• ART DIRECTION + DESIGN
  • GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION
  • RECENT WORK
  • About
  • Contact
Marisa Kwek
  • ART DIRECTION + DESIGN
  • GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION
  • RECENT WORK
  • About
  • Contact

THE COMPLETE COCKTAIL MANUAL

art + photo direction
cover design
info graphics design


A highly illustrative and informative manual about cocktails presented in the author's unique and often humorous voice.

2017 Spirited Awards® Nominee for Best New Cocktail & Bartending Book.

author: Lou Bustamante
book interior design: Jennifer Durrant
photography on featured spreads: John Lee, Valter Fabiano, Allison Webber

published by Weldon Owen

SAVEUR NEW CLASSICS COOKBOOK

art direction
cover + interior design
chapter opener + icon illustrations

A cookbook created in collaboration with the editors of SAVEUR magazine. Made for the home cook, it functions as an essential guide and celebrates the brand's heritage and global culinary knowledge.

2015 James Beard and IACP cookbook awards finalist nominee.

published by Weldon Owen

THE OFFICIAL DOWNTON ABBEY COOKBOOKS

on set photo direction
cover design for the DA Christmas Cookbook

A series of Downton Abbey cookbooks for the wildly popular PBS drama TV series. Although we touched upon some of the show's fine dining nuances in the photography the main focus was to evoke the culinary spirit of Downton Abbey and to ensure that the food photos worked in harmony with the featured stills from the show.

photography: John Kernick
food styling: Cyd Mcdowell
prop styling: Suzie Myers

published by Weldon Owen

books in the series:
- The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook
- The Official Downton Abbey Cocktail Book
- The Official Downton Abbey Christmas Cookbook

COOKING IN SEASON COOKBOOK

art direction
on set photo direction
cover + interior design

A Williams Sonoma branded cookbook promoting the healthy benefits of cooking with ingredients at the peak of their season. My approach was to keep the overall design clean and simple to highlight the freshness and vibrant colors of the produce and recipes.

photography: Ray Kachatorian
food styling: Valerie Aikman-Smith
prop styling: Jennifer Barguiarena

published by Weldon Owen

PAUL RICARD BIOGRAPHY

book cover concept illlustration + design

A biography about Paul Ricard and his world-renowned anise-based alcohols. I based the cover design on the advertising posters from the era (many of which were painted by Ricard in the 1950s). I kept the bold colors evocative of the RICARD brand but translated the painterly style into flat graphics for a modern look and feel. The final cover shows the iconic pitcher as the main Hero image.

Cover mock up options include:

1) re-adaptation of Ricard’s portrait from one of his original posters

2) iconic pitchers in their multitude of colors laid out graphically

3) a scene of the pouring action with the product/bottle in view

4) a photograph of Ricard for a more traditional approach

published by Weldon Owen

EVERYDAY HEALTHY COOKBOOK

art direction
on set photo direction
cover + interior design

A Williams Sonoma branded cookbook for healthy eating.

photography: Eva Kolenko
food styling: Erin Quon
prop and surfaces: Claire Mack

published by Weldon Owen

I HEART KOSHER COOKBOOK

cover + interior design
custom illustrations for the ‘kitchen’ essentials spread

I Heart Kosher is author and culinary expert Kim Kushner's third cookbook.

Kim’s cooking philosophy is “Less is more, simple is always best and food should look as good as it tastes and taste as good as it looks.”

Kim's elegant simplicity is reflected throughout the design of the book including the photography and illustrations.

photography: Kate Sears
food styling: Hadas Smirnoff

published by Weldon Owen

GYETK - to feed the people

art + photo direction
cover + interior design

lifestyle photography: Adam Foss and Troy Moth
food photography: Danielle (DL) Acken
food styling: Caitlin Acken Taylor
props and surfaces: Danielle (DL) Acken
cover art: David A. Boxley and David R. Boxley
spine art: Art Sterritt

publishing in Fall 2026 by Wellfleet Press - The Quarto Group

MY THAI & MY INDIAN COOKBOOK COVERS

book cover photo concept, styling + design

Inspired by the colorful spices in Thai cooking I created a stencil effect with the raw ingredients for this cookbook cover. As a finishing touch the main title was embossed to add depth.

My Indian Kitchen cookbook followed the same concept. The two book covers were designed to accompany each other.

photography: Jen Straus


published by Weldon Owen

HARLEM BREW SOUL ILLUSTRATED COOKBOOK

art direction
proposed cover design

Beer infused recipes authored by Celeste Beatty, founder of Harlem Brewing Company and the first Black woman to own a brewery in the United States.

Collaborated with Rahana, the illustrator on recipe art concepts/Harlem neighborhood scenes and cover ideas. Designed proposed cover shown here (final cover not shown).

illustration: Rahana Dariah
interior book design: Laura Klynstra

published by Rock Point - The Quarto Group

JUNIOR CHEF COOKBOOK

art direction
on set photo direction
cover + interior design
ideation + illustration of custom artwork for the chapter openers + step by step how-tos


A richly illustrated cookbook with kid-friendly recipes and step-by-step instructions. The goal was to create an attractive package that would inspire the reader to make the dishes as well as have fun flipping through the pages.

photography: Erin Scott
food styling: Emily Caneer
prop styling: Kerrie Sherrell Walsh

Weldon Owen

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN COOKBOOK

art direction
on set photo direction
book design
ideation + illustrations for the table of contents/chapter openers + step by step how-tos

A kids cookbook focusing on fun and easy meals.

photography: Erin Scott
food styling: Lillian Kang

published by Rock Point

ALFRESCO COOKBOOK

art direction
on set photo direction
cover design


A Williams Sonoma branded cookbook with recipes for dining outside. We focused on the play of natural dappled lights and outdoor settings.

photography: Erin Scott
food styling: Lillian Kang
prop and surfaces: Claire Mack

published by Weldon Owen

THE BREAKFAST BIBLE

on set photo direction
cover design

A Williams Sonoma branded cookbook focusing on Breakfast.

preliminary design: Alexandra Zeigler
photography: Sang An
food styling: Lillian Kang
prop styling: Angela Romero

published by Weldon Owen

FAN FARE

on set photo direction

preliminary interior design: Alexandra Zeigler
photography: Lauren Burke
food styling: Lillian Kang
props and surfaces: Claire Mack

published by Weldon Owen

THE COMPLETE COCKTAIL MANUAL

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SAVEUR NEW CLASSICS COOKBOOK

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THE OFFICIAL DOWNTON ABBEY COOKBOOKS

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COOKING IN SEASON COOKBOOK

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PAUL RICARD BIOGRAPHY

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EVERYDAY HEALTHY COOKBOOK

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I HEART KOSHER COOKBOOK

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GYETK - to feed the people

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MY THAI & MY INDIAN COOKBOOK COVERS

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HARLEM BREW SOUL ILLUSTRATED COOKBOOK

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JUNIOR CHEF COOKBOOK

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KIDS IN THE KITCHEN COOKBOOK

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ALFRESCO COOKBOOK

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THE BREAKFAST BIBLE

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FAN FARE

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