“This is my wish for you: peace of mind, prosperity through the year, happiness that multiplies, health for you and yours, fun around every corner, energy to chase your dreams, joy to fill your holidays!” ~D.M. Dellinger



Photo grabbed from Lisa Bettany thru Flickr

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I could not help but appreciate this artwork from affinity.com sent through my email from Site Pro News. The design is clean and crisp and pleasant to the eyes. So in this gist that I wish everyone a peaceful and pleasant holiday celebrations all over the world.

Like a Miss Universe candidate I also wish for world peace.

Pantone announces the 2011 color of the year

Honeysuckle.

That's what they call it. Pantone added that the 2011 color is "Courageous. Confident. Vital. A brave new color, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year. It’s a color for every day – with nothing “everyday” about it."

Honeysuckle is kind of interesting. Makes me long for candy. Makes me suck on honey. Hmmm kind of kinky, though. But more magenta and yellow makes it somewhat orangey pink, which by the way, is my favorite color. No, orange is my favorite color, not pink.

Now you know why the Orange Sun.

Cheap is cheap: packaging and your color choice

I had a client who insisted that I chose my own color for their product packaging. I made several trips to the market to test which one is the right color for them. After several studies and one final offset printing, I was shocked that they secretly made their own version after the printed materials have been depleted by printing them on plain paper using their inkjet printers. What a shame.

I wonder how could entrepreneurs not see the importance of good packaging for a return of investments. The green you want might not become the green when you print them on your inkjet printer. It tells you how cheap you are. Imagine how would consumers react to your expensive product when the packaging labels suddenly run on sweaty hands. Eww.

Still it is worth to note that colors affect our buying skills.

Anyways, as to colors and consumers, the following illustration from KISSmetrics says it all. This is worth the read. So entrepreneurs out there, take note of this-

For a bigger and more readable version, please click on this link .

Portfolio cover

I have been told to make my own portfolio for my clients to see my rather extensive works. For so long I did not mind at all because majority of my clients are only referrals, mostly word of mouth. Honestly, I am a bit the shy type and I rarely ask people to do designs for them.

But friends and some clients wanted me to go public. After about a year or so, I finally got to work on that portfolio.

First, the cover...

Shooting Christine

No artificial lights. No make up. No props. No Photoshop. Just a Nikon camera, a natural meadow and lots of fun. Shooting location is at the Carmelites House in the mountains of Ormoc.

I want this diary

I was browsing through my subscription of Yanko Designs and then I spotted this cool diary they called Watch Diary. For us who are always chasing time, this diary is a must. The designer is Wonjune Song. My only regret is the Paypal link to this diary is broken. I could not have them.

For those who are into designs and should be in the know on cool products, I suggest you subscribe to Yanko Designs. You will be awed no end with their stuff.

The Watch Diary is one of them.

All pics from Yanko Designs.

Photo shoot in Siquijor

While most photographers spent time retouching their photos to give the best results, mine are in raw form to let you view the subject in its virgin state. No Photoshop. No other alterations. What I see thru the lens is what you have here.

This is Siquijor.

Designing DTI Info Boards

These are the approved info boards I designed for DTI during their Regional Trade Fair & Exhibit last July 2010.

Logo Design: Batuan Light Bringers

Batuan Light Bringers is an advocacy group aimed at educating and raising awareness among the people of Batuan on the field of politics, economics and culture. For a small town like Batuan in Bohol, this group's intentions could spell disaster. To shun this scenario, the group's promise of a better world is graphically rendered in the version of a light in floral patterns but still pushing change as pictured in a hand groping the torch.

They asked for two versions of this study and hopefully will approve one. This is gratis.

Glenda's 40th Birthday Invitation

The latter invite was approved.

Designing for Stephanie

Stephanie, the niece of my very good friend has panicked because her debut is fast approaching and she has not sent out her invites yet. My friend asked me to design a simple yet elegant invite that would fit to her wish for a Vintage Glam theme.

So I made this invitations and other materials for Stephanie.

The invitation (front)

The invitation (back)

The gate pass

The give-away card

The message board for guests to sign

Cool Poster on Breast Cancer

One striking poster that tickles the mind while informing it. Poster from the Breast Cancer Foundation.

Worth the visit: Stuff No One Told Me

The internet is a vast source of information materials. Be it design, color trends, nonsense information or even worthless materials, the internet is a good resource.

But one thing I would like to recommend is Stuff No One Told Me, a blog by Alex Noriega. Noriega is an illustrator from Barcelona and creates really nice drawings about life and, like what the title suggests, no one told you about.

Seems like his pages are addictive.

Reliving Memories: Designing for BNHS Batch T-Shirt Logo

The Bohol National High School Batch 1985 recently had their 25th Silver Reunion. What they wanted was a logo to be used in their t-shirts and other promo materials with a specific request that the old Bohol National High School school logo be used.

After several deliberations, we came up with an enhanced school logo and I added up a ribbon forming a half-circle to give emphasis on their silver jubilee celebrations. The 25 was superimposed along with their theme- Solid as ever, 25 years later.

The design was simple and struck a note of familiarity with the alumni.

The original BNHS school logo (above)

The logo design for BNHS Batch 1985 Silver Jubilee reunion

Male and Female Shirts with the reunion logo

Designing for DTI Info Boards

Someone told me that my designs are linear and clean, way out of my troubled thinking. Maybe because my designs are a wish for myself- clean, crisp and without too much clutter.

That is why when our DTI Director asked me to design an information board where they could share to the public the programs and activities the agency are doing, I made a study that is clean and readable.

I hope they will approve my design. All four of my designs were approved and I will post them soon.

Designing the Sandugo Trade Fair Poster

I have done three designs already for the yearly Sandugo Trade Fair initiated by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) starting from 2008.

Since DTI is a government entity, time element and budget are almost always the critical factors that sometimes hinders me in making the designs. More often, they will just give me a week or two to do my stuff with very limited resources including pictures, copy and anything financial. Sometimes, I have to design more, gratis.

This year, I have made six studies so far only to be rejected because they could not see my "artistic ability" on them. Meaning, my works lack character and vibes. Maybe because I was moving house and has not settled in yet and problems regarding piracy in the office has kept us all designers in a limbo.

After a brief "scold" from the DTI Director, they finally agreed on the seventh study I made overnight.

Just making all the samples made me sleep only two hours (the most) a day for three days..

Meanwhile, these were the materials I designed for Sandugo Regional OTOP Trade Fair (2009). I searched the designs I did in 2008 but to my dismay I could no longer find them.

Welcome to my design world

This would be my first entry and my first blog about the designing community I am in.

For so many years, I have copied designs, stolen some, re-designed others or made my own and have been praised and attacked by clients. Scarred. Battered. I became a triumphant survivor!

Working in the design world is a tough act. You have to fight off so many entities just to prove your point. And sometimes you retreat like a defeated warrior because clients insisted that I do what they thought was good for them, but deep inside I know it won't work, only to be blamed later when the final output is printed out.

I spent a lot of sleepless nights just to finish projects. I traveled. I got friends and enemies. I became a beggar because there were no clients around. I became a one day millionaire. I lost. I won.

That only means one thing- the design world is an exciting world.

I believe this time is the right time to share my designs with you.

Welcome!