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Carlita Bryant

MFA in Graphic Design - 3 Yr Path — Graduate Graphic Design
Course:
Graduate Typography 4
Faculty:
Gloria Kondrup
Term:
2025 Spring

Tener

In 1971, Armando Rendón wrote The Chicano Manifesto to unite Mexican Americans during a time of erasure. It gave Chicanos the language, pride, and political force needed to fuel the movement. But as the 2021 reprint acknowledges, it also held gaps and exclusions. Rendón includes it “with all its flaws and shortcomings… to remind Mexican Americans of why we’re here and how much farther we have to go.” To acknowledge this truth and expand on it for a new generation, I developed the concept of Tener. 

The title comes from Rendon’s idea of the haves and have-nots, as it translates to “to have.”  To have a future, a community, a foundation, an identity. It honors the original call for unity while reimagining a more diverse and intersectional community. Using a rational typeface and poster series inspired by Aztec motifs and protest posters of the Chicano movement, Tener looks toward a future that uplifts the voices historically left out. If the Manifesto defined who we were, Tener considers who we can become when we link arms.
 

Process:

In order to send a message, I had to understand the message. Tener was built from studying the manifesto, gathering visual research of Chicano identity and design, and personally resonating and reflecting on my own experience as a Chicana. Sketch pages, messy Illustrator files, and constant iteration helped me understand the concept of collective identity through typographic structure and treatment. 

Learning Outcomes:

This project allowed me to explore building identity systems through typography. More than a typeface, its rationality lead way for a variety of photo- and typographic layouts to build on the concept of being strong together and embracing differences to form a stronger community bond. I learned the importance of inspiration versus stereotype, and how to brand for cultural identities with care.

Project Website:
https://carlitabryant.com/tener
Tags:
Branding,
Identity Design,
Publication Design,
Typography
In the development of the typeface, I drew inspiration from protest posters representing the have-nots and needing to fight for rights, and Aztec symbols representing the haves and owning a unique identity and culture. The intentional spaces between characters reflect the gaps in representation, ones that must be acknowledged; voices that must be heard to form a strong foundation for the future. Tener weaves together structural precision and fluidity, a symbol of both resistance and transformation.
Leaning into the visual references of Aztec textures, I created an identity that honors complex Chicano history while envisioning a united future. I arranged the typography to look woven together, overlapping to show how intertwined Chicano identities are to one another. I drew on weaving metaphors to guide viewers in understanding the collective strength it takes for threads to form a strong, resistant fabric. Similarly, I used a halftone pixelation in my image treatment to mimic the aforementioned fabrics. Paired with the bold type treatments and color choices, this identity calls for both attention and action.
The colors were chosen based on those that had the most significance to Aztec culture. Blue was seen as a life-giving color, important to agriculture and sustenance. It represents the idea of having the things necessary to live abundantly. Red was a symbol of life, war, and blood, and represented the sun’s energy. Here, it represents the have-nots and the constant battle for freedom. The two work together as a message to Chicanos that we’re powerful when we stand together. Designed in both English and Spanish, the identity’s voice speaks to all Chicanos, regardless of language. It emphasizes the power of unity by using phrases anchored in the idea of Aztec stitching.