Discovering Chilean Heritage: Zenen Vargas and his signs

In line with our September 18 post about Fiestas Patrias, there is a design style that you see here that just says, "Chile," and we discovered the source of that design.

Zenen and his wife Panchita at his studio in San Joaquin

Zenen Vargas is an artist that designs letreros, or signs, that are used throughout Chile. From local grocers to major brands, the signs that Zenen Vargas creates can be found in every neighborhood, as well as in every supermarket. He is the designer of the Emperio la Rosa ice creamery art, in addition to being contracted for dieciocho campaigns for VTR and Becker, among others.

At a fonda in 2013

Patrick met Zenen at a festival, where his kiosk was surrounded by tons of Chileans wanting to buy a bit of history. After spotting he and his wife a number of times, Patrick asked Zenen to create a custom sign for Trip and shared a beer with the artist. They made friends on Facebook, and we've been connected ever since.

The original bus stop sign

This month we were invited to Zenen's workshop, and we got to catch up with this Chilean artist and his wife, learn about the history behind the design, and watch the man at work.

One of the buses that Zenen painted when he was a boy

The story goes that Zenen's father owned a micro (or bus) back in the early 1940s. Back then, Zenen explained, the micros were privately owned, rather than run by the state, and the bus drivers had a lot of pride for their buses. Zenen's father painted his bus and the sign that showed the stops it made, and the other bus drivers liked his so much they commissioned him to do theirs.

Zenen said he started his own style of design for the buses back then when he wasn't much older than our little Trip, and he's been painting letreros since then. Now he's had art exhibitions throughout Chile, and has been named a national pride.