My brother is currently in Guatemala on a sort of working holiday. As part of his efforts to help some of the people there become self-sufficient, he is trying to come up with a label for some peanut butter which they are producing in a town called La Esmerelda. Anyway I have informed him that I will try to come up with something, but I know there are people on caedes who can probably do a better job than me, so if you would like to show off your skills here is your chance! I've provided a link below which you can use as a template; the main limitation is that I think it has to be in black and white only. Obviously you need to be willing to sign away any rights to the design etc. but you will be helping a worthy cause. Any Q's let me know and I will try to get some answers for you via email. Thanks all!

Link.

Let me Give it some thought Sam. I'll see if I can come up with some Ideas. Is there a compny name that they want to us or are they looking at using the town name. If you can get me a topigraphical discription of the area so that i can maybe use it in the label.

Clay, I am guessing the name is "Mantequilla De Mania" peanut butter. I really don't know much besides what is on the label, and I can't read Spanish :-( Here is an extract from one of my bro's emails, not sure if it will be very helpful:

"The town itself is a rather sparsely arranged environment, with several 'barrios' or suburbs, none more than 10 houses in capacity. The reason for this is the size of the blocks, each family has enough for two or three constructions, and then the land left over grows some of the few things the families use everyday: a couple of coffee plants, some vegetables (used as sparingly there as anywhere else in Guatemala), sugar cane if the soil is good enough, and plenty of space for the ubiquitous chickens, pigs, turkeys, ducks and flaming dogs that bark at any of the neighbours they see pass every day, or hump the nearest female on heat (thankfully no terrible stories to report on encounters with dogs...). The constructions that were being built during my visit were actually promised to the settlers as part of the Accords of Peace back in 1995, and the third 'phase' of building these houses has just been completed a nice round figure of 10 years later. The family that I slept with on a rather uncomfortable wooden plank had just finished laying the concrete floor a day before I left. These houses are so tiny (three 3x5 or less rooms, and a 'patio') that most families simply use them to sleep in (oh, the other problem is that the government only supplied the blocks for construction and roofs, the families have to pay for the wood to hold up the roof, and the ayudantes (helpers), to actually construct the house. This is a big undertaking for each family, and if they don't have the money to pay for this, the house doesn't get built, or takes much more time than usual, meaning the man of the house can't work in the fields during this time..."

Do they have maybe a famouse building or at least a cool building that has a distinct look about it, maybre mountian ranges also that can be used for the label. That would be a good start.

could we all, at least, get a jar of peanut butter up front

would a skull and crossed bones be acceptable ... they always look sharp in B+W .. and underneath that put .. "with a name like Mantequilla De Mania it has to be good


.... basically, what I'm saying is, ... did anything come of this? ... I'm on the edge of my seat

Oh come now, it's only been two days... creating a corporate image takes many weeks and millions of dollars! However I have made a rather rushed first attempt, I'll upload it to my site when I get a chance.