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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.
- Published by Dwight in: Thought-Provoking Ideas
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8 Responses to “Cory Aquino was a Graphic Designer”
Some useless facts: Actually the “yellow ribbon” symbol was taken from the song tie a yellow ribbon. Its a famous old song that was used as a “theme” song during Ninoy’s funeral.
Hi bro! I love your site. Never knew there was someone actively blogging about branding in the Philippines. Keep it up! Will definitely check back to read your articles
good observation.
just one thing i’d like to point out: i don’t think cory, upon her death, can be called a “self-gratifying, media-hogging nuisance”. she’s dead – there’s no self to gratify. i don’t think she asked people to give her all this attention and adulation. and i think it’s natural that her funeral be given full media coverage, because she is a former president and a hero. cory aquino is quite far from my definition of what a “nuisance” is.
dapat sinabi nyo kung bakit yellow ang nagustuhan nya
@nate I understand. It’s just that when she was alive, I was torn between her being a hero and an annoying media whore like her daughter…and growing up, I observed a lot of people around me were cory-haters. I probably didn’t see the other side of the story. Maybe she is a hero. But I wouldn’t really know.
I don’t think she was a media whore. I think she never really wanted all the attention, but ended up with it because of her husband. So it’s Ninoy’s fault. WAHAHA kidding.
Why quote Cory being a “nuisance” when you don’t even have a clear grasp of your history.
@Mike the post has nothing to do with morality or what Cory Aquino did for the country. I was simply talking about the color yellow. Btw, I like the Toast Media website. I’m not kidding.
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