By Azu ESEN

Mariana Azucena
Graphic designer
San Salvador, El Salvador

Portfolio
2026

Not everything has to go right the first time.

Didn’t work out? Hit Ctrl Z.
— From me, to me.

Scroll

And this is my portfolio

Ctrl Z is probably the tool I’ve used most in my whole degree, but at some point it stopped being just a command to go back and became a way of understanding how my mind works.

It took me a good while to accept (and at this point I’m not sure I have) that not everything had to go right the first time. One of my favorite sayings is: “I know nothing, so don’t believe me.” Not because I think I know nothing, but because I don’t like taking anything for granted.

To me, designing is also about trying and getting it wrong, changing my mind, going back and starting over from somewhere else. Some decisions work, others definitely don’t, and some simply help me realize which way I don’t want to go.

Ctrl Z stands for exactly that: giving myself the chance to try without assuming a decision is final, and accepting that not everything will be perfect or completely under control. Instead of fighting that part of the process, I’d rather learn to live with it and see what happens.

In the end, Ctrl Z to me doesn’t mean erasing what I did or embracing the mistake. It means knowing I can always revisit a decision, change direction and keep building from there. And maybe that’s why it ended up representing me so well.

70%

of the decisions in my life I’ve made without knowing exactly what I want to do, how to do it or where I’ll end up.

Ctrl Z, to me

Grainy black-and-white keyboard
Polaroid with Azu’s logo

So, who am I?

Hey, I’m Azu.

A human being aspiring to be a graphic designer, still figuring out what I do, how I do it and, every now and then, what I’m doing in general.

After plenty of tears, sleepless nights, deadlines, changes and a lot of honest work (better than nothing), and somehow surviving it all, welcome to my lovely portfolio.

Here are some of the projects that have helped me discover my way of designing: with intention, curiosity, plenty of trial and error and, when needed, hitting Ctrl Z. I hope you like them, that something catches your eye and, above all, that you enjoy the journey as much as I did.

Name
Mariana Azucena
Goes by
Azu
Studies
Graphic Design · Universidad Dr. José Matías Delgado
Based in
San Salvador, El Salvador

Process

This is how I work, more or less (with plenty of trial and error)

  1. 01

    Ask

    Every project starts with a question that seems simple and ends up defining everything.

  2. 02

    Try

    Sketches, gray models, opening tests. The process isn’t always linear, and it doesn’t have to be.

  3. 03

    Hit Ctrl Z

    The 50 X’s aren’t 50 solutions: they’re 50 attempts. Going back is moving forward too.

  4. 04

    Build the system

    Having a logo doesn’t mean having a system, and a logo alone isn’t a brand.

index

16 projects
3 ways of working

Branding07

  1. CualoniBrand identity · Illustration · 3D visualization
  2. VOI appBranding · Information design · UX/UI
  3. Nefelibata FestFestival identity · Editorial · Signage
  4. Oasis Music FestSocial impact campaign · Identity · Festival
  5. Las ColochasRebrand · Hand-drawn type · Social media and packaging
  6. AE MediaIdentity manual · Graphic system · Applications
  7. bioshotBranding · 3D product visualization · Digital content

Format exploration06

  1. Le Tour de L’ÉlégancePremium packaging · Illustration · Structure
  2. VIBEPackaging · Character · 3D keychain
  3. 50 kinds of XType exploration · Lettering · Digital illustration
  4. Timeless TypeType design · FontLab · OTF/TTF
  5. Eduardo and the blueberriesCharacter design · Illustration · Storytelling
  6. Marine ecosystemsIllustration · Educational game · Packaging

3D and spaces03

  1. Ctrl ZPersonal brand · 3D modeling · Postcard
  2. The witch’s house3D diorama · Lighting · Materials
  3. Alliance FrançaiseSignage · Wayfinding · Illustration

It all starts with a question

01/07 Why is taking a bus still so complicated? VOI app 02/07 What does electronic music feel like? Nefelibata Fest 03/07 Why not use protest to defend the place we’re losing? Oasis Music Fest 04/07 What do a French dessert and a cycling race have in common? Le Tour de L’Élégance 05/07 What would a witch’s workspace look like? The witch’s house 06/07 How easy is it to recognize the species in our marine ecosystems? Marine ecosystems 07/07 What happens if I take an X and see what I can do with it? 50 kinds of X

Branding

7 projects

Cualoni

Cualoni

Blood moon, jaguar and coffee.
VOI app

VOI app

Why is taking a bus still so complicated?
Nefelibata Fest

Nefelibata Fest

Lose touch with reality. Design another one.
Oasis Music Fest

Oasis Music Fest

Make some noise before only silence is left.
Las Colochas

Las Colochas

Curls, no rules.
AE Media

AE Media

An identity needs structure too.
bioshot

bioshot

Coffee that returns to the earth.

