NAIT Hokanson Chef in Residence: Celebrating Indigenous Cuisine
Know Your Chef, Know Your Ingredients: Promoting Culinary Excellence and Indigenous Heritage
Services
Digital Invitation Design, Branding, Social Media
Client
NAIT
Software
Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, After Effects
My task was to develop compelling promotional materials for NAIT’s 2025 Hokanson Chef in Residence program, highlighting Indigenous chef Quentin Glabus and his unique focus on pre-colonial cuisine. The core challenge involved respectfully integrating Indigenous cultural themes into the design while maintaining NAIT’s brand integrity and clearly communicating the event's culinary essence.
My objective was to design engaging and informative assets, including posters and digital invitations.
The aim was threefold: to celebrate Indigenous culinary heritage through Chef Glabus’s distinctive approach, to effectively promote the
Chef in Residence program, and to drive attendance to the special events.
All while ensuring a strong visual connection to NAIT and incorporating elements inspired Indigenous artistry.
My design approach was rooted in evoking the Alberta landscape through flowing organic shapes, with waterways rendered in NAIT’s brand blue and mountains in gray, creating an immediate sense of place and institutional connection.
I subtly integrated Indigenous-inspired geometric patterns, choosing this path to honor artistic traditions without using specific, culturally sensitive symbolism. To directly emphasize the culinary focus, a background pattern of key
pre-colonial ingredients was incorporated.
Finally, Chef Glabus’s presence is highlighted through a black and white photo, where a strategic pop of color on his maple leaf provides a unique and memorable visual anchor. This comprehensive solution delivers a design that is both respectful and highly effective in promoting the event's unique blend of culinary excellence and cultural heritage.