Ball Blue Book, 38th Edition
Project Overview
The Ball Blue Book has been on kitchen shelves for decades. For its 38th Edition, Newell Brands — working through Willow Marketing — wanted to modernize the design without losing the trust and familiarity the book had earned over generations. The goal was a cleaner, more contemporary look that could compete on today’s shelves while still feeling like Ball.
WoodMill came in as Art Director, responsible for the full design and layout of a 200+ page book from cover to index.
Client
Newell Brands
(via Willow Marketing)
Role
Art Director
Year
2023
Scope of Work
- Art Direction
- Book Design & Layout
- Cover Redesign
- Collaboration with Photographers
- Index Creation Oversight
- File Prep for Print
Design Approach
Previous editions had grown visually dated. We stripped it back — clean, minimal, intentional. The biggest visual move was bringing the iconic blue back to the cover in a bold, confident way. It reinforced Ball’s heritage instead of running from it. The result felt fresh and familiar at the same time.
Edition 37
Edition 38
Challenges and Solutions
More Content, Same Page Count:
The client added 40 new recipes to this edition and made a solid estimate of the total page count—but the final layout ended up two pages over. In book publishing, pages must be added in multiples of four, not individually. Because the print contract had already been finalized, adding four extra pages would have triggered a costly change order, likely increasing the production budget by thousands and requiring executive approval.
The Fix:
In a single day, I reflowed content, optimized layout spacing, and fit everything in without compromising quality or legibility. We hit our deadline and avoided a budget increase.
Indexing:
Indexing a 200+ page recipe book isn’t a design problem — it’s a specialized skill. Rather than fake it, we brought in a professional book indexer to handle it right. The kind of solution that only works when you know what you don’t know.
Highlights
Met every single deadline, even with late-stage content changes
Saved the client thousands of dollars by solving a last-minute layout issue
Book is now sold in most major retail stores in the canning section
Introduced a fresh, minimalist aesthetic that reset expectations for the Blue Book
Results And Reflections
The Ball Blue Book, 38th Edition is now on shelves in major retail stores nationwide. Every deadline was met. The client was satisfied. And the redesign quietly reset what the Blue Book looks like going forward.
You can pick one up the next time you’re at the store.