Tuyo Media

A mentorship program working toward a more equitable, interconnected, and global generation of regional journalists whose perspectives are underrepresented in media narratives.

Service

Capabilities

A young girl in a red top and yellow shorts dances barefoot on an empty narrow street lined with colorful, worn buildings. A boy stands in the background with his back turned. The words "Tuyo Media" are overlaid on the image.

Background

Tuyo is building a more equitable press corps that amplifies the voices and perspectives of communities and regions underrepresented in journalism. Founded by a collaborative of 22 renowned journalists from around the world, the cornerstone of Tuyo’s work is a global media camp. The 10-day intensive sharpens skills, facilitates mentorship, and produces high-quality reporting. This immersive, cross-cultural program fosters lasting personal and professional bonds across borders. Tuyo’s curriculum instills ethics and develops strategies to improve the methods of media coverage for populations that are, historically, not well or accurately represented.

A name for you and me

Previously named Resident Voices Media, our goal was to create a fresh brand that’s proud of its social justice roots and is inspiring to funders and applicants alike. We wanted a name that captured one core idea: one-to-one mentorship that fosters local ownership over local stories. The organization’s new name, Tuyo Media, is short, jargon-free, fun to say and memorable.

In Spanish, Tuyo means “Yours” which captures their central mission as an organization: owning the concept of local reporting. If you split Tuyo in half you get tu y yo: you and me, a nod to the deep one-to-one mentor/mentee relationship that is an integral part of their program. Spanish is an authentic part of the organization’s origin story. Their first pilot program landed in Mexico and Central/South America are now central hubs for their work.

Building a personality

With a clear mission and strong name, we dialed in on core character traits of the brand: sincere, direct, vibrant, and grassroots. To carry these traits into the mark, we shifted down the baseline of the “o” making it possible to read Tuyo as one word, while also showing that it’s composed of two smaller words—tu and yo. The dropped “o” became the wordmark’s memorable quirk.

Tuyo relies heavily on storytelling through powerful photographs. To incorporate this functional perspective, the mark has to harmoniously coexist with a wide spectrum of imagery. The mark has to be adaptable to overlay on an image, while not overpowering an individual photograph's moment of hope, danger, joy or reflection.

A naturally diverse palette

Anchored by a vibrant vermillion red, the full range of the brand’s color palette pays homage to earth’s natural and cultural diversity. This softer, complementary tonality allows the imagery’s bright moments to be the focal points.

Two tote bags are placed side by side against a dark brown background. The left bag is beige with large red letters "T" and "u". The right bag is orange with large white letters "Y" and "o". Both bags have long handles and a minimalist design.

Three copies of a magazine are laid out slightly overlapping. The cover features an image of people walking, legs visible, with the bold text "We're training the next generation of journalists" on a yellow background. The word "Tuyo" appears on the bottom right.

A visual system that makes its mark

The word mark and palette together afford huge variety on collateral, with the mark legible in multiple formats, from small screens to large posters, even juxtaposed as a magazine masthead. The website combines these compositional assets—mark and color—while showcasing the vibrant diversity of its participants.

Three red-covered books titled "Tuyo Tuyo" are stacked in a fan arrangement. The cover features bold yellow letters and an image of a man in traditional attire alongside a child, set against a backdrop of stone structures and a clear blue sky.

A digital homebase

The Tuyo website serves as an inviting touchpoint for students considering applying for the program. With team bios, an overview of the program, and application details, the website's aim is to give writers to have the confidence and conviction needed to press "send" on their submissions.