This is a big, big mistake by United Airlines.

They broke a few guitars and in return, got a satirical music video with more than five million views (and counting) spreading across the world relaying to people of all sorts how uncaring their employees are and how much their service sucks. As hilarious as the video is, it’s definitely gonna do some serious damage.

They’ve probably been treating customers like this for a while. This time, it’s just too unfortunate that they messed with the wrong people.

I haven’t been blogging for a while due to the amount of work I have at my hands. I’ve been wanting to smite some people who’ve been continuing to make empty promises and outright lies.

The construction of our photography studio has been delayed for two weeks already and is looking to be delayed for another. I’ve been following up everyday only being reassured that everything will be done by tomorrow; but the story ends the same—no results.

On top of the delay, the quality of a lot of the work being done is horrible. The kitchen drawers are misaligned. The countertop is slanting. The airconditioning piping was exposed and laid without any care or concern for the place. The materials have been perpetually incomplete; and I had to personally go out of my way and purchase minor details like screws, rivets and hammers because the delivery guys are 2-3 days late. The sad thing is, there are about four to five separate teams (from different companies) working on the different areas of the whole place and all of them have done horribly.

I’ve tried positive motivation by bringing in food and drinks to the construction site everyday; it doesn’t work. I’ve tried negative by going straight to the big boss and telling him that I, or nobody else for that matter deserves the kind of work I’m receiving; but it backfires as well. If nothing does happen, I’ll need to learn some carpentry and do it myself.

What pisses me off is how helpless I am to the situation. Although technically, I can cancel the contract and not pay them due to breach of contract (extreme delays in the construction + mediocre work) I wouldn’t do it for practical reasons (that I might delay the whole thing even more) and my personal, moral obligations. As much as I’d like an objectivist, productive world, there are certain factors I have to consider.

What if these guys weren’t able to work properly because they had kids who they can’t feed? What if they had to find a place to sleep at night? What if they were working two jobs to sustain themselves? What if I were bringing a man to his grave and I didn’t know?

I’m caught in between. I want people to be productive; but I don’t want to run them over like they have no lives outside of their work. Perhaps if I were talking to educated, snobbish kids who are clearly just lazy, there are other better ways to handle the situation. Here though, what else can I do but be a tyrant or a victim.

Just yesterday, I was able to have a short conversation with the local owner of Red Mango Frozen Yogurts, one of the most affluent people in the whole country. As they were expanding their branches exponentially, I had to ask about construction procedures. Guess what? As high as they are in society, they’ve been getting the same treatment.

If I were to ask for an explanation for all this mediocrity, I’d get one easily. “It’s because we’re in the Philippines, you just have to accept that. Filipinos are just like that.” You say it, I say it, everyone says it. It’s an excuse, a shorcut, an easy way out.

Mediocrity is our brand and we’re willfully embracing it.

But what if one day, we wake up and tell ourselves, “It’s because we’re in the Philippines, you have to be the best.” What happens next?

photo by ko_knia on Flicr

When we were young, salivating and bed-wetting toddlers, none of us told ourselves, “I want to design.” We all started with drawing—using crayons, colored pencils, paint brushes and ballpens.

Fast forward a few decades later when you’re suddenly out of the drawing world and into graphic design, do you still draw? Do you still even need it?

Manda at Creative Opera posted about an article about how designers still need to draw. She points out that it makes you a better communicator, allow you to offer more to your client, save you money and it’ll make you a better designer. If you’re a designer and you can’t draw, you really gotta learn the skill. Or do you?

While I agree that the basic principles of illustrating are necessary, illustrating itself is not.

Learning the theories on light, perspective, lines, color, shapes and so on are useful because many of these principles are transferrable to design. However, learning the principles behind illustration is a totally different beast from illustrating itself.

In order to be an illustrator, you need to invest countless hours of time and money into turning yourself from ordinary to great. It doesn’t happen with just talent. Like any other skill, it needs to be honed and perfected. Like any other profession, these guys need to be rewarded and paid what they deserve.

So what should designers do? Read the rest of this entry…

I don’t know whether to treat former President Cory Aquino as a hero of the country or just another self-gratifying, media-hogging nuisance; but what I’m sure about is the fact that she was a pretty good graphic designer. (On a side note, you might want to see Carlo Ople’s take on the matter.)

Of course, I’m not talking about her creating logos, typefaces or brochures. But what she was able to do was solve a problem using design.

She was a woman of power who needed a vessel that could easily connect her with millions of her followers. She needed a symbol, a mark or anything that could instantly remind people of what Cory Aquino truly meant.

And so the yellow ribbon was born.

She wore the color in every single one of her public rallies. Vehicles drove around the metro tied with that yellow piece of cloth. People amassing in her public appearances shared the powerful mnemonic. Even at her grave, the yellow ribbon never left her.

I don’t know if I like her, but she sure knew how to leverage a design concept as simple (and complex) as color and turn it a strong brand that would represent and leave her legacy as one of the most significant women in the history of the Philippines.