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Alejandro (Alex) Roman Jr.

Sylvia Roman

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Nestled by two major highways, the East End District of Houston, Texas, is a 16 square-mile region that’s characterized by vibrant public art, long-standing family restaurants, and a true sense of culture and community amongst its large Hispanic population. Most notably, the District is the birthplace of the nation’s fourth-largest city, having been settled in the early 19th century by John Richardson Harris and originally named Harrisburg. Although the East End has a rich history (some families can trace their roots back to the Mexican Revolution), it has remained underfunded and underserved in regards to the arts.//To inspire community and District leaders to achieve arts-focused goals, a 10-year Cultural Arts Strategic Plan for the neighborhood was created and developed by Weingarten Art Group (WAG). We were engaged to take the seven months of research, analysis, and community outreach that was done, and turn it into a visually engaging report that was not only informative and easy to digest, but that could act as a tangible reflection of the neighborhood itself. The result was an 84-page booklet that leveraged bold colors and Mexican iconography in combination with imagery of original murals and, most importantly, its people.//For the cover, we knew that we wanted to feature the iconic “East End” mural by artists Alejandro (Alex) Roman Jr. (@Donkeeboy) and his mother Sylvia Roman (@Donkeemom). Not only does it feature the phrase “East End Houston,” but we knew that we could leverage the color palette for the booklet itself. To feature the mural more prominently, only one-third of the page was used for the title and company logo, which incorporated typefaces and design elements found within the plan.//The colors used throughout the plan were not only used to represent the vibrant Mexican influence of the East End, but were used strategically to differentiate between the plan’s sections (or chapters). Unique color pairings were chosen to complement imagery that would be featured in each chapter spread. For example, a teal and bright chartreuse were chosen to accompany a street sign of Navigation Blvd. (a prominent street in the neighborhood).//The actionable plan itself—the section that highlighted the key takeaways—was also printed on a light orange background. This was used to separate and highlight this section from the entire booklet.//For typography, the main inspiration came from vintage lucha libre posters, which also inspired the dot pattern featured throughout the plan.//To create rhythm and movement across 84 pages, a grid was used to organize the bulk of the content, but was offset by elements (like certain page titles) that intentionally broke that grid. These “bulk” pages were then broken up by “quote” pages that featured a quote and mural of the East End. They not only added visual interest, but highlighted more of the murals of the neighborhood. Lastly, certain data points called for infographics. To further enhance the narrative, these infographics primarily took cues from Mexican culture, like loteria cards and papel cortado (Mexican cut paper). 

Gold Winner in Magazine & Newspaper Design for Graphic Design

East End Cultural Arts Strategic Plan

Indigo Design .css-77mll5{display:block;}@media screen and (min-width: 80em){.css-77mll5{display:inline;}}Award Winners

2018

Indigo Design Award Winners