Format exploration

6 projects

Le Tour de L’Élégance

Le Tour de L’Élégance

A tour of French elegance.
VIBE

VIBE

Packaging with a mood of its own.
50 kinds of X

50 kinds of X

One letter. 50 possibilities.
Timeless Type

Timeless Type

A typeface out of time.
Eduardo and the blueberries

Eduardo and the blueberries

Curiosity, pocket-sized.
Marine ecosystems

Marine ecosystems

Getting to know El Salvador’s marine life.

3D and spaces

3 projects

Ctrl Z

Ctrl Z

More than a key.
The witch’s house

The witch’s house

A witch’s corner.
Alliance Française signage

Alliance Française

Finding your way is part of the design too.

Lab

Hands on

Two projects that make more sense when you play with them.

One letter.
50 possibilities.

Grab the X’s and throw them · click to drop anotherTap an X to make it jump · tap the background to drop another

See all 50 X’s

De pata y aleta

Find the pairs

Ten animals from El Salvador’s marine ecosystems, illustrated by Azu. As you play, you learn where each one lives.

Pairs
0/8
Tries
0
See the project

 

CV

Résumé

my CV, Illustrator style

Use the little eye on each layer to hide or show a section.
If you remove something, Ctrl Z brings it back.

Stamp with Azu’s 3D avatar

Mariana Azucena

Graphic designer · San Salvador, El Salvador

Profile

Graphic designer working across branding, illustration, packaging, typography, user experience and 3D. I start from a question, try a lot and build systems other people can understand and apply.

Education

Graphic Design
Universidad Dr. José Matías Delgado · School of Design

2026

Ctrl Z Portfolio
First edition · Visual curation: Elsy Lemus

Dec. 2026

Projects with real clients

Las ColochasComplete rebrand: logotype, icon, hand-drawn typeface, palette, stickers, packaging and social media.

Alliance FrançaiseSignage system in five categories, now installed at both of its locations. Direction and design.

AE MediaIdentity manual: brand platform, usage guidelines, iconography, patterns and applications.

What I can do across the 16 projects in this portfolio · tap one to see it

  1. Branding and identity

    7 projects

  2. Illustration and characters

    5 projects

  3. 3D modeling and visualization

    5 projects

  4. Packaging

    3 projects

  5. Typography

    3 projects

  6. Campaigns and digital communication

    3 projects

  7. Signage and spaces

    2 projects

  8. UX/UI and information design

    1 project

Tools

IllustratorPhotoshopInDesignFigmaFontLabBlenderProcreate

Team

I’ve worked with Erin Figueroa, Desireé Sixco and Velinda Sánchez. Visual curation of the portfolio: Elsy Lemus.

Languages

Spanish · Native

Letter

Cover letter

San Salvador, El Salvador, 2026

Hello,

I’m Mariana Azucena, though almost everyone calls me Azu. I study Graphic Design at Universidad Dr. José Matías Delgado and, if I had to pick the tool I’ve used most throughout my degree, it wouldn’t be a program: it would be Ctrl Z.

I don’t say that out of fear of making mistakes, but because that’s how I work. I start with a question, try things, get it wrong, change direction and start again from another angle until the idea really works. The 50 X’s in my portfolio aren’t 50 solutions: they’re 50 attempts, and I learned something from every one of them.

Along the way I’ve designed identities, packaging, illustrations, a typeface built from scratch in FontLab, an app to make sense of public transport in El Salvador, and 3D scenes. Some projects have already left the classroom: the Las Colochas rebrand, the AE Media identity manual and the Alliance Française signage system, which now guides visitors through both of its locations.

I’m looking for a team where I can bring judgment, curiosity and a lot of honest work, and where I can keep learning from people who know more than I do. I like to understand the problem before proposing the form, and I like it even more when the design ends up being useful to someone in real life.

If something in this portfolio caught your eye, I’d love to talk.

Thank you for your time,

Azu

Mariana Azucena
Graphic designer · hola@tucorreo.com

Download letter Printable version

Contact

Send me a postcard

For work, collaborations or just to say hi.

Ctrl Z postcard stamp

To: Azu

Pick a stamp

The end

To everyone who put up with me along the way.

Thank you to everyone who was there through my meltdowns, who gave me words of encouragement when I felt I couldn’t go on, and who listened to my complaints a thousand times, even though they probably knew them by heart. Thank you for reminding me I could do it when I wasn’t so sure, for celebrating with me and for keeping me company on the days when everything felt like too much.

love you all

Azu in 3D, the character from her Ctrl Z postcard

yours,
AZU

Bye :)