Sweet as a Cupcake

Photos from shoot at Woullet's Bakery.

This would definitely be the way to a girl's heart...

 

www.juliafillingame.com

Videoteca Sololá

This project allowed me to elaborate on my design skills from the logo to web design. I even tested out filming for short videos and am still in the process of putting together my first short video. Check out the site at www.videotecasolola.com.

This is definitely the logo that has led to several other logo projects over the past few months. The Sololá region of Guatemala is a region of Indigenous Kaqchikel and Tzutujil Mayans, where culture is heavily intertwined with nature. Upon designing this logo, I reflected on astrology and a constant awareness of the moon cycle. That, along with the idea of this being a library (but instead of books on shelves, it would be DVDs) influenced the design process. Ultimately, playing with these two images, the moon and a DVD created the final logo.

Here are a few images of the website:

    

www.juliafillingame.com

San Juan La Laguna - Typical Painting

I studied with the best (and first) painters in San Juan La Laguna, Sololá, Guatemala. Their style is very pronounced, consistent and achieved a certain way depicting various cultural customs, settings and traditions. My three paintings are below (quite different from my style!). When my parents visited in January, my teachers had an exhibition in Antigua. They really are the BEST!

 

 

www.juliafillingame.com

Tikonem - Cultural Space & Bookstore

Tikonem was Escuela Caracol's bookstore, coffee shop and a San Marcos hotspot in terms of cultural events and social gatherings. Prior to arriving, Tikonem had changed management and was not as profitable or as communicative as it could be about the needs of the school. During my time at Escuela Caracol, I worked closely with the manager of Tikonem to coordinate events (live music, art expositions, live art demonstrations, talks/presentations, independent film presentations, cooking workshops, salsa dance lessons, storytelling, etc) and to redesign/communicate the image of Escuela Caracol that we needed to have portrayed. We redecorated on a budget (architecture and design skills came in hand!) and I created more promotional materials. Much of my heart was dedicated to that space, and often people will still ask why did Tikonem close? (Let me just say that it closed over a year after I had fnished at Escuela Caracol. ) It was not only part of my work, but also where I chose to hang out and volunteer my time.  Another amazing thing that came from this place is my friendship with María, who also works currently at Konojel, weaves and is an amazing role-model for women of this community. Her famous "healthy" chocolate chip cookies are still being prepared... this time in Konojel's solar oven for the community to try.

  

www.juliafillingame.com

Tesoros del Corazón - Women Weaving Cooperative

Tesoros del Corazón is a weaving cooperative under Xela-Aid. After having lived and worked with various weavers in the Lake Atitlán region, I accompanied a friend, also the Xela-Aid coordinator of the cooperative and administered a workshop on market trends. We explored different styles, materials, patterns, colors, etc. In the end, we spent much of our energy on pairing colors and ways to tailor the bright Guatemalan colors for western markets. Culturally, we also discussed the uses of traditional woven materials in Guatemala, and their place in Western cultures. For example, the napkin used to wrap tortillas is rather useless in the United States based on the "typical American diet".

The entire experience was an eye-opener for me in relation to the cooperative model. They were located in a place with little market access and not frequented by tourists. Being in Lake Atitlán, we are blessed to be frequented by tourists allowing for cooperatives to flourish. As a potential solution, some weavers in my region were willing to work with these women dividing up the tasks of the process to benefit all. However, it can still be challenging to get people to work with others from different towns for fear of stealing or copying their tradition.

The image is an informational postcard that I designed to be used as publicity.

www.juliafillingame.com

Creative Process of Logo Making

Bilingual Workshop Education - Poster Design

A school that utilizes a teaching method introduced to me that uses stories, series of questions, and basic translations to teach language effectively. I  incorporate various aspects of this method when teaching Spanish and English classes. Word of mouth has carried me throughout the past few years in regards to work and how I landed this poster design gig.

 

www.juliafillingame.com