From proof of concept to product: editorial design and branding for a vegan travel ebook

8 hours ago
5 min read

Our client had a strong idea and a clear intention, but the execution was not yet aligned with the experience she wanted to offer. We were delighted we were able to refine it and create a tangible product.

The ebook was packed with restaurant recommendations, markets, useful phrases, cultural nuances and practical advice for vegetarian and vegan travellers in Málaga. The content had depth and care. What it lacked was a visual language to match.

The client wasn’t looking for a quick fix or a prettier template. She wanted an editorial object that felt intentional: something that could live comfortably in a boutique hotel lobby, be offered as a premium digital resource, and evolve into a series across new cities and future editions.

Our role was to take a proof of concept and shape it into a product with presence.

Client's words

“My project was already underway, but I needed specialised collaboration—specifically someone who could offer strategic insight from a design and marketing perspective. From the very first assessment, I was impressed by her ideas, and we immediately began the process of redesigning my eBook, both in digital and print formats. Sonia has been attentive to every detail, not only in terms of design but also by recommending suitable platforms to print the product with the expected quality. She also suggested valuable marketing tools to help support the sale of the eBook. I am deeply grateful for her contributions and confident that we will continue working together on future projects.”

The challenge: aligning form and feeling

The first version had been created in Canva. It was a great start, but several elements were working against the experience the client wanted to create:

Inconsistent margins that made some pages feel cramped and others unfinished.
Mixed alignment choices that disrupted the reading flow.
Headings without a clear hierarchy, blurring the difference between chapters, sections and sub‑sections.
A heavy use of dark green, a promising brand colour that became overwhelming when applied everywhere.

Beneath all of this, there was a clear ambition: a guide that felt curated, confident and ready to stand as a branded product not just a downloadable file.

The intention

Together, we defined a simple but demanding goal: transform her work into a considered editorial piece, designed for both screen and print.

We focused on:

Refining the visual structure so every page supported effortless reading.
Creating a consistent system for titles, chapters and sections.
Designing a cover with enough character to become the face of a future collection.
Preparing files suitable for high‑quality printing, while remaining elegant in their digital form.

The outcome needed to feel at home in hospitality environments: quiet, confident, and worthy of being picked up and kept.

The audit: revealing the potential

Before designing, we listened to the content, to the context and to the future of the project.

A thorough review revealed three key opportunities:

The cover: visually pleasant, but not clearly presenting “Vega Vista” as a distinct, ownable title. It could be mistaken for stock, not for a brand.
The brand’s potential: a concept that could naturally expand into other cities, yet the design did not yet suggest a series or a system.
The content flow: a structure that worked intellectually, but could be reordered to better respect how a traveller actually uses the guide.

From there, we anchored the project around three priorities: readability, visual consistency and editorial positioning.

The design approach: calm clarity

Rather than chasing decorative effects, we worked with restraint. The design needed to feel like a well‑considered dining room: nothing random, nothing loud, everything there for a reason.

Margins and space

We began with breathing room. Consistent margins were defined and applied throughout the ebook, giving the content space to exist without pushing against the edges.

This simple discipline changes how a reader feels: pages become easier to navigate, eyes can rest, and the guide starts to feel like an object crafted, not improvised.

Alignment and hierarchy

Next, we chose a clear typographic logic.

One alignment approach, used consistently, to avoid visual jumps.

A defined hierarchy of styles: main title, chapter titles, page titles, subtitles and supporting text.

This hierarchy gives the reader orientation. Wherever they open the guide, they intuitively know where they are in the larger story.

Colour as an accent, not a blanket

The original dark green was not the problem, its usage was. Instead of letting it dominate every page, we repositioned it as an accent colour:

On chapter openings.
In icons and small structural details.
In subtle highlights that guide the eye.

Used this way, colour supports the brand quietly. It adds identity without exhausting the reader.

Designing the moments that matter

Certain pages carry more emotional and functional weight. In this project, the cover and the restaurant listings were those moments.

A cover with a future

We explored several directions for the cover:

A design that created curiosity by partially veiling the imagery, inviting the reader to open the guide.
A food‑led cover, celebrating the vibrant tones of plant‑based cuisine.
Location‑forward options where “Málaga” held more presence, anticipating a future family of guides where the city name could change while the system remained.

The intention was not simply beauty, but recognisability: a cover that could become the face of a collection.

From list to curated experience

For the restaurant section, we treated the design as part of the guest journey:

A comparison table, clean and legible, for those who want a quick overview.
Individual restaurant cards, allowing each space to be presented with nuance: service style, price range, address, dietary icons, and room for a short description or image.

These cards transform information into experience. They invite browsing in the same way a well‑designed wine list does: structured, but still human. We were mindful, however, of print length and cost, helping the client balance aesthetic richness with production realities.

Beyond the page: hospitality thinking

While the heart of the project was editorial, the conversation naturally extended into guest experience and brand strategy.

We discussed future steps:

A more intentional landing page to gather interest ahead of launch, with clear, welcoming copy and a simple form.
Trackable links in the digital version to understand how readers interact with the recommendations.
QR codes in the printed guide to create a quiet bridge between paper and digital, where space and layout allowed.

In doing this, the ebook became more than a static object. It turned into a touchpoint in a broader hospitality experience, one that could inform future decisions and deepen the relationship with readers.

The result: a guide with presence

The finished ebook now:

Reads with ease, thanks to consistent margins, spacing and alignment.
Feels professional and composed, with a clear typographic structure.
Expresses the brand through thoughtful colour and layout decisions.
Exists comfortably both as a printed piece and a digital resource.
Is ready to grow into future editions without needing to be reinvented.

The content was always strong. Design elevated it into a product with weight, coherence and a quiet sense of care.

For brands who see their materials as part of the experience

This kind of work is for teams who already value their content and their guests too much to leave the details to chance.

If you are shaping:

A guide, menu, in‑room booklet or editorial piece created in a DIY tool that doesn’t yet match your standards.
A resource you’d like to offer in both digital and printed form.
A product that carries your name, your taste and your promise to guests.

You do not need more features or more pages. You need alignment: between what you say, how it looks and how it feels in the hands of the people you care about.

That is where ChillBiz Studio steps in, quietly, carefully, to turn thoughtful ideas into experiences that belong in the spaces you’ve worked so hard to create.