He Cooks

The Cooking School


The Brief

Teach more men to cook

Male celebrity chefs are plentiful yet the daily task of meal preparation often falls to women. Our client wanted to teach men to cook, but not just for the occasional show-off meal. In addition to sharing the workload, cooking builds confidence, saves money and gives greater control over making healthier choices.

The Challenge

Striking the right tone

Many men would be cooking for the very first time, so it was important not to be condescending or embarrass them. Similarly, while celebrating the testosterone in the kitchen, the classes shouldn’t become competitive or aggressive. Finally, the classes had to appeal to men young and old, from university students to retirees.

The Solution

Clear, confident and collegial

Building the confidence of the students began with the double-meaning name ‘He Cooks’, meaning cooking as well as being cool. The name could also be used as a headline in advertising. A strong terracotta colour was used alongside clear, concise typography. Photography shows cooking equipment as precision tools, and classes as fun and collaborative group events.

“After 15 years and 13,000 students the brand is still going strong.”

The Cooking School