¡Buen Provecho! is my social impact design project that uses storytelling to increase visibility and patronage of the POC and Latinx-owned businesses associated with the Portland Mercado, a hub of food and service businesses owned by the POC community, located in Southeast Portland.
The project has two parts:
1. A coupon booklet for the Portland Mercado
2. A website linked to QR codes posted at participating Portland Mercado businesses. (Due to lack of funding, the website is no longer active.)
ROLE: Creative Director, Graphic Designer, Website Designer, Project Founder, and Organizer, Design Thinking Methodology.
PURPOSE:
-Highlight the inherent value in Latin American Food
-Make meaningful connections between Latinxs and the rest of the Portland community, and
-Increase visibility of Latinx and POC-owned businesses in Portland
How does Buen Provecho work?
When at the Portland Mercado, look for the QR codes posted at the participating businesses. Scan the QR code with the ¡Buen Provecho! logo and you’ll be directed to a webpage with information, photos, and an interview with the owner of that business.
Buen Provecho began in 2017 as an initiative to create a for-sale coupon booklet for the businesses at the Portland Mercado. The booklet not only includes discounts but also interviews and other activities to incentivize people to visit and eat at the Portland Mercado. For logistical reasons, we were not able to print the coupon booklet and instead decided to only use QR codes to drive traffic to the content about the vendors on the website.
I directed the coupon booklet project using design thinking principles, involving the vendors at all stages of the development. I designed the booklet, conducted the interviews with a colleague, Erin Stevanus, and received support from other creative professionals in the Portland area to make the booklet a reality. 100% of the profits (after operating costs) would have been donated back to the Portland Mercado (if the coupon booklet had been printed, distributed, and sold).
Visit the Portland Mercado at 7238 SE Foster Rd., Portland, OR, 97206, to enjoy the community and delicious food.
All photos taken by: Isabel Martinez of Plug Interactive. Contact her for your photography and video editing needs!
PIH United States, the U.S. arm of Partners In Health, is striving to realize the right to health in the U.S. by working shoulder-to-shoulder with public health departments and community organizations to advance their long-term visions for healthier communities and more just systems.
Partners In Health launched its U.S. COVID-19 response in March 2020, in line with their previous experience of fighting epidemics and strengthening health systems around the world. PIH-US maintains that “communities and public health leaders must build and maintain support for all pillars of COVID-19 response: community protection, testing, contact tracing, supported isolation, and vaccination. Neglect of any one of these components will delay recovery from the current pandemic and leave us underprepared for future outbreaks of infectious disease.”
I work for PIH-US as their graphic designer to visually communicate PIH-US’ public health guidance and community-based findings for print and digital platforms. Below are examples of materials I have designed (social media content, technical reports, direct mailers for vaccine perception surveys, and outreach materials about the mRNA vaccines) to support PIH-US in carrying out their objectives related to each pillar of the COVID-19 Comprehensive COVID-19 Response Cascade. 2020-Present
ROLE: Graphic Designer, Publication Design, Digital Design, Infographic & Diagram Design
PURPOSE: Clearly communicate health information and recommendations related to COVID-19 for technical and general audiences to promote action, and strengthen communities and health systems. Support health advocacy efforts to strengthen the public health jobs workforce (especially community health workers), awareness about disproportionate effects of COVID-19 on certain populations (incarcerated individuals, people without stable housing, people of color, migrant farmworkers, and indigenous communities).
The Fund for Global Human Rights, a D.C. and London-based humanitarian aid non-profit that supports over 300 local groups in more than 25 countries.
I designed their social media graphics to post on their Facebook page. Resized variations of the graphics were used on their Twitter page and e-newsletters sent to major donors. (2018-Present.)
ROLE: Graphic Design
PURPOSE: Audience and donor engagement, and increased awareness of human rights victories, progress and violations.
OUTCOME: Increased Facebook page followers 19% in less than 3 months
A volunteer-run 501(c)3 that collectively raises awareness about Venezuela. They focus their efforts on three core areas: Venezuelan Culture, Humanitarian Aid, and Education.
In addition to being on the Board of Directors for the past 2 years, I design all their print and digital materials pro-bono. 2014-Present.
My design work for Venezuela’s Voice in Oregon includes:
-Social media graphics for their Facebook and Instagram pages to promote medical supply donation drives and cultural events
-Digital invitations to cultural gatherings and benefit concerts
-Donor-facing print collateral (donation envelopes and brochure)
-Maintenance of website
ROLE: Graphic Designer, Social Media, Invitation Design, Concert Poster Design, Environmentals, Brochure Design, All Organizational and Donor-Facing Collateral
PURPOSE: Increase brand recognition and donations. Improve the public’s understanding of the Venezuelan humanitarian crisis. Build solidarity within the Venezuelan and non-Venezuelan community. Create a warm and welcoming tone.
