What's the ideal app to create a food menu?

[ash_UK]

Hi guys,

First post. I'm pretty new to the world of digital art/design. I took on an unpaid project 1.5 weeks ago for a cup design for a restaurant. I used Designer (worked 30hrs straight learning as I went on) to create what is now my proudest piece of work I've done in decades! Design is awesome I learnt sooo much!. Made the deadline and they're going into print! 😀 

It was around 3am in the morning when using Layers finally clicked in my head - it was like the "I know Kung-Fu" moment from The Matrix - 😎 LOL

So, now the same restaurant has asked me if I can redesign their food menus (mix of fonts/images/shapes/effects). This is where I'm a little confused as to what to use? I already own Designer and Photo (on PC). I'm sure I can probably wing it on either (don't really know Photo well yet) but I don't know which one I should start on. 

I've been so busy working on the cup project that I didn't have time to look into Publisher (potentially taking advantage of the sale price😭). Looking at Publisher I wonder if that was the right place to create a menu? :  /

I'm just starting to believe I could become good at this (art/design) go freelance and finally do the thing I should've done years ago rather than a decade in I.T.  Times have been hard these last couple years and not sure I can afford Publisher (now £50) as currently not bringing anything in while I learn on free projects to get my skills etc up. 

Apologies for the long intro. I can't find anything obvious online/YTube etc ... Where should I start guys? 

Cheers!

[Blende21]

For multiple page design, especially when text is involved, Publisher is the best pick.

You can create the basic layout of the restaurants menu as Master page(s), and fill them with content as you go.

Maybe these guys can compensate you, if not with money then with some of the best the kitchen can do 🤤

[ash_UK]

Thanks for the reply Blende21.

I was hoping Publisher wasn't the answer 😐 Been so busy I only realised just before posting here that the 50% sale ended a few days ago ☹️

You're idea for food compensation is a sound one but unfortunately due to recent health issues the food they sell is no good for me (typical 🤦‍♂️).

Think I'll just have to have a play about with Designer or Photo for now and see if I can make do with the menu design. So much to learn with those two I dismissed Publisher thinking it was just for hardcore publishers - doh!

Cheers!

[thomaso]

Since a menu is kind of a price list it must not contain text errors, respectively wrong numbers. Therefore APub can support you with features to give you most flexibility + efficient care and safety for your text. For instance Find & Replace, the already mentioned Master Pages, the concept of "Spreads" (facing pages for folded menus), the option to place Linked Resources (e.g. images) and finally "Sections" which can help when the variety of menus or layout variants increases within 1 document, which you additionally may mark with auto-text from "Fields" – these all are features which don't exist in AD and APh.

Also, of cause, you are free to combine the apps: e.g. for illustrations and photo editing, AD and APh will support you definitely more than APub. That means you could create all non-text in AD or APh and transfer those content as linked objects into APub, where you add the text. This way APub would do the main, "parent" document which contains the entire menu layout content whereas AD and APh would deliver parts of it.

However, this actually isn't a fundamentally necessary decision. You can start with AD and switch with any existing data if necessary. Of cause it would be quite useful to know the apps and their abilities and limits to do such a switch in the right moment. But I recommend not to use APh as the main, 'parent' app since it doesn't support you with various 'pages' (canvas, artboard) which will cause a cumbersome, confusing workflow for a bunch of menus with their increasing number of layout variants + updates.

Not existential here but nice to have: Different to AD and APh in APub you can switch the personas within APub, which gives you a quick access to major features of these apps without the need to leave APub.

[Old Bruce]

1 hour ago, ash_UK said:

So, now the same restaurant has asked me if I can redesign their food menus (mix of fonts/images/shapes/effects). This is where I'm a little confused as to what to use? I already own Designer and Photo (on PC). I'm sure I can probably wing it on either (don't really know Photo well yet) but I don't know which one I should start on. 

How many pages is the menu?

I would go with Designer if it is just a 4 page design. Meaning one sheet of paper folded in half. Use two artboards one for the inside and one for the outside (the front and back) if it is more than four pages use an artboard per page then assemble them into the finished size in another document.

[ash_UK]

43 minutes ago, thomaso said:

Since a menu is kind of a price list it must not contain text errors, respectively wrong numbers. Therefore APub can support you with features to give you most flexibility + efficient care and safety for your text. For instance Find & Replace, the already mentioned Master Pages, the concept of "Spreads" (facing pages for folded menus), the option to place Linked Resources (e.g. images) and finally "Sections" which can help when the variety of menus or layout variants increases within 1 document, which you additionally may mark with auto-text from "Fields" – these all are features which don't exist in AD and APh.

