HIDE it Under the Christmas Tree

I got my first big present this Christmas! 

Check out my snazzy new iPad case from HIDE Leatherworks!

 

Ok, it's not really a big present. I worked hard for this iPad leather case. It's part of my new advocacy where I help friendly startup businesses and social entrepreneurs with their advertising. I do copy consultancy and I also hook them up with willing ad collaborators. 

For HIDE, I came up with the brand name and also wrote their ideology. It came easy for me because I was there when it was conceptualized and I understood the aspirations of the makers. They wanted to bring modern leather bag design to Manila, while using Philippine leather and Filipino craftsmen. It's a very commendable idea and I'm hoping the brand flies. If so, I'll get to do more than smize (See photo above). I'll get to work on some direct marketing effort and videos. Exciting times! 

So do check out HIDE for sleek and classy, genuine leather sleeves/cases that are form fitting and specially tailor-made for your iPad, Macbook Pro 15" and 13", iPhone and Amazon Kindle 4.

Photographs by the multi-talented Marlo Ongpin

Electromagnetic Tentacle T-Shirt Pageant

The guys behind Electromagnetic Tentacle are releasing another epic set of Pinoy, pop-culture, parody shirts. Fans get to choose six out of the ten that will make the cut. Since we all know how much we love polls and popularity competitions, let us get to it. Click here to vote. Here are my personal pics: 

 My Little Kalesa 

 The Flush

 This is Spartan

 He-Pon

Kingkong Matsing

Yokona

Third Wave of Electromagnetic Tentacle Shirts

For friends who have been asking me how they can get their hands on tentacle wares, you can order through their blog: electromagnetictentacle.blogspot.com and their Facebook page. The shirts are also available at Sputnik Comics in Cubao X, and Dragon's Keep in Shoppesville Plus, Greenhills. You'll also be able to visit their booth at most of the toy and comic conventions. Here's a showcase of their latest mutations:

Ice, man

Pac Out

Rondalia Devil

Tahooooo!

Pepper Roxas for Japan

New York based Filipino illustrator and designer, Pepper Roxas, created these prints to help raise funds for the victims of the recent tsunami and eartquake in Japan. On this drawing are the words Ganbatte Kudasai or “Do your best/Don’t give up!”

 

First Aid I

These are so touching. If you want to help the injured Godzilla, 

the prints are available on this website: Society6.com

First Aid II

I feel a little guilty that I haven't kept abreast with what's happening in Japan. In the back of my mind, I have a strong feeling that Japan has it got it covered. They are a strong, self-sufficient society that's used to picking up the pieces. My friend who was recently in Tokyo told me about how shoppers in the grocery store did not panic after the massive earth shaking. They stayed calm and when the rumblings subsided, the crowds simply returned all the goods they were supposed to buy and filed out. Truly admirable discipline.


100% of all profits from the sales of this tee will be donated through the Japan Society of New York.

Team Manila Strikes Fast

What I'd tell you? In my last post, I said there's a wealth of artistic talent in the Philippines. So much so that some top designers are willing to help out the government for free. In practically no time at all, Team Manila came up with their own versions of the "PILIPINAS, TARA NA!" logo and I am liking it.

I think they've managed to capture the fun intent of the original logo.  They used a whole lot of colors, quite unusual for modern logos but essential in the Philippine market. My personal favorite is the last one. Which one's yours?

Check Team Manila's Flickr for more designs.

Note: I tried posting this yesterday but for some reason Blogger wasn't uploading pics. Gar.

Is this new DOT logo for real?

As much as I’d like to support the Philippine Department of Tourism, I cannot condone the choices they’re making. We are a nation with amazing artists. We have top Marvel and DC artists based here. We have an abundance of globally awarded advertising agencies here. We have so many talented designers, a lot of whom would work for free to help the government out. And yet, we continuously come up with things like this:

This is the logo that DOT came out with to encourage local tourists to travel. According to Ironwulf En Route, “This is DOT’s new official logo for Pilipinas, Tara Na Campaign. This was made in cooperation with Smart and Perception of domestic tourism only.” Luckily, I’m always surrounded by opinionated artsy folk here and online. So I showed them the logo and here are their responses.

Art Prodigy:
“It looks like it's been done by kid who's in a public school elementary. Pang on-the-spot poster making contest”

Photographer:
"It's f*ck*ng horrible. T*ng*n*, I would rather that they steal something all over again, than put shit like that up on the net. It looks like an 80s cartoon for a gradeschool text book. And that girl on the boat looks like the scene in Titanic."

Web Designer:
“You can’t resize that. It’s not applicable as a logo.”

Creative Director (and Twitter Celebrity):
“It doesn’t motivate me to travel anywhere. It’s cheap and dated.”


Head of Design:
“Panget? Coloring book? Pambata? A logo should have flat colors as much as possible no gradient. Flat colors with dark & light background variations. Kumbaga reverse puwede mo i-apply sa dalawa.”


