Take the case of the strapline:

It’s a cool and composed challenge. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really say anything to you.

But what if you put a powerful symbol just above it. Read the rest of this entry…

James and Rose have been running a family convenience store for twenty years. They’re not rich, but they’ve been able to feed themselves properly through the small business. Then comes in a few billion-dollar corporate bullies who shamelessly erect a supermall beside their place. James and Rose lose their business.

My heart goes out to James and Rose; but in the end, it’s no surprise they died since they’re not providing enough value to their customers. Apparently, corporate bullies innovate more and give people a better reason to patronize them.

That’s just the way the the rest of the non-design world works—the one who is most valuable, survives.

It happens everyday to people who’ve stopped pushing themselves forward and looking at people’s needs. It happens people who’re too obstinate and self-obsessed with pushing their own ideas and telling others they’re so special and that corporate giants shouldn’t be bullying them because they claim to be providing more value.

In comes the “Kill the Kindle,” video I saw over the article, “What Book Designers think about the Amazon Kindle.”

Yes, the Amazon Kindle will be killing some designers. It will hurt the design industry. But let’s try to stop being spoiled brats and try looking at what the rest of the book-reading world sees.

The Kindle is an amazingly convenient device that will save millions of people time and money. And if the Kindle sells, it simply means that this convenience is more valuable than a fancy book cover or well-set type in a book. If the Kindle sells, designers will lose opportunities; but there will be newer ones that will sprout because of the new need created by Amazon’s flagship reader.

It’s really as simple as Amazon providing more value than book designers.

Why is it that we whine and complain so much about being bullied by Crowdspring or Amazon (who’re “destroying” the industry) when we don’t give a shit about a million other small businesses who’ve also been dying because they’re being “bullied by corporate giants?”

Why do we go to McDonalds and not some obscure Mom and Pop eatery down the road? Why do we hang-out in Starbucks when it’s bullying some small coffeeshop next door.

Don’t we behave in the same way that book-readers are when they’re planning to buy a Kindle?

The graphic design industry is simply one of many that makes the world go round. We’re not that special, so let’s not act like spoiled brats.

As I’ve said in my previous controversial blog post, Team Manila  has made itself known as the design company that makes nationalistic shirts that sell like fishballs.

Then followed a plethora of nationalistic shirts that went viral crazy. You’ve seen hundreds of Multiply stores with national shirts. You’ve seen Collezione’s My Pilipinas shirts with the printed Philippine map ala Lacoste. And today, I saw a friend of mine, Mark Gosingtian, do a Philippine statement shirt in response to the disaster that struck our country.

As I am writing this message, the shirt has recorded 1621 notes. That’s a huge, huge number considering how relatively small the Filipino blogging community is. (In the mean time, check out his blog and order a shirt! )

The Collezione My Pilipinas Shirt

Mark's Hero Shirt. From top to bottom: Saab Magalona, Tricia Gosingtian, Mark Gosingtian

But the question I want to pose today is not a question of morality but that of productivity. Are these shirt campaigns going somewhere or are they all in vain?

Tell it with some T-shirts

We don’t need to be rocket scientists to know that we want to say something when we wear something.

There are of course, subconscious factors affecting the way we clothe ourselves, and I will not talk about these because I’m not an expert in that field. But what I want to talk about is the obvious. I want to point out the conscious and deliberate part of clothing.

Church people have Jesus dangling all over their bodies. Whores have their nipples almost slipping out of their shirts. Environmentalists will try their best to have trees, panda bears and the recycle symbol printed on their shirts. Rockstars will have a skull, guitar and some demons somewhere hidden.

The Obvious Message

These nationalistic shirts are living testimonies that we have a nation hungry for a Philippine brand. We have millions waiting for a flaming horseshoe that will burn the words, “Pinoy ako,” to their bare butts.

We don’t want to belong to a group of random people living together and screwing each other. We want a nation and we want to be damn proud of it.

The Problem

I had a crush on a blockmate before. She had a very nice body, dressed herself extremely well with noticeable signature clothing and looked like a princess. When I approached her, all of it changed. If you’re thinking she had a rotten attitude, that’s not it. My problem was that she had a rotten smell. (Mmm. I can still remember the odour…)

The shirts are good as they’re hot and reaching thousands, but at the same time, they’re only making us look good without fixing what’s inside. Although we’re gaining a sense of nationalism from them, to what end does this nationalism lead to when our very core as a nation is ambiguous?

