Hispanic Heritage Month · Northfield Public Library
Sellos de
Herencia
Heritage Stamps
Turning Hispanic Heritage Month into something people can discover.
About the initiative
Sellos de Herencia is a community experience created for Hispanic Heritage Month in Northfield.
Participants collect an album at the library, follow clues through the city, visit local businesses, discover stories through QR codes and collect stamps along the way.
The first edition includes 11 collectible stamps, 10 participating local businesses and one special stamp available during the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.
My role
I created the original concept and designed the experience, including the album, stamp system, scavenger hunt, visual identity and participation model.
As the idea grew, I worked with the Northfield Public Library team to turn it into a community initiative involving the library and local businesses.
It started with...
What do we really know about Hispanic heritage?
- Tacos.
- Mariachi.
- Food trucks.
- Flags.
While researching Hispanic Heritage Month for Weaving Community, I started asking people around me what came to mind when they heard “Hispanic heritage.”
They weren’t wrong. But there was much more to discover.
I started looking at what was already around us: the words we use, the games we play, the music we hear, the food we eat, the markets we visit and the traditions families continue.
Instead of simply telling people about Hispanic heritage, I wanted to create a reason to go find those connections.
Instead of telling people what Hispanic heritage is,
what if we gave them a reason to go find it?
Visual development
The stamp imagery was developed with AI-assisted tools in Canva as part of the project’s visual direction. My focus was the concept behind each theme, the stories they opened and the experience connecting them.
How the Experience Works
An album + a scavenger hunt
The idea brought together a collectible album, inspired by something many of us grew up with in Latin America, and a scavenger hunt, a familiar way of exploring and playing in the United States.
Collect · Discover · Celebrate
The clues · First edition
- LibraryPick up the album
- CluesFollow the riddles
- Local businessesFind the next stop
- StampsCollect each theme
- StoriesScan and listen
- AlbumComplete the collection
- LibraryReturn and celebrate
The experience begins and ends at the Northfield Public Library: starting point, curator and place to return.
The stamp was something to collect.
The story was something to discover.
Each stamp opened another layer of the experience. Through its QR code, participants could discover the story behind the theme and listen in English or Spanish.
- Theme
- Story
- English / Español
- Audio
Sazón / Seasoning · Story screen
Not Countries. Connections.
The collection is organized around themes rather than countries. Textiles, games, rhythms, flavors, markets, words, arrival, memory, celebration, seasoning and ingenuity allow stories to connect different places, generations and traditions.
11 entry points. Many stories. Connections across cultures.
- Textiles
- Games
- Rhythms
- Flavors
- Markets
- Words
- Arrival
- Memory
- Celebration
- Seasoning
- Ingenuity
The Library as Curator
The library doesn’t just host the experience. It helps shape what people discover by selecting future themes and stories, connecting them with reliable information, and inviting businesses, artists and community members into the experience.
Built to Continue
The album was designed as a system, not a one-time collection. New editions can introduce new stamps, stories, businesses, artists and themes while keeping the same basic experience. Over time, completing the album could become part of how Northfield celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month.
The stamps can change.The stories can change.The system stays.
Future editions could introduce
- new themes
- new stamps
- new local businesses
- new stories
- new artists
- new community partners
Future artists could interpret the same themes in their own way. The experience does not depend on the current stamp illustrations.
What I did
From an idea to a community experience.
- 01
Created
the concept
Connected heritage, collecting and discovery into a community experience.
- 02
Designed
the experience
Created the album, stamp system, clues, QR interactions and participant journey.
- 03
Built
the visual world
Defined the visual direction and developed the identity system connecting the album, stamps and supporting materials.
- 04
Designed
the participation model
Defined how the library, local businesses and participants could each play a role, while creating a structure that can support future collections.
- Experience design
- Gamification
- Community engagement
- Visual storytelling
- System design
What it made possible
The first edition created something that can grow.
11
Collectible stamps
Eleven themes became different entry points for discovering Hispanic heritage beyond countries and familiar stereotypes.
10
Local businesses
Participating businesses became part of the experience, taking discovery beyond the library and into Northfield.
3
Release waves
The scavenger hunt was structured in three waves, giving participants new places and stamps to discover throughout the month.
1
Special celebration stamp
A limited stamp connected the month-long experience directly to the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.
The first edition established the structure.
Future editions can change who participates, what stories are told and who helps create them.
Explore the Project
The project in the world.
Limited-edition postcard · Northfield, Minnesota
The open album · First collection
Public project materials