OUTCOME: To date, we have collected and sent 6,500 lbs of humanitarian aid to Venezuela. We fund an annual scholarship for Latino students in the US and in Venezuelan. The non-profit has grown into a fiscally strong organization for its age and size. Donations have increased; the organization raised $3,000 at its last annual cultural festival.
Learn about Venezuela’s Voice in Oregon.
Note: Select events were organized in collaboration with international non-profits: Sin Mordaza (A World Without Censorship), Venezuela Global, and Acción Solidaria (Action for Solidarity).
In 2019, a group of Venezuelans in Oregon designed and launched the ‘Ask A Venezuelan’ campaign in the Portland area. This campaign includes the designed flyer and buttons. The humanitarian and political crises have been and continue to be devastating for their family and friends back home in Venezuela. As the situation in Venezuela grows in importance in US national news, many individuals, not Venezuelan themselves, have voiced their own perspective about the current state in this Caribbean country, without inviting the Venezuelan perspective to the table.
ROLE: Graphic Designer
PURPOSE: Educate general public about the Venezuelan perspective of the humanitarian and political crises in Venezuela.
OUTCOME: Venezuelans in Oregon distributed the flyer in downtown Portland and opened conversations with their community about the crises back home. The campaign has been shared with Venezuelan human rights organization, Un Mundo Sin Mordaza, and other groups of Venezuela across the US.
Download the campaign toolkit in Spanish here.
See the project’s Facebook page to share the flyers (in Spanish and English) with your networks.
The Fund for Global Human Rights, a D.C. and London-based humanitarian aid non-profit that supports over 300 local groups in more than 25 countries. 2018-2019.
I designed a set of illustrations to represent their grantees that live in 5 regions of the world: Central America, North Africa, Subsaharan Africa, SE Asia, and India.
ROLE: Graphic Design, Illustration
PURPOSE: Donor engagement, an authentic representation of grantees and their work, and an enhanced understanding of the Fund for Human’s Rights’ theory of change.
OUTCOME: The characters were used in print publications, social media, their website, and organizational materials about their theory of change.
During October 29-31, 2018, the Human Rights Defenders Summit gathered human rights defenders from across all corners of the world in Paris, France, to adopt a plan on action for the protection and promotion of human rights work.
I designed the Human Rights Defenders World Summit photo exhibit that was displayed on the fences outside of the venue, Espace Niemeyer, in Paris. The project was done in collaboration with the Fund for Global Human Rights (FGHR). It was promoted on FGHR’s Facebook page (graphic presented first).
The photo exhibit was later made into a photo essay to honor human rights defenders worldwide. Released December 10, 2018, the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the photo essay features the stories of grassroots activists supported by the Fund for Global Human Rights—ordinary people pushing to make the tenets of the declaration a reality for all.
See the entire photo essay here.
ROLE: Graphic Designer, Environmental Design
PURPOSE: Celebrate, identify and promote human rights defenders to the general public in Paris, to FGHR’s supporters, and to their Facebook page followers.
OUTCOME: 669 reactions, 136 shares on Facebook. Parisian public engaged with photo exhibit and learned about human rights defenders and issues.
American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is the first and only Jewish organization dedicated solely to ending poverty and promoting human rights in the developing world.
I designed a postcard and 20-page booklet about AJWS' study tour to Cambodia. 2015.
ROLE: Graphic Designer
PURPOSE: Promote enrollment in travel to Cambodia to audience of major donors. Engage and educate travel participants of Cambodia donor trip.
OUTCOME: 25 individuals attended the donor trip and learned about human rights defenders and violations in Cambodia, past and present.
To see the entire Cambodia country profile, reach out to Mariel.
American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is the first and only Jewish organization dedicated solely to ending poverty and promoting human rights in the developing world.
Under the direction of Elizabeth Leih, Creative Director, I designed environmental installations, signage, and printed materials at AJWS’ 30th Anniversary Gala in New York City at Chelsea Piers. I prepared the design of three 10ft. pop-up maps, candle holder designs, a printed save-the-date, invitation, day-of-event program, staff name tags, car tags, pledge card, and slides for “Fund-A-Need” auction. Social Media team live tweeted during the event, and shared event photos on Facebook. The other Senior Designer created hanging flags to be placed in the hall entrance.
Three months later, I designed similar materials for AJWS’ 30th Anniversary Gala in San Francisco, applying a consistent and colorful approach in all materials, but leading with the blues and purples. Beginning with the social media graphic for the March 2016 event in San Francisco, one can appreciate how I adapted the design of most of the items listed above for the event in San Francisco. The event program is presented in the last two images of this gallery.
