About Me
Identity
Identidad
Identity has always been a trip for me.
I’m a non-binary Boricua living in Los Ángeles with my wife and dogs, Buoy and Fin. I’ve lived in many places – New York City, Boston, St. Pierremont, Vittel, Pfungstadt, and San Juan where I grew up.
“Boricua” is a gender neutral term for someone from Borinquen, or you might know it as Puerto Rico. La isla del encanto. The island of enchantment. I try to bring a little bit of home wherever I go and into whatever I do.
Below is a little more about my life through my brand identity.
Bike riding with my sister at Medio Mundo y Daguao Natural Reserve, Ceiba, Puerto Rico.Logo & Typeface
My logo is a capitalized “G” and “M” – “GM”.
As in “Gabriela Maestre”, “Good Morning”, or “General Manager.”
The main typeface I use is Ojuju.
My criteria for picking an eye catching typeface for myself is usually “do I like the ‘G’ and the ‘M’?”
I particularly love this typeface in Extra Bold for my logo because it reminds me of the gauges on a linocutting knife used for block printing, which is one of my hobbies.
Color Palette
My color palette is inspired by my surroundings growing up in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico.
Photographer: Gabriela Maestre
Main Colors
Playa Parque del Indio, San Juan, PR
Mar - sea - blue
The neighborhood I grew up in is called Miramar which roughly translates to “look at the sea” in Spanish, and it’s right on the coast. The beach is definitely my happy place!
Calle San José, Viejo San Juan, PR
Ladrillo - brick - orange
Old San Juan is the historical part of the capital, where all the buildings are colonial architecture, surrounded by Spanish forts and walls. When the old brick is exposed, you feel the history peeking out.
Bosque Nacional El Yunque, Río Grande, PR
Bosque trópical - rainforest - green
I love going on hikes in El Yunque National Rainforest. There are many trails, waterfalls and views of the Atlantic Ocean in the distance.
Secondary Colors
Adoquín - cobble stone - light blue
Old San Juan is known for its unique blue cobble stone streets. When Spanish ships sailed to Puerto Rico, these cobblestones functioned as the ship’s ballast to keep them balanced across the sea.
Paseo de la Princesa, Viejo San Juan, PR
Plátano - plantain - cream
Plantains are a staple in Puerto Rican cuisine. I love to make tostones – large plantain chips – at home and dip them in a garlic mojo sauce.
Tostones hechos en casa, Mar Vista, CA
Balneario de Copa Gorda, Guánica, PR
Noche - night - black
San Juan is on the northern coast so warm nights under the palm trees with an ocean breeze are a great way to pass time with friends.
Brand Voice & Tone
This is what I sound like most days, plus words and images of wisdom I keep top of mind in my day to day.
Gaby
“If you are tasked with designing a CTA button, it should still be the best CTA button for the brief.”
“We can’t
control the wind, but we can adjust our sails.”
Gaby