What use is nationalism when we don’t have a nation?

The Challenge

Shirts and other nationalistic movements have been successful in creating a desire to have a nation. They’ve been extremely successful in increasing awareness that we, as a country, have to have our own brand. That’s a good thing.

But first, we have to take a step back and look deep into our nation and ask, “What does it truly mean to be a Filipino? What will make us proud to be Filipinos? What do we want to be known for in the global community?”

Then take a step ahead and challenge ourselves, ‘How do we translate the desire these T-shirts have created to real, productive action?”

You’ve probably been loitering around facebook and probably stumbled upon this disturbing image:

Thanks a lot Manny!

As many you guys have said, while so many people are suffering from Ondoy, Villar had the right mind to proclaim himself a savior of the typhoon victims by shamelessly plastering his name over a styro meal.

Some argue that it could’ve been an enemy of Villar who did this—and I believe that’s possible. But what’s really, really interesting is that people are choosing to believe that he did it.

Why? Read the rest of this entry…

Disclaimer: This is a completely personal post has nothing to do with design or branding.

An 18-year old Filipino construction worker saves 30 people in exchange for his own life. After anticipating a huge wave coming from the river, Muelmar Magallanes rushed through the whole neighborhood, one-by-one saving people until his energy left him and was swept away by the current.

I am deeply moved by the acts of Muelmar Magallanes who has been branded a hero. People all over the world are praising him because he sacrificed his life for others.

But were his acts that truly a sacrifice? Or were they acts of a higher value?

“Any action that a man undertakes for the benefit of those he loves is not a sacrifice if, in the hierarchy of his values, in the total context of the choices open to him, it achieves that which is of greatest personal (and rational) importance to him. ” —Ayn Rand

Rand, one of my favorite authors, has been a strong advocate of the thought that sacrifice is for the weak-willed. Before you react however, try to understand how her definition of sacrifice is different from what we commonly believe it to be.

“Sacrifice could be proper only for those who have nothing to sacrifice—no values, no standards, no judgment—those whose desires are irrational whims, blindly conceived and lightly surrendered. For a man of moral stature, whose desires are born of rational values, sacrifice is the surrender of the right to the wrong, of the good to the evil.”

To put it into proper context, let me paint two situations.

Situation 1: Juan is a 30 year old office worker who supports an alcoholic brother, a lazy sister and a good-for-nothing dad who gambles all day. 80% of what he earns goes to his family. At the end of the day, he consoles himself by saying that he’s “sacrificing” for a greater good.

The reason why Rand points out that sacrifice is an evil is because of situations like that of Juan. When a person sacrifices (in Juan’s situation) why does the person receiving the sacrifice have to do it at the expense of Juan? What right does Juan’s family have to say that they deserve the Juan’s hardwork more than Juan? Is it because Juan earns more than them and that it’s for the greater good that he has to sacrifice for the others? Does he have to place his future’s financial safety in jeopardy by virtue of “family ties?”

In situation one, the concept of sacrifice becomes completely distorted that instead of becoming a value, it becomes an excuse. Does the line, “Hindi mo ba kaya magsakripisyo para sa akin?” sound familiar? People are using sacrifice to get what they want at the expense of another person’s happiness.

Situation 2: Muelmar loves his family and the neighborhood more than anything else in the world. He loves them so much that he places their lives at a higher value than that of his. His sacrifice stems from the fact that he has a value system that he understands and embraces fully—even if it costs him his life.

Contrast the first to the second situation. In Juan’s case, his acts of “good” stem from pity and a lack of self-understanding. He helps his family because religion and society dictate him to do so. On the other hand, Muelmar’s actions are based on real values—love, justice, human life. He sacrificed because he accepts that there are greater and more important things in the world than his life.

These ideas may be difficult to swallow the first time around as they seem to be anti-religion. To a certain extent, they are. Christianity dictates that everyone, including undeserving people should be helped and we should all be willing to sacrifice ourselves for others. However, if that sacrifice comes at the expense of our own happiness and well-being, shouldn’t we start questioning ourselves? Is it fair to us if we’re living lives we don’t want for the sake of others?

(Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against altruism and charity because these people have placed the lives of others as the most important in their lives. But what of everyone else?)

Although it might be hard, true sacrifice generates a sense of fulfillment. On the other hand, the false type drains you and leaves you weaker day by day. Let’s ask ourselves today, are we sacrificing right?

I read this headline the other day and I told myself, “What the hell are they thinking again?” When the country is dealing with poverty, corruption, the upcoming elections and natural disasters, we’re feeding a debate on whether to add another ray to the our flag’s sun.

So, I was forced to read the article and discover that it was a peacemaking move. Apparently, the sun’s rays have been representing the provinces that contributed to the uprising and helped quell the Spaniards. Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Laguna, and Batangas were all included but the Muslims were left out. In such a case, the debate has become a national design issue.

It’s true that the country has been unfair to the Muslims throughout our history as we have long been associating them with terrorists, which is why this move is admirable. But at the same time, is the symbol so powerful and influential that it can actually strengthen our ties with our brothers from Mindanao and remove the stigma we have been holding against them? Is spending large amounts of government money to add a sun’s ray a worthy investment to better our country? Or should they be spending it elsewhere—helping develop Mindanao or creating concrete activities and venues that can help remove the negative perceptions Christians have on Muslims?

Design is powerful and it can move people to fight for a cause as it did in Obama’s presidential campaign or Hitler’s tyranny; but a lot of times, it can be overrated. Are people even aware that the 8 rays represent these 8 provinces? Will our relationship with our Muslim brothers change with the addition of a sun’s ray?

Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. But the better question is, if it does, is it worth it?

To my surprise, I got 40 comments overnight on my previous post on Team Manila—some of them were personal, a lot were pissed of, some disagreed with reason, and some were supportive. Because I don’t have the time to reply to all those comments, let me write my thoughts below.

First, I want to apologize for the headline I used in my previous article, “destroying” was too strong a word to describe what I really wanted to say. Team Manila in itself is not destroying the Philippine Design. What I was saying is that they should be more aware of how their events and actions are shaping the design industry. Because they’re the market leader and they have the capacity to reach millions of Filipinos, they have the power to influence the design industry. I am pointing out that this power has the potential to be utilized to strengthen the distinction between design niches—shirt designers, layout and publication masters, web developers, motion graphic designers, logo specialists, branders, typographers, illustrators and strategists.

When you approach a client and he asks you the undying question,  ”What do you do?” how will you respond? Most people would say “I do graphic design.” This remark automatically generates a subconscious response in the client’s mind, “Oh, he does layouts, CD covers, newspapers, logos, brochures, etc.” But what if all you do are illustrations? What if you only like designing CD covers? What if you only design books? Under all these specific design/art niches is one unifying term, “graphic design.” This makes the field so ambiguous to non-designers.

What I was ranting about was the fact that TM is (indirectly) equating design to shirt contests, paintings and other forms of artistic expression. Since it’s highly publicized and TM is a credible source of information when it comes to design, people will believe it. Non-designers and aspiring ones will be led to think that graphic design is basically commercial art that you do on a computer that you print out on tarps.

I quote myself earlier, “While art focuses on expression, emotion and aesthetics; design focuses on solving problems and communicating messages.” But as it was pointed out by Mica and Camille in the earlier post, art can also convey information and deliver messages as they did even before the existence of the term, “graphic design.” Knowing this, my argument is put to shame. So what then is the difference between the two?

I thought about this and researched, but the debate between the difference has never ended for decades and it will obviously not find its resting place in this blog. And this got me thinking.

Does it matter if we can define art and design?

Where will all this fighting and disagreement lead us to?

If both art and design can accomplish tasks and solve problems, why bother make a distinction?

***

Since I’ve been disrespectfully unfair to Team Manila by not recognizing the fact that they wouldn’t be where they are if not for the skills and hard-earned effort that they’ve invested in building their brand, let me make up by stressing a good that comes from what they’re doing.

As much as I don’t want to admit it, TM played a pivotal role in my personal decision to go into design. When I was younger, I thought to myself, “Oh, graphic designers can make cool T-shirts.” and that’s where I did my research and started to really get into learning the software, understanding art principles, studying type and learning to use grids. TM served as a spark that started it all. And perhaps, they’ve had this effect on a thousand other Filipino designers.