Also, of cause, you are free to combine the apps: e.g. for illustrations and photo editing, AD and APh will support you definitely more than APub. That means you could create all non-text in AD or APh and transfer those content as linked objects into APub, where you add the text. This way APub would do the main, "parent" document which contains the entire menu layout content whereas AD and APh would deliver parts of it.

However, this actually isn't a fundamentally necessary decision. You can start with AD and switch with any existing data if necessary. Of cause it would be quite useful to know the apps and their abilities and limits to do such a switch in the right moment. But I recommend not to use APh as the main, 'parent' app since it doesn't support you with various 'pages' (canvas, artboard) which will cause a cumbersome, confusing workflow for a bunch of menus with their increasing number of layout variants + updates.

Not existential here but nice to have: Different to AD and APh in APub you can switch the personas within APub, which gives you a quick access to major features of these apps without the need to leave APub.

Thomaso,

Thank you so much for taking the time to post all of that. 🙌 The info you've just provided is absolutely golden for this newbie to understand the different apps and use cases. I've read it a few times and will read a few times more. I knew about the persona switching but as I said in my 2nd post I dismissed I would ever need APub due to thinking it was purely for higher end publishing (magazines/newspapers etc). 

I didn't even think of the APub features you mention which sound crazy useful.

I will start with AD and see how I get on. I have a good month to work on the menu so will see how I get on even if it is a bit glued together (don't like working this way). If it turns out to be a mess then I'll see if they can help me out with the costs to buy APub.

All the best.👍

Edited June 24, 2020 by ash_UK
typo

[Blende21]

Maybe you create the menu you would like them to have, and not for the stomachfiller they do sell today 🤐

Then you could invite yourself ...

Good luck with your project.

[ash_UK]

23 minutes ago, Old Bruce said:

How many pages is the menu?

I would go with Designer if it is just a 4 page design. Meaning one sheet of paper folded in half. Use two artboards one for the inside and one for the outside (the front and back) if it is more than four pages use an artboard per page then assemble them into the finished size in another document.

Old Bruce,

Thanks for your advice!

Not sure on pages at the moment. Main menu is 1 page but they then have separate drinks/specials/table talker etc so want to consolidate everything so less things for people to touch/clean. I'll be trying to bring it all together (-specials). 

I will keep in mind what you have said when starting in AD. I'll be completely honest I've never used an artboard because I don't know what one is 😅- LOL (I knew the option was there just no time to check it out - I like the sound of it so will defo be on the You Tube. 😉

Cheers!

[thomaso]

1 hour ago, ash_UK said:

I dismissed I would ever need APub due to thinking it was purely for higher end publishing (magazines/newspapers etc). 

If you understand "high end" as a visual or as client-size aspect then APub is NOT the app with most options, for instance a certain kind of daily newspapers with many different text styles (font faces, sizes, etc), with colored background boxes, column strokes and photos could be created in AD as well, without visually limitations compared to APub.

APub's advantages are rather its tools for more efficient workflow, e.g. for media with many pages or if a serious of media with a consistent layout base is required. Actually APub does not enable a design which could not achieved by AD and APh ! Instead, vice versa, there are quite a few tools in AD and APh which enable you to design a look you would not be able to create in APub. For instance when it is about illustrative and photographic imagery, e.g. vector or texture brushes with varying and/or multiple strokes (AD) or when the design needs to edit pixel objects or apply live filters (APh), to mention just a few.

So, your decision to start with AD sounds wise, because AD will not prevent you from a specific design and can be supported by APh, too. Then, if the menu project becomes larger any time, you might notice yourself a desire for a more efficient workflow.

P.S.: one I forgot with APub is its "Table" feature, which enables you to select text in horizontal lines but also in vertical columns, which may become useful e.g. to select all prices but not the food/drink names or descriptions. Not that I would recommend them for your menu (they are more complex to edit), just to add it to the list of APub features.

[IanSG]

14 hours ago, ash_UK said:

Not sure on pages at the moment. Main menu is 1 page but they then have separate drinks/specials/table talker etc so want to consolidate everything so less things for people to touch/clean. I'll be trying to bring it all together (-specials). 

You may want to think about the possibility of publishing the menu within an app as well as having a hard copy.  There's a lot of press coverage in the UK about pubs, restaurants etc reopening and they all seem to be managing the catering via an app.