Mestizo is a contemporary mexican restaurant located in Davidson, NC and as part of a class project; I redesigned their menu. This was a project I did early on in my studies so my taste and style was... a little "different" than where I am currently at, but the element that was at the center of the design were the illustrations which featured a mariachi. So we're going to let the spotlight shine on the star.
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The idea of the mariachi came when I was creating the front cover of the menu. I had multiple ideas but wanted something that represented the old-school aesthetic that the restaurant exudes and felt that a stoic mariachi was the best fit.
I made the illustration style old and rustic to give it a vintage feel. For the color palette, I kept things desaturated to keep with the aged look while using traditional Mexican colors like green, red, and a flat black.
![front menu illustration featuring mariachi with guitar](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/69808791-af54-448a-88d3-13951abd8301/367a2856-aa8d-4db0-8b5b-7dd46bce1396_rw_1200.jpg?h=5864ddda30487358ba04d5cacaac8314)
Front Menu Cover
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/69808791-af54-448a-88d3-13951abd8301/e3d37673-1f02-42cd-8794-f1508fc37a3f_rw_1200.jpg?h=df44608893a707c20cf7d4896b817368)
Mestizo restaurant location
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/69808791-af54-448a-88d3-13951abd8301/5ab72e1e-95b9-444c-b77d-c02cf4d9a6b0_rw_1200.jpg?h=771df68683f7a44dbbe3b32ea18fb7ec)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/69808791-af54-448a-88d3-13951abd8301/ce742e56-a60c-4f2b-863d-820c1d55c869_rw_1200.jpg?h=c460e549a45b92f1795641ac381a0a7e)
After the cover, the mariachi turned into a mascot of sorts for the menu since I enjoyed drawing him and wanted to include him in different situations throughout the menu's layout. His inclusion also helped to fill some empty space with something interesting.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/69808791-af54-448a-88d3-13951abd8301/b33e0cac-5939-418b-894b-8c5dfc82dce8_rw_1920.jpg?h=166d05d16af6488cadb89a84822c0d3d)