Andreina Gil

Chattanooga Latinx Oral Histories

design, prototyping

Summary
I designed a logotype and pattern for UTC Digital Collection's Chattanooga Latinx Oral Histories— an online collection of public audio interviews from Latinx perspectives.

Role

Background

“It's all about uplifting the voices that never get heard.”
- Alondra Gomez, interview participant

Chattanooga Latinx Oral Histories began as an offshoot of the Digital Collections department of the UTC Library in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Educator Brittany Green spearheaded it, aiming to interview Latinx students, community organizers, activists, and individuals during a tumultuous political year when Latin migration was a divisive subject. The project paints an approachable narrative of what being Latinx is in the South.

Green and her participants discussed various topics, from identity, motivations, and belonging to the hurdles of visa renewals and employment discrimination. The project offered a safe environment where participants could share past experiences, thoughts, and reflections to humanize the Latinx community.

Objective

My task was to create a logotype and pattern that would visually represent the mission of UTC Digital Collection's Chattanooga Latinx Oral Histories. Given the freedom to design something that I believed would reflect Green's mission, I was excited by the opportunity to create an emblem to symbolize the project's values and goals.

*Images from Chattanooga’s Times Free Press and The Brooklyn Public Library

Insights and Process

At the beginning of the design process, I brainstormed by sketching what came to mind during listening sessions of Green's interviews.

I illustrated multiple approaches and selected 3 to make rough drafts before presenting them to the Histories Team. The team responded to the 'head' motif and asked for the direction of the visual element to be its direction. The 'head' motif would be visually appealing and deeply connected to the project's mission.

We were attracted to this direction since the project's goal revolves around compassion, unity, and personhood.

Below is an evolution of the initial 'head' sketch and the 1st through 4th drafts of the icon and pattern.