I rarely watch television but I was able to catch the logo revisions of several educational channels that underwent a more simple and iconic approach in the past year. I am a huge fan of simplifying the communication channel towards your target audience base in every possible aspect and the channels I am about to discuss exemplified that in their new logo treatments. I just wanted to give recognition to… .....Continue reading
An Interview with Nico Puertollano
February 15th, 2010
With so much history and a large population tied to the language, its always perplexed me why there isn’t more work on Alibata, an ancient writing script of the Philippines. Also known as Baybayin, I had referenced this writing in a previous post revealing some of its history and displaying my work with the language. While I’ve studied it throughout the past few years, working to better understand and experiment with the language and typeface, many times I have wished to see other artists who work with the script and apply a modern style to the historic font in order to garner the respect of the design world today.
Meet Nico Puertollano, an artist hailing from Mandaluyong City of the Philippines with his upbringing in New York City. .....Continue reading
The sounds of Die Antwoord
February 13th, 2010
Hey Peeps, just wanted to share this fresh music group from Cape Town, South Africa that I discovered online – the same way they exploded onto the music scene. They call themselves Die Antwoord, meaning “The Answer” in the Afrikaans language, and their beats and music are hot. The crew is made up of a lead MC who calls himself Ninja, a singer who goes by Yo-Landi Vi$$er, and a DJ Hi-Tek (not to be confused with the man who collaborated with Talib Kweli’s Reflection Eternal album). They are quirky, humorous, talented, and unique.
The group was formed in 2009 and frequented the blog world in order to promote themselves. Nine months later, they created the .....Continue reading
Nemo in Portland Oregon
February 12th, 2010
If you haven’t found Nemo yet, then you haven’t been looking hard enough. It has been in Portland, Oregon for quite some time. I refer to Nemo as “it” and not “the fish” because I am talking about the Nemo Design Studio. Please forgive me, I couldn’t resist referencing the popular Pixar film because I am extremely cheesy and corny. Aside from the horrible intro, I am writing about this company because of my visit there today. A good friend of mine who has been with them for almost 5 years brought me on board to help out with some of their extra work. I had visited the facility before because my BFA show was hosted there 5 years ago but I had forgotten how awesome the place was inside. As soon as I set foot through the door I was greeted by hallway full of great work which currently holds various custom painted bicycles and an assortment of prints. The work environment is made for a designer – artwork is flooded throughout the office and many desks are covered in toys, trinkets, books, posters, and .....Continue reading
Tribute to my Lolo
January 28th, 2010
Today marks the 1 year anniversary of my Lolo’s passing. One year ago on this day, my entire family was together at the hopsital my Grandfather was staying in, comforting each other for what was expected to come. I flew in from California to see him and the moment I entered his room he flashed his trademark smile at me to signify his joy of being together with another one of his Grandchildren. That is one of the moments during that stay at the hospital that stick out most in my mind – that he was able to still smile despite all of the pain and suffering that he was going through. My Grandfather was a man who was always devoted to the well being of his entire family and .....Continue reading
Cross examining the University of Oregon Logo
January 27th, 2010
The other night my brother and some friends sat down at a local restaurant after a baskeball game to catch up and eat some good and cheap happy hour food. In the midst of our table conversations my eyes focused on the television that was replaying the sports highlights of the day when all of a sudden that big “O” that the University of Oregon uses as their iconic logo fills the screen to preface the upcoming segment on the university’s basketball team.
Now, a lot of you may be wondering why I’m choosing to write about their new identity. Not only am I a University of Oregon alumni (class of 2005, yaw!) but I follow their sports, especially their football team, which all don their trademark “O” symbol and University of Oregon typeface. The biggest reason however are my strong opinions of the icon that surface ever since it was revealed and .....Continue reading
Graphic Artists of the Philippines
January 22nd, 2010
In the design world, graphic work is recognized in countries like the US where corporate design is top notch, Germany from its Bauhaus influences, or Switzerland and its modern, minimalist approach and excellent playful work with typography. While these countries have played essential roles in shaping the design industry standards today, the world is full of talented designers in all of its corners.
Throughout the art history courses in school, we were taught about the design influences of major countries throughout Europe or the United States. Rarely did the teachings go beyond that region. Japan was an exception (they have to be with their ingenious design processes and developments). Frequently during those classes I would think to myself, “What about the graphic work of countries in Latin America or .....Continue reading
Bamboo Bikes from the Philippines
January 21st, 2010
After writing an article about wood constructed eyeglasses, it reminded me of a bicycle I discovered through a magazine in the Philippines made primarily of bamboo. The article outlined a graduate student’s journey to the Philippines to concentrate on his studies and ended up applying them to the sustainable production of these bicycles. Not only was it stylish and .....Continue reading
Gold & Wood Eyeglasses
January 20th, 2010
During my trip to Las Vegas this past weekend, I was wasting some time in one of the countless shopping malls and peeked my head into one of the eyeglass shops since I am in dire need of a new pair. Although I am primarily in the market for a nice pair of full frame, black plastic spectacles, there was one pair that caught my eye that was designed by Gold & Wood of Paris. The company name is a literal translation of what made them popular – their frames are constructed of wood with gold inlay. The pair that grabbed my attention had .....Continue reading
Alibata – the lost language of the Philippines
January 19th, 2010
The Philippines is a country with a very rich and diverse culture. With over 7,000 islands settled in the Pacific ocean in Southeast Asia, it has been a port utilized for trade and a pit stop for countries exploring the open waters. It is the country’s accessible and convenient location that has also subjected it to imperialism, being used as a strategic post for political advances. The US of A, Japan, and Spain are countries who have all had their slices of the Philippine pie, the latter ruling the 3rd world country for nearly 300 years, all of which has contributed to reshaping the culture of Filipinos. The influence of its colonizers can be seen in much of the Philippine culture today – foods have similarities to Spanish dishes, dialects carry the same phonetics as the Spanish and Malay languages, and .....Continue reading
