Meet Tatiana López | Lettering designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tatiana López and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tatiana, looking back, what do you think was the most difficult decision you’ve had to make?
At my third year at University I had to take a small break because of economic problems. I didn’t want to get behind but I took it as an opportunity to discover something I was good at and it was when I found my love for lettering and typography. I was a bit sad at first but thanks to Emma Schonenberg, her journey inspired me to jump in the adventure to learn more about letters on my own.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m from a tiny country in Central America (El Salvador). I’m a graphic designer but I’m obsessed with everything related to letters (calligraphy, lettering and typography).

Studying Type Design in Latin America is a big challenge because is less common as an option in design careers. There are only a few places in the world were you can study type design and is very expensive. I never have found a book related to type design in my country, so I have to save a lot of extra money because of shipping costs. My mentor Petra have been an angel sending me a few books over the years and giving me the opportunity to take a short type design course.

Since we have low incomes in my country but I was really craving to learn more about lettering and type design I’m always looking for scholarships, discounts, etc. In courses related to type or lettering. Also for me is really important to work on personal projects so I can improve my skills with the hope I can apply to have better job opportunities and sharing my knowledge from the privilege I have had with others.

I’m very grateful for my friends who have believed in my and have encouraged me to apply for scholarships, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to afford courses or buy proper design softwares.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I always tell my friends when they come to my town they better bring their stomach empty because my city (Cojutepeque) is about eating a lot! We have to start our day with pupusas (our national dish) for breakfast.

And then is a MUST to visit “Finca Buena Vista”. It’s a restaurant with an amazing view towards the Ilopango lake. My city is well known for different kinds of sausages (embutidos) like: butifarras, salchichón, chorizos. Plus avocados, tortillas and many other options to complement for lunch. A dream come true for the belly!

The restaurant is located in a hill which is near my home. So then we can go the top of the hill “Cerro de Las Pavas” and eat minutas (shaved ice) or yuca frita, empanadas, nuegados and many others antojitos (snacks).

And if you still have a little room for dinner we would end up with pupusas! Since you can have pupusas at any hour of the day! As a dessert, pan dulce from “Panadería Fátima” and a nice and warm artisan chocolate.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I owe a lot to Alphabettes (An amazing group of female designers) (https://www.alphabettes.org/about/).

Alphabettes have a mentorship program and I found about them when I had to take a break from University because of economic problems. Long story short, they paired me with a mentor (Petra Černe Oven) and she changed my life and my perspective about design completely.

There are many people who are changing the type design industry related to accessibility to study type design. Letterform Archive and the Type West postgraduate program. Juan Villanueva by creating Type Crit Crew and getting scholarships for students. Lynne Yune who has made accessible a course on “Foundations of Type Design”. Times New Woman, a space to share about type design for women. Fer Cozzi for sharing her time and her generous heart with me and Cabinete (a type collective from my country I share with Iván Castro y Jorge Orantes). And big thanks to XYZ Type (Ben Kiel and Jesse Ragan) for believing in my work.

The list is long and I hope to honor the people who have been very supportive not only with me but with the type community.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tatymla/

Other: https://www.behance.net/tatianalpez10

Image Credits
XYZ Type. Cabinete.