Ink, paper, and screen
Estudio Monte Albán was born in 2016 out of wanting to mix hand-drawn illustration with brand design. We work out of a workshop in Jalatlaco, ten minutes from downtown Oaxaca.
We started making posters for a neighbor's Guelaguetza celebration and ended up designing identities for mezcal makers, film festivals, and independent publishers all over Mexico.
Every project goes through the same workshop: paper first, vector second. We believe the hand's line shows through, even in a digital logotype.
We're a small team on purpose. That way every client works directly with whoever's drawing.
How we work
Handmade first
Every sketch starts on paper before it touches a screen.
Short processes
Small teams, fast decisions, fewer meetings.
Local roots
Color, shape, and craft that come from Oaxaca, not a generic moodboard.
The team
Renata Cruz
Art direction & illustration
Iker Santibáñez
Brand design
Paulina Reyes
Editorial design