Taga-Iloilo

In Design Tutorials You Need To Know

2012-02-02T06:30:00.001+08:00

I haven't updated this blog much but I thought I'd put it to better use this year by posting links I would like to bookmark for future use.

Below are Links to InDesign Tutorials I would like to review once in awhile when I do print layouts.

Yes, I'm doing plenty of print multiple page layouts right now and can't be bothered, LOL, Hope to post a few old jobs soon but the year has just started for me and I already can't breathe - I mean literally, It's asthma caused by allergies. I should live in a much cooler place but if I did, I probably won't be working on these projects. :D

Dream Work Environment

2011-09-25T22:11:00.000+08:00

Because dreams are free and throwing them to the wind, gives us hope that the universe will listen and grant wishes like fairies do in fairy tales.

I always make it a point to educate myself when I have nothing to do. I've been doing sketching exercises with workbooks and reading up on advises from expert designers all over the globe. And feasting my eyes on pictures of Damian Lewis on the internet (LOL - what is work without some play mixed in right?).

Anyway, this Sunday I decided to check out slide presentations, having just finished teaching Microsoft Office 2007 on Word, Excel and Powerpoint to Agricultural Extension Workers last Friday. I found this slide presentation about project processes and there was this part that really, really, REALLY makes me wish I worked for them. The article is found here: Simon Collison

The Creative Team

I wholly believe that our processes should be inclusive, and that all members of a team can influence all aspects of the design and build of a product.

One of my most stringent rules as a creative director is that anyone, anywhere in the team can feel free to add value. They all have brains and common sense. Anyone, at any stage can contribute an idea, pose a question, throw a spanner in the works, piss on our collective chips, or get so excited that they piss on themselves.

I’m certainly no fan of the production line approach. Project manager passes request to developer; developer passes framework to designer; designer colours it in etc. Everyone working within a niche skillset on a need-to-know basis. No. I favour, as many do, an open platform, where all team members are informed and involved from day one. If we are all aware of the project’s goals and aims, we can all contribute. Findings throughout should be made transparent and shared with the whole team; and I would not exclude any client-side politics, budgets or contractual details from that either.

Forgive the role-pigeonholing here for a second. A developer can challenge a designer about a chunk of CSS or use of type. A designer can challenge a developer. Anyone can do this so long as they have a deep understanding of the process being undertaken, pairing that with the backbone of the project and their own experience.

Whilst some will always remain specialists, an individual’s general skillset or knowledge-base increases dramatically through collaborative design. This also assists individuals to achieve their own goals. For instance, even the quietest designer can find themselves doing a pitch or chasing a potential client if they wish. It promotes a Musketeers all-for-one ethic that puts a collaborative, thriving team at the heart of everything.

I would like to work in a place where my opinion will be valued, even if it's a wrong one. I do think not all of my opinions will be wrong. This would be nice. No. This would be great. My friend from Haribon says this is the process they adapt when they plan. When will they ever adapt this strategy to organizations like mine? I promise myself, if I ever get the chance to lead a team, this will be my process approach - everyone in my creative team will have a voice - and their voice will be valued.

June-July 2011

2011-07-31T14:03:00.001+08:00

Unposted work covering March to July 2011.

Samahan Laban Sa Monopolyo - logo. Support the fight against monopolies. Check out their website and blog.

The IPEMPC 19th Annual General Assembly Yearbook.

Recent Karat World Campaigns. Check it out on their website. www.karatworld.net.

A layout made to empasize the Governor's 8-point agenda in his SOPA. Read all about it here.

UFI website

2011-05-23T20:46:00.000+08:00

We started with three mock-ups with the company colors of which one was approved as shown below. I liked working on the details of this site because of the company logo which in itself is kinda fun. So from the logo we were able to agree on this psd mock-up:

This is a capture of the site online. The Uygongco Foundation Inc. (UFI) is a non-stock, non-profit, non-sectarian, non-political organization and is the