DesignPinas claims to be the first Pinoy blog focusing on design. As main content person Aaron Roselo describes it, the blog is a “visual joyride on the latest trends and updates” on the local design scene, covering graphic and interior design, art, and architecture.

We recently chatted with Aaron and talked about where he’s coming from and where he plans to take DesignPinas.

PinoyCentric: DesignPinas aims to be the premiere design resource in the country. Do you have a specific template in mind? What inspired DesignPinas?
Aaron Roselo: There have been previous projects by other designers in the past, but [these were probably neglected because they were busy with work]. It’s only recently that the local design industry boomed. The Philippine design scene is slowly revolutionizing how Filipinos see the world.

The rise of degree courses in humanities, interdisciplinary studies, and information design at the Ateneo de Manila University and multimedia arts and photography at the College of Saint Benilde is proof that the country realizes the potential of local talent making it in the global market.

As for the blog’s content, it’s currently patterned after The Cool Hunter and NotCot. The blog features recent works by Filipino designers and contains some commentary with accompanying photos. If everything goes well in the upcoming months and the blog’s readership stabilizes, I might incorporate a more in-depth discourse of showcased works.

PinoyCentric: Tell us more about your background and how this connects to DesignPinas. Have you always been interested in design?
I don’t have a day job, but I do some freelance graphic design work and online writing stints. I’m a graduating college student from the Ateneo de Manila University, where I’m taking interdisciplinary studies, concentrating on multimedia and information design.

I guess [the interest in design] runs in the family. My aunts and uncles on my mother’s side are applied artists by profession.

My passion for design is probably a manifestation of my frustrations over not being able to draw as other family members. Seeing them create all these marvelous works of art made me want to pursue a degree (and future career) in design. I had to make do with what I have: blending in some artistic fluff along with technical mumbo-jumbo.

My design mentor Ali Figueroa [a lecturer at the Ateneo Fine Arts Department] calls me “the triumph ng matitigas ang ulo [hardheaded]” because I always break conventional design techniques.

PinoyCentric: After five years of personal blogging, you decided to shift to blogging about design. Why design and not something else?
After putting my personal blog to an indefinite hiatus earlier this year, I wanted to break from my old emo-post-and-rant stigma. Five years has really been a long time, and I found that writing about myself was too voyeuristic.

Blogging about other people is a totally different experience from personal blogging. You learn more about their work and at the same time promote their talent.

DesignPinas is a pet project that has been at the back of my mind for years. I was pushed by friends from the industry to write about local design since nobody’s done it yet. I said why not?

Design is my first love. Although I have a lot of other topics that I’d love to talk about, it’s about time that somebody aspiring to be in the industry took the first step.

PinoyCentric: Name five art/design sites you follow.
Philweavers is one of the strongest design communities in the country with an online presence. The forum is the perfect local resource because you get to interact with other people from the industry and build your social network. I’ve met a lot of talented people in the forums like the uber-talented Christian San Jose, who’s pursuing a design profession at the age of 18, and Rico Sta. Cruz, who’s just phenomenal. A lot of industry bigwigs are also available for consultation and discourse.

Another is Pingmag, easily one of the best-written design zines in the planet. The site focuses on design trends in Japan with a world point-of-view. It has excellent topics and superb photos. It’s one of the sites I frequent to grab creative inspiration.

Although it is not a design site per se, Digg opens you to what’s happening and what’s hot in the world. You’re exposed to a lot of other topics such as business and world events, which aren’t strictly related to design but influence you to learn about a lot of other things you can infuse or incorporate in your work.

PDF Mags is an excellent resource for art and design. I urge other people to submit their works in these online publications because it not only allows you to showcase your work
to the world, but you also get to exercise your creativity in the process.

The Adobe Studio is where I get a lot of my design resources. Although the site is a bit slow, it’s a goldmine for free stock elements you can use for work especially when
you’re under pressure and have little time.

PinoyCentric: In your opinion, what makes Pinoy design stand out?
I guess it all begins with our country being a melting pot of cultures. Our countrymen have been exposed to a multitude of aesthetic manifestations from our colonizers and neighboring countries, which has been advantageous for us.

A lot of people find Pinoy design to be mere imitation of other styles. We cannot put the blame on others with this hasty generalization. This serves as a challenge to our industry to infuse foreign influences with ours, without being too dependent on them.

Pinoy design stands out because we are influenced by a lot of things and we get to infuse them into something that’s definitely world class.

Local design studios like Team Manila testify that we can remix previously introduced cultural icons into something completely new and fresh. Other design studios like Inksurge, EveryWhereWeShoot, and the quirky Electrolychee are following suit. We have a strong designer community as well, which is a great help because there’s an outlet to learn and share experiences and techniques.

PinoyCentric: What can we expect of DesignPinas in the next six months?
I have a wireframe of what I’d love to improve and introduce soon, with some top-secret stuff. I’m gathering other interested designers who can provide help in scouting local design talent.

A more in-depth analysis of the works along with a more streamlined overall design of the blog is in the pipeline as well. I plan to put up collaboration challenges for previously featured designers.

There’s more to come, but I have to test the waters first to see what readers would love to read and talk about. If anyone is interested in helping, they can send over an e-mail to designpinas(AT)gmail.com and I’d be happy to provide a shout-out or two.

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