Participants

Prof. Doug Barrett
Molly Aubry
Emily Frye
Marcela Gurdián
Gabriela Hernandez
Kelly Jeck
Ashley Schick
Kelly Skinner

Background

Xyaat is an amiable, eco-friendly and highly involved ecotourism coop that interconnects the true Mayan essence of the village of Señor with the natural beauty that surrounds it. One of the main purposes of the Xyaat Cooperative is to support the local environment and educate travelers about the plants and animals that abound nearby.

Objectives

Create an identity (logo, color palette, signage, website and printed materials) in order to help a relatively unknown cooperative community promote a controlled amount of consistent tourism. This project will aid in teaching and preserving Mayan traditions and culture while also creating a reliable source of income for the cooperative.

Strengths

Unique 
Culturally sustainable 
Close to road 
Low-impact 
Flexible

Audience

Experienced and savvy travelers who are adventurous as well as ecologically and culturally aware.

Brand Attributes 

Unique
Eco-friendly
Authentic (a first-hand experience)
Adventurous
Educational
Socially Responsible

Research/Strategy

Refreshing the identity will help the cooperative reach their goal of creating a sustainable level of low impact tourism. Achieving this goal will preserve traditional Mayan culture, an objective of Xyaat, while educating tourists and developing a reliable source of income. Today the community is ready to share their culture with visitors but it has not yet reached its target market. While the community wants to draw a larger audience of tourists, they do not want to negatively impact their way of life. The new identity can achieve this by maintaining a sense of authenticity without looking artificially fabricated, while providing a unique option to tourists which is not yet available in the region.

Final Direction

This concept follows the mission of the Xyaat Cooperative, to share culture, keep traditions, and preserve harmony between nature and their Mayan community. “Flora/Fauna” reflects the beauty of the natural
environment in Señor, and creates a reference of sustainability and awareness about the importance to care about nature and the human being as a whole. The use of soft lines and contrasting colors (green and brown), reflects the friendship of the community of Señor, which is active, organized, and warm at the same time.

Direction 2

This concept, Blossoming Landscape, draws upon two important aspects of the Xyaat mission: the natural and the collective. First, the shape references the integral role of nature and the natural environment in Xyaat’s commitment–sustainable low-impact tourism. The mark brings to mind budding plants, fluttering birds, or curling shells. Xyaat provides eco-friendly tourism that showcases how natural materials and creatures (henequen, indigenous bees, woven palapas, or local foodstuffs) are used in traditional Maya practices. The shapes are cleanly drawn into a professional and recognizable mark, but the curving lines maintain an organic friendliness. Second, the individual pieces in the shape work together to form a greater whole. In this sense, the brand mark underscores the collective work of the Xyaat cooperative in which individual members of the community work together to support each other. The type and colors support these ideas. The typeface in the word mark is clean and simple, friendly yet sophisticated. The colors are warm, bright, and inviting in order to convey the adventurous and genuine personality of the Xyaat experience.

Direction 3

Xyaat is an amiable, eco-friendly and highly involved ecotourism coop that interconnects the true Mayan essence of the village of Señor with the natural beauty that surrounds it. The butterfly shape from the original Xyaat logo was taken and adapted into the intertwined rectangular shapes. This logomark not only reflects the interconnection of Xyaat to Maya culture and nature, but also represents the “X” of the coop’s name. The color palette is warm, yet vibrant and inviting.