Imago DEIsign
Book update
Building on the process of refining the Imago DEIsign book cover until it “felt right” and the positive feedback it received, I began to apply similar methods to the book’s interior design. I approached each page as if it were a mini-poster, selecting content from the manifesto itself as the foundation.
Like the cover, the interior “poster” designs leaned heavily on typography, with an object serving as inspiration for any accompanying illustration or graphic treatment. Much like how I chose the shopping tote—a symbol that challenges traditional aesthetic justifications for “utility” and “universality” for the book cover—the matilija represents what is possible when allow something to die back in order to make space for something new.
For the illustration above, I drew from a photograph of the Matilija poppy, a striking flower native to California and Baja, Mexico. This plant is both invasive and resilient, known as a “fire follower.” Its seeds require exposure to smoke to germinate, making it a symbol of renewal and abundance in landscapes that have been scorched. It represents what emerges after destruction—a testament to regeneration and transformation.
The Matilija Poppy (Romneya coulteri), is Native to the chaparral and coastal sage scrub areas in California, and Baja, Mexico. Its large showy white flowers with a yellow center have earned it the nickname “the fried egg.” The Matalija Poppy is a “fire follower,” which means its seeds need to be exposed to smoke in order to activate germination. You will find large populations of this beautiful pant in areas that had been previously scroched.
For the illustration above, I incorporated additional symbols to enrich the narrative. These include an aerial view of the pre-colonial city of Tenochtitlan and its iconic pyramids, representing the architectural and cultural brilliance of the Aztec civilization. I also included camellia flowers, introduced to Southern California by Japanese immigrant families, as a nod to the diverse histories of migration and cultivation in the region. Lastly, I added the ruby-throated hummingbird, a profound symbol for Mexican people of Indigenous heritage. This bird represents visiting ancestors, the god of war Huitzilopochtli, and the enduring spirit of those who came before us.
These symbols weave together stories of the land I live on and the land my ancestors came from, connecting histories of resilience, memory, and migration across time and place.
The text reads “Sometimes xochitla feeds you & sometimes you feed the garden. Xochitla is Nahuatl for “place of flowers.”
I also generated bespoke chapter breaks for my publication that integrate the cover graphic, and images of plants and flowers from my daily walks .
As I wrap the semster the Imago DEIsign framework is still in progress, but feels roughly 80% developed. In addition to front matter, I have 6 prety polished and refined essays, and five classroom projects that align with the stated goals and strategies described in the Imago DEIsign manifesto, for a total of 70 pages.
Headed into my 4th semester with VCFA I would like to carry this project across the finish line with 3 more assignements and few more essays. I finally have a visual system going, that has enough room for exploration to keep this process interesting. I’d like to bring in a few more photgraphic images where they make sense (as in the “origins” essay.)
What does this look like
as a workshop?
I’ve spent about a year transforming the “Colorism” assignment into a more “workshoppable” format, grappling with how to teach a lesson that explores color in design practices while also addressing our complex relationship with color in America—and within communities of color, where “colorism” shapes lived experiences. Through months of study, I repeatedly encountered examples of the “whitewashing” of culture in the Americas (or by America and Europe as part of colonial projects). These findings affirmed a suspicion I’d long held: that my students—many of whom come from cultures with rich, vibrant histories of color in art and artifacts—are hesitant to embrace color in the classroom.
I envision this workshop unfolding in two iterations. In the first, it is presented to design educators as a resource they can adapt and bring into their classrooms. In the second, it is delivered directly to students, expanding into a series of interconnected lessons.
*my student demographic is over 50% “Hispanic.”
Faculty Lounge Reflections
The fourth and final Art & Design Faculty Lounge Zoom gathering had 5 attendees, several who had participated in the first three meetings expressed that they wanted to attend but that the end of the semester chaos was upon them. :P
This was the first meet up post election, and I think entire teaching community at large is pretty fatigued. We have found ourselves thrust to the frontlines of a culture war, and our campuses have become increasingly politicized over many issues. It felt right to hold some space for everyone to acknowledge how they were feeling, and share how we were leaning into rest, and/or resistance.
The thing that I have enjoyed the most in these meetups is the community building part. It is rewarding to bring together a bunch of really interesting and cool people who have much in common, who all are generous with their funds of knowledge and watch them catalyze into a community, wether forever or just in that moment doesn’t matter. How many people came doesn’t matter. What it felt like to be in that space and sharing resources and support was what mattered the most.
I’ve thought a lot on community over the last year, something that also shows up in my reflective writing. Friday Faculty Lounge has been a community center, a virtual third space.
I’m considering what it might be like to host something like this IRL. My home is large enough to host a dinner party, and we just got the out door studio space equipped with a whole DJ system. Design, Dine, and Dance in 2025?
Altars/ Ofrenda
Virtual Oracle Reading
I’m still refining these oracle cards, but I had an idea for something playful to share on social media, even though the designs aren’t fully finalized. I created a virtual oracle reading for Instagram. The video invites the audience to screenshot a fast-moving sequence of images to randomly “pull” a card. Participants can then enter their card’s name into a story “question box,” and I respond by DMing them an image of the back of their card.
The “game” received a handful of responses and turned out to be a great virtual conversation starter with friends. It felt refreshing to engage with social media in a more expansive and playful way, especially since my feed has been heavily focused on political content—serious, dark, and understandably anxiety-inducing.