Imagin challenge
Xulita MX is a platform to empower Mexican women abroad through their artisanal crafts.
Creative direction
art direction
branding
naming
I joined an Imagin’s initiative to create the brand identity for Xulita MX as a pro-bono project to give back to the community. We were 6 participants from different backgrounds, and teamed up in 2 groups of 3 participants each to come up with 2 different proposals.
We set two main goals: understanding the brand’s approach and value to propose a naming that would capture them, and create the brand’s identity: logotype and graphic applications for different mediums.
A bold typographic cut and treatment—heavily justified, emphasize the hard working character and drive that Mexican women have instilled.
By following a design thinking approach, we concluded that we wanted to celebrateand empower more creative women to join the platform while giving them voice and honouring their crafts and cultural background. We talked a lot about the meaning of being a Xulita; the name comes from a friendly word given to any women that does good, and it’s rooted within Mexican population. Extreme resilience, compassion, appreciation to preserving tradition and drive are some of the commonalities that Xulita’s women share. To portray them, and inspired by the shape of Mexican’s traditional dresses and use vivid colours I created the logotype and a flexible—as well as playful, identity that celebrates the figure of Mexican women in their and our society: as mothers, workers, artists and spirits.
To showcase the different personalities and backgrounds of Xulita’s women, 3 colour combinations were defined (both positive and negative) to flexibilize the system. Brackets are used as a starting and end point of each text, which reinforce the sense of community.
The imagery and photographic direction always show real women in action, regardless of their age, without artificial tones or flashlights.
