Latinx Heritage Month for Target
Illustration / Collage / Lettering / Type Design
Expressing my latinidad.
Illustration, collage, & type design by Schessa Garbut
About
For their 2023 Latinx Heritage Month line, Target invited latinx artists from across the diaspora to create artwork that expresses their cultural pride. Belizean-American creative director Schessa Garbutt created 4 pieces for the collection. Each piece features custom collage, type/lettering, and pattern designs inspired by Schessa’s family and loved ones.
“It’s important to me that actual, lived stories are represented in this work, rather than stereotypes,” Garbutt says of the brainstorming process, “I wanted to celebrate the vibrancy of my family’s experiences, and some of the humor and resilience of my partner. As a queer first-gen afrolatinx person, I don’t ever get to see my story told. Being able to tell it myself, and then to see my community love the work, means everything to me.”
Read more about the story behind each piece below.
Postcard from Belize
My mother would always tell me stories of her growing up in rural Belize, of walking past ancient Mayan temples and of beautiful fruits and flowers in the jungle. I imagine those memories blooming from her mind, framed like a postcard from her childhood.
The plants emerging from the person’s head are all species of fruits and flowers native to Belize, including mangos, plumeria, and orchids. In the background, an overhead illustration of Mayan pyramids frames her with soft greens and browns. The dimension of the temple is reflected in the pattern on her shirt. These memories are alive in her.
— Schessa Garbutt, Collagist
Querer es Poder
“This is a phrase my partner, Izel, says when we finally solve a particularly tricky life problem (or get the peanut butter jar open). The closest English version to this colloquialism is “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” something my mother would always say when she was problem-solving in our childhood, making ends meet. Izel and I talk with pride all the time about how there’s something inherently resilient in Central American folks; particularly our ability to laugh even when times are tough.“
— Schessa Garbutt, Type Designer
Boy Playing Soccer
“I created this piece as a sibling artwork to “Postcard from Belize”. It has a similar color palette and shares the pattern inspired by the Mayan ruins, as seen on the boy’s pants. It was important to me to represent afrolatinx folks and our beautiful melanated skin. We don’t always get to see ourselves included in American portrayals of latinidad. I’m proud to be mestizo (mixed), morena (dark), and coily-haired."
— Schessa Garbutt, Artist
Friends of the Diaspora
“There is such a diversity of expression across the Latinx diaspora, even within the same language. Although many latinx people speak Spanish, we all have different words for similar concepts. I created this custom typeface just for this design, crafting each letter in this wide-set, monospaced unicase style. These are all different words for ‘friends’ used in different locales across North, Central, and South America.”
— Schessa Garbutt, Type & Pattern Designer