows Function

If in food simplicity is the way to go, wouldn't that go hand in hand with design too?

If you agree with me in ANY WAY, eat here! Form definitely follows function!

Step Up to the Plate...

These plate graphics were designed for a promotional holiday gift for Bon Appétit advertisers. The plates received an American In house Design Award from Graphic Design USA! That was cool as a cucumber! For more portfolio pieces, click the portfolio link in the left column of the page for a slideshow.

Miss Me?

I want to start off this blog by dedicating it to one of my best friends and an incredible illustrator and designer. For my birthday this year he made this illustration of me as "Jenna Shortbread" my alias so to speak. I think it's one of the most meaningful and thoughtful birthday presents I have ever received and to that I'd like to publicly thank him. Pursue your dreams to be an illustrator, I can't think of anyone else more perfect for the job! Thank you & Love You Mikey!

Welcome to JshortDesigns!

JshortDesigns is the design team with over 8 years of design experience providing creative service, art direction and graphic design to businesses. We offer a unique blend of creative vision and technical expertise. We can create designs to inspire your company! Call us at 617.872.3069.