ROLE: Graphic Designer, Publication Design, Environmental Design, Event Design
PURPOSE: Invite major donors to support AJWS’ grantees work abroad and create a welcoming and vibrant atmosphere.
OUTCOME: Just during the events in New York City and San Francisco, more than $7 million was raised in donations (not including donations received before or after), and stronger relationships between donors, AJWS’ staff, and human rights defenders.
American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is the first and only Jewish organization dedicated solely to ending poverty and promoting human rights in the developing world.
I designed a 12-page booklet about AJWS' study tour to India. 2016.
ROLE: Graphic Designer
PURPOSE: Promote enrollment in travel to India to audience of major donors. Engage and educate travel participants of India donor trip.
OUTCOME: 16 individuals attended the donor trip and learned about human rights defenders in India, past and present.
Click here to see the entire India country profile.
The Project Impact Alliance is a membership organization based in the D-Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It “harvests the power of collaborative learning and action to increase, accelerate, and sustain impact on global poverty.”
I designed the 22-page report “The Demand Engine: Growth Hacking Strategies for Scaling Demand at the BoP“ It is a product of over a year of work in collaboration with BoP Inc., SC Johnson, and the Project Impact Alliance. 2019.
ROLE: Graphic Designer
PURPOSE: Aimed at sharing lessons for social impact product and service providers seeking to scale demand cost-effectively at the BoP.
See the entire report here.
These three designs are a result of a collaboration with my friend Pepe Moscoso, a cultural arts producer and artist. Pepe, originally from León, Guanajuato, México, also creates a Mexican cooking sauce (green and red variations) from scratch.
While he considered marketing his cooking sauce, I worked with him to create the brand identity of the product. Packaging design mockup, 2017.
ROLE: Graphic Designer, Packaging Design
PURPOSE: Pepe showed interest in using a minimalist and vintage style design for his company’s brand identity. In Portland, Oregon, salsas and cooking sauces made by local companies abound, and therefore we decided to deviate from typical ‘vibrant’ and ‘colorful’ label design and instead use a tight color palette and fewer design elements, when possible.
OUTCOME: Ultimately, Pepe chose not to package and sell his cooking sauces.
Be sure to check out Pepe’s photo collages in the link above. Pepe is an ambassador for the Mexican community in Portland and organizes cultural events that explore the importance of identity, migration, and art.
The Portland Mercado is an economic community development project of Hacienda CDC that aims to provide a space for Latino business men and women of Portland, Oregon. Since day one, this inspiring grassroots organization has integrated the local micro-business owners in the decision-making stages of the vision of the market.
During the construction stage of the Mercado, the development team and business owners aspire to evoke an experience similar to a trip to Latin America in the Portland Mercado. This vision informed my choice of focusing on the strong photography and highlighting joyful spirit of the business owners in the photos in my design of this promotional postcard. 2014.
ROLE: Graphic Designer
PURPOSE: Invite the community to celebrate with the staff and vendors at the Portland Mercado, in their initial opening months, and feature the entrepreneur’s joyous qualities.
OUTCOME: Today, 5 years later, the Portland Mercado continues to be a welcoming and safe hub for the Latinx community in Portland.
The Oregon Medical Board protects the health, safety, and wellbeing of Oregon citizens by regulating the practice of medicine in a manner that promotes access to quality care.
I designed a 32-page booklet in collaboration with the Oregon Medical Board and People-Places-Things. It is the first cultural competency booklet for medical providers in Oregon. 2017.
ROLE: Graphic Designer
PURPOSE: Provide a practical guide, new perspectives and resources to assist medical professionals in Oregon in providing culturally responsive medical care.
OUTCOME: The guidebook won the 2018 Innovation in Education and Outreach award from the national nonprofit Administrators in Medicine. Other US states and Canadian provinces are now using the booklet as inspiration for their own projects. Graphic Design USA also chose it as a recipient of the 2018 Health + Wellness Design Award.
Click here to see the complete electronic version of the guide book.
As a Communication Design student at Pacific Northwest College of Art, I designed this 32-page booklet. It is a mock program for a fictitious auction of student art. 2014.
ROLE: Graphic Design student
Audigy LLC helps private practice audiologists and hearing professionals excel in their businesses while allowing them to grow as leaders. Empowers and inspire teams through superior tools and training.
I worked on a suite of advertising materials for the private audiological practice Family Hearing & Sensory Neural Center. The clinic staff asked me to design within a theme of ‘noisy environments’ from which I developed the creative presented here. All print and digital advertisements followed cohesive branding and presented imagery of their target market. 2017.
ROLE: Graphic Designer, Print and Digital Marketing
PURPOSE: Acquire new patients at audiological clinic, empathize with baby-boomer, White American population that suffers from hearing loss, educate new and existing patients on link between the brain and hearing.