I kept their names hidden because I wanted their answers to be as candid as possible. My opinion on it, which I posted on Twitter: “The new DOT logo reminds me of some cartoons I saw in a Saudia Airlines giveaway. I got that more than a decade ago”. In hindsight, that was better done. It also had kids on a plane. But they didn’t look like they were attached to it.

Filipino Designed Google Chrome Themes

 Google Chrome Theme by AJ Dimarucot

I was at a blog event yesterday hosted by Google, a company hell bent in conquering our online world. They've now officially launched their browser: Google Chrome. So what is a browser? If you're not sure, don't feel bad. Only 8% of Americans knew. Most people think it's where you type up your search terms or it's a person who browses through the net. In non-techie terms, it is the software (you know, that icon you click) that lets you get to the internet to view and navigate through websites and download or upload stuff. Google Chrome is said to be faster, more stable, more search-friendly, and more user-friendly. But really, what caught my attention were several Google Chrome Themes designed by Filipino artists.

Contributors:
AJ Dimarucot, Aranaz, Arnold Arre, Carlos Celdran, Corey Cruz, Dan Matutina, Karen Gosingan. Drew Europeo, Electrolychee, Paul Guadakomeda, SOFA Manila. Team Manila, and Yabang Pinoy.

Download Chrome and you can get these nifty themes

It's like having changeable wallpaper for your net browsing.

 Aranaz Bags

 Space Mananagal

 Corey Cruz

Betamaks

 Drew Europeo

 

Electrolychee

I think I'm going to get the last one- Just-Tiis League. Loosely translated, it means "just bear the suffering" league, and it's a pun on the popular American "Justice League". Based on a set of everyday superheroes created by Electrolychee, it's a humorous take on the travails of five ordinary Pinoys making a living from blue collar jobs.

The 4th Annual Artwork T-shirt Design Competition

Artwork is a brand that comes up with artsy fartsy wearables. This is one shop I find a lot of surprisingly fun clothes and awesome t-shirts. Some of them are Filipino themed too. They're having a contest for new designs with the prizes being:

Grand Prize: MacBook- 13.3” laptop
Second prize: - PHP 15,000
Third Prize: - PHP 7,000
7 Finalists: PHP 3,000 each
Arteest’s Choice Award: PHP 3,000

Mechanics on how to join:

1. Open to artists from 13 to 30 years old. 

2. Register at any Artwork branch nationwide with a PHP 120 fee to receive a plain Happy t-shirt and an entry form. 

3. Use any technique (such as silkscreening, hand painting, quilting, mixed media, appliqués, tie dye, distress, etc.) for your design. 

3. Submit your HAPPY T-shirt/entry with a filled out entry form and attach a photocopy of your birth certificate. Take them to Artwork branch where you registered. 

4. Only one entry per person.

5. All entries must be submitted on or before the closing hour of each store on October 31, 2010.

I was thinking about linking their site but I can't seem to connect to it. 

Better to just visit their stores in the mall nearest you!

Attention Artists!

I came across these online and I thought I'd share. Worth mulling over this long weekend.

I believe this is an initiative by Team Manila to give young local designers a boost up.

Rogue Magazine wants to sponsor visual artists on the verge. Click here for more details.

Musa's Longest Running Christmas Gift List: No. 1 Man Jewelry from Lucky Monkey

The Philippines is notoriously known for having the longest Christmas season in the world- spanning from September all the way to January. Right about now, Filipinos are drafting their impressive gift lists which includes everyone they know from their loved ones to their building security guard. With that in mind, I've decided to compile the longest list of absolutely awesome Filipino made Christmas gifts. 

My first recommendation are these great finds from Lucky Monkey. Because men need their bling too, Dante Dizon and Noli Coronado created a line of heavy duty rings. I think they can double as weapons.

Technically, these things are for men. The perfect gift for biker boyfriends and dads who want to relive their days as bad-asses (before they were whipped to submission by their headstrong wives.) But personally, I wouldn't mind getting one. The character and texture of the pieces are so rock 'n' roll. 

Dante is an old friend from advertising and it's inspiring how he's managed to squeeze time from his busy schedule to pursue his passions. This team up with Noli, an established artist/sculptor is pure win. I think there are even ongoing talks between collaborations with Japanese artists. Fantastic. 

Inspired by the hardware on their bikes, the pair created works of wearable art that reflect their rough and ready lifestyle. Dante even said that the blackened finish is inspired by the burnt oil on his bike. For all its grunginess, these pieces don't come cheap. I think they're selling them for P10,000 + -something you need to save up for but worth every penny if it's for that special somebody. 

Order bling for your lucky monkey by emailing Dante and Noli here.

Latest Schedule for Manila Design Week 2010

Party with artist rocker Tara McPherson.

There's an auction for Tara McPherson's posters. Click if you're interested. 

Urban design day. Meet some of Manila's graffiti artists.

Prominent Manila designers wage war with their skills, macbooks, and wacoms.

Calling all Filipino design students who love design, music, and freedom. This one is for you.

It's a mini-concert with a great line up. 

Get all the information at: http://www.graphikamanila.com/