Karly B, or Karla Susana Becerra Salazar’s eye-catching designs of the monuments of Mazatlán originally caught my eye on Instagram. She came to our home for an interview—we met with masks and safe social distancing—and I’m happy to say I am the proud purchaser of several sets of eight stickers with images of the Landmarks of Mazatlán, ready for my gifting pleasure.
The stickers are her very first product and cost only 50 pesos a pack. They are colorful, thin and light—easy to mail to friends and relatives out of town or keep in a purse for easy gifting. Karly made a second series of Valentine’s designs that I also love, and is working on a whole bunch of designs that she animatedly explains to me, “are filling my head and demanding to get out!” Click on any photo to enlarge it or view a slideshow.
Karly is a 32 year old mother of two young sons, seven years and seven months old. Mazatlecan-born, she graduated from Instituto Anglo Moderno so speaks English well, then studied graphic design at the University of Guadalajara. There she worked for international and domestic clients at One Simple Idea, a creative agency. She missed home greatly, and the family returned here late last year due to the pandemic. Her husband is also a graphic designer, from La Paz, who currently works in video game design.
KarlyB Illustration is out to upgrade the caliber of tourist souvenirs in our fair city. She wants to put her designs on stickers, wall papers, mugs and t-shirts as well as framed prints. She is currently working for private clients as well, including our friend Ocean Rodriguez, who has commissioned her to do a series of his Carnaval floats from last year. “The only thing holding me back is time. I need more of it!” she jokes.
For the past six years Karly has been envisioning a set of lotería (Mexican bingo) cards specific to Mazatlán, but she didn’t follow through and the Mazatleco has now beat her to that idea. He actually contacted her about a pulmonía image she designed back in 2012. She felt she had learned so much in the years since that original design that she took the opportunity to create what she feels is a much-improved version this year, with smoother lines and better design.
She described to me how she works in Illustrator or PhotoShop on a large tablet with a stylus. She creates everything from start to finish digitally, from composition and draft sketches to drawing line art, coloring, adding detail and exporting. She tells me she does quite a bit of research, particularly reviewing photos, prior to beginning her designs. “I have to exaggerate to get perspective. I made our little heart plaza look more like a heart. The malecón is so long that I shrink it in my designs, and the angle of the Hotel Hacienda isn’t the best from the street so I change it up,” she explains.
“Mazatlecos love Mazatlán; we love our city perhaps more than any other people I can think of,” Karly says. I shared my hope that her designs might leverage the pride residents feel for our city and teach them the value of preserving our history, heritage, values and environment—preserving landmarks such as Valentino’s rather than razing it, caring for our waterways rather than littering them, and showing more community responsibility.
I am often saddened that our local souvenir offerings are so stale and repetitive. It’s great to see a vibrant series of modern designs based on iconic images of our beloved Mazatlán. Karly’s work is perfect for tourists and visitors as well as local residents. And I love to support a woman entrepreneur! You can purchase prints, stickers or any of her upcoming work by contacting Karly via WhatsApp: 669-289-3375 or email.
¡VidaMaz! 