‘Mini Rio’ Project a True Tribute

Imagine living in a city like Rio De Janeiro. A city famous for its lively spirit and culture, beautiful beaches, unique landmarks, colourful festivals and the recent buzz around hosting the 2016 Olympics. Doesn't it sound like a good candidate for illustration masterpiece in a form of pictograms? It did to digital designer, Fabio Lopez!

Fabio Lopez, a Brazilian graphic designer, has been working on a neat project for over 2 years. His mission is to capture Rio in the form of pictograms and accompanying icons. Icons are covering five categories: attractions, culture, daily life, nature, and inner city issues such as exploding manholes and the widespread use of weapons. What did he accomplish in 17 months? He has put together 100 or so pictograms, and created two original typefaces. Now bad for a part-time project!

According to Lopez, the goal of the project is to promote Rio's heritage and diversity. Sort of a mini Rio, he uses pictograms to represent a complex city. Among the 1200 or so images that were collected, one of the landmarks that made the final cut was "Christ the Redeemer." Other standout illustrations are representations of the indigenous animals such as the capybara and cultural sites like Rio's Museum of Modern Art.

What's on the "To-do List" now for Lopez? He is currently working on a book of pictograms and setting up commercial partnerships in hopes that a range of licensed products will emerge from his illustrations. If you would like to check out this amazing project in further detail, please visit his website here.