Everyone has that dream project they have always thought about tackling someday when they can find the time. For me, that project is called Counting Cake. Counting Cake is a healthy dessert blog I plan to create, brand, and produce weekly content.

About Counting Cake

While creating a healthy dessert blog may sound like a sweet idea, for me, it has significant importance. I have always had a sweet tooth and even when I am trying to eat healthily, a cookie is hard for me to pass up. Keeping a lean weight is not something that has ever been easy for me. In my freshman year of college, between the chocolate chip pancakes and the easy access to Ben and Jerry’s pints, I double the freshman 15, gaining 30 pounds. Luckily, it didn’t last, and that summer I joined Weight Watchers. What I loved about the program was that I could still eat anything I wanted, all I had to do was count my points and stay within my given points. This made dieting a lot easier for me since cutting out sweets has always been something I struggled with. I was actually doing very well on that diet and in my following sophomore year, I lost it all and more! Unfortunately, when COVID hit, I lost a bit of that motivation that I had before. Because of the situation, I stopped counting the foods I ate for comfort and only counted my meals. I have recently begun to get back on track with my diet and count everything I eat, even the cake. That is why this blog is important for me to create, and not only for myself but for other healthy eaters that still have a vicious sweet tooth. Dessert doesn’t have to be scary, the end to your diet, or something to be avoided. For people that still want a little something sweet, but to have it within their diet and without guilt, I want to provide these recipes that are easy to access, fun to make, and simply healthy. 

Project Goals

As a designer, doing my research and creating a visually appealing and attractive brand that pulls in my audience is important to me. I want Counting Cake to be well branded, researched, and designed, as I think those aspects of the blog are all necessary for success. Having a well-designed blog is just as important as the recipes that are on it. If people can’t understand it or aren’t intrigued enough to read it, they won’t get as much out of it. The branding will also carry into helping craft the blog’s identity, personality, and how it communicates with its audience. It is important to spend the time to research and define the brand prior to starting the blog posts. With powerful branding, the blog can stand out from others and gain a wider, loyal, audience that follows and interacts with the blog throughout its journey. 

Research

To begin this project, I have found 30 sources for my research. I have researched, healthy dessert recipes, blog writing, branding, food photography, and competitors. While I am always quick to enjoy a healthy treat and I have experience as a baker, creating recipes is not something I know a lot about. I want my blog’s recipes to be original, and while I do know a few, I want to spend time researching more and learning from each recipe to help with creating my own. Also, while I have experience in photography, food photography is completely new to me and something I have to spend some time learning about. Most importantly, before I dive in, I also want to spend time researching what healthy dessert blogs are currently out there. Not only do I want my dessert blog to stand out from the rest, but I want mine to provide for the audience what others are lacking. 

Project Deliverables

In addition, to beginning research on my project, I have also planned out the project deliverables, so I know what I need to do and can create a timeline to manage my project. These deliverables include:

• Define target audience

• Research 

• Mood board

• Define brand personality

• Logo Sketches

• Define color Palette and typography

• Finalize logo and sub-marks

• Create brand board

• Final branding guidelines

• List ideas for blogs and recipes

• Create a content calendar

• Accumulate blog assets and drafts

• Finalize blogs

I am excited to be able to tackle this project and be able to help make healthy dessert recipes easy and accessible to other like me, healthy eaters with a sweet tooth!