I may brand them as incorrectly shaping the industry today; but on the other hand, they are jumpstarting young Filipinos to consider design as a real profession that should be taken as seriously as a doctor or a lawyer.

***

Before I end, I have a simple solution that may potentially alleviate the confusion between art and design. The magic word is “Niche.”

I started doing design as a freelancer and during those times, my thinking was: “I can do everything, so I’ll offer everything.” I did illustrations, logos, business cards and posters. That being said, I branded myself as a typical, ambiguous “Graphic designer.” I didn’t know if I really was an artist or designer, so I chose to be both.

That decision simply added to the confusion between artist and designer. That just made people ask more questions and end up with the realization that graphic designers are the people you call when you need to make promo materials.

During the course of my career, I met geniuses in the fields of marketing, sales and advertising. That’s where I was taught the concept of niche and learned to ask the questions, “Who am I, really? What do I want to be known for? Where do my strengths truly lie?

So I searched myself and found out which parts of art/design do I really love to do and want to keep doing. I realized I love logos, conceptualization, grids and setting text. I hated making fancy posters, flashy visuals, and using Photoshop for special effects. I did not like downloading brushes and creating colorful artworks. I dreaded painting, illustrating and other organic forms of art. But I do like setting the words, “Fuck you.” in Helvetica completely surrounded by white space. I love seeing a grid and looking at finely kerned letters in black and white. I love thinking about how people react to certain design cues.

Designers aren’t superheroes. We can’t do everything. A lot of the confusion between art and design sprouts from the fact that designers claim to be artists and artists claim to be designers. We have to learn to narrow down the things we do not to the things we are capable of doing, but to those which we do best.

Lately, I’ve been really hardworking. I’m confident enough to say that I’ve never wasted so much sweat and sleepless nights on anything, ever.

Aesop would be so proud of me for embodying the virtue of hardwork.

Nothing’s wrong with that of course, except that hardwork has a way of turning you and me into mindless prawns. (Yeah, District 9!)

From Lord V's Flickr page.

Take a minute to remember that exact emotion you felt the day before a test you weren’t able to study for. You were panicking, cramming and extremely anxious about what’s gonna happen. You felt that you were gonna die and you just wanted to get through that day. You couldn’t think of anything else so you tell yourself, “I’ll just work hard and get this over with.” This is where the hardwork trap comes in. Read the rest of this entry…

Let me start with a funny, true story.

As you probably know, we moved into our new studio two weeks ago. To get to know my new neighborhood, I walked around the place and randomly talked to people asking them questions of all sorts. So, I met Rose, three different Jun’s, Mike and an unnamed security guard.

After I introduced myself, I asked for his name. His reply, “Borromeo.” Of course, that name was stitched to a patch over his uniform, which indicated that it was his surname. So, I asked again politely and jokingly for his real name.

He gave me this uneasy and hesitant face. I didn’t know what to expect.

After perhaps what seemed to be an hour of uneasy silence, he finally let go and revealed his darkest secret.

“I’m Birdie.”

In itself, Birdie’s already an awful, shameful name you could give your son. It gets even worse in his context.

Being a security guard, a protector of people, a harbinger of justice and a man of power, the name Birdie’s not gonna be easy for him. “Oh, Birdie, save me!” just doesn’t sound right.

The sad part here is that it’s not his fault.

On the other side, meet Sony Ericsson’s upcoming sexy phone, the Kiki. (If you didn’t laugh that means you’re not from the Philippines. Here’s what kiki means.)

If Sony Ericsson doesn’t plan to market this phone here in our country, then no problem. If they do however, like Birdie being a security guard, it’s not gonna be easy for them to do so.

“Can I text using your Kiki?”

“That’s a really cool Kiki you got there.”

“Oh, your Kiki’s so shiny and sexy. Can I touch it?”

Naming Brands isn’t as easy as it seems. It has to be researched and tested if it pronounces well. It has to reproduce well visually. It has to be associated with things you want to be associated with. Most importantly, it has to be taken in context.

What’s funny though is that Birdie and Kiki mesh well together.

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?