Welcome to the roots of Latin America !
It is an honored for me to share a piece of my Latin roots with you by designing these icons. One of the goals I set myself in this creation process was to transmit not only colorful designs, but also an experience for you to taste our traditional food, for you to imagine the different places you would walk someday if you visit our countries and feel welcome to be part of our traditions.
Sketch Creative Process
As I sketched Icons representing Latin America, I wanted to incorporate a personal experience in each icon to make it more meaningful. Through the next words I describe a brief process of each icon:
The Mayan Temple : Our culture has been influenced by different civilizations such as The Mayan Civilization, the Aztecs and the Incas. When you are in an archaeological site and climb the ruins, you can see the entire jungle and the tips of the ruins. You are so close to the sky that you feel you can touch the sun.
Mariachi: In Mexico and other Latin countries mariachis are always part of celebrations such as birthdays, weddings and Christmas parties. I designed the mariachi with a big smile because they always bring joy to people through their music.
Palm Trees: In the Caribbean, going to the beach and experiencing a sunset or sunrise is a beautiful moment you can have. I decided to include coconuts because you can't leave without drinking coconut juice directly from coconuts.
Kite: In Guatemala for El dia de los Muertos ( Day of the Dead ) people build giant kites which represent a communication link between the dead (the saints) and the living. They are so high that they touch the sky and need floor support to stand.
Drum: Music is a big part of Latin America Culture. The drum usually carries the beat of Latin music. So, if you are walking at Latin streets, and you hear a drum beat it will probably be salsa, merengue or bachata.
Bird: In most Latin countries birds have a symbolical relation to the history of the country. The bird I designed is called El Quetzal. This is a bird that fought a war with a Mayan army against the Spaniards. This bird has a red chest because he began to cry and stained his chest of blood from the warrior's wound.
Corn: Corn is the base of food in Latin America. There are many dishes made of corn such as : tacos (Mexico) , doblada (Guatemala), arepas (Colombia, Venezuela) and many more. Something very special for our countries in Latin America is that corn is very easy to plant. This keeps thousands of families with food every day.
Mate: This is a traditional drink for people in Argentina. It is a tradition in homes not only to drink mate, but to share the same mate glass, it represents opening the doors of friendship to anyone.
Candy: There is no better way to remember our childhood than with watermelon and mango popsicles! You will find these watermelon and mango popsicles at any little store in Latin America!
Turtle: What better way than to know the sea snorkeling!
Llama: The Llama is a symbol of Peruvian culture, it was used as food and as a cargo animal by the Incas. If you go to Peru you will find memories of llamas in all forms: blankets, t-shirts and even stuffed animals.
Soccer Trophy: It doesn't matter what country of Latin America you are, soccer is our passion and it unites us.
Let's take a look at some vector drafts !
Thanks to the feedback of these of this drafts I learned :
-To use colors appropriately through adobe colors palette.
-To align my objects.
-Do not create gaps on a few objects if the rest of the objects do not have gaps.
Ready to see the final icons?
Each icon represent an experience explained in the sketch creative process. The shapes and colors reflect the traditions from the different countries in Latin America.
I hope you enjoyed it and visit Latin America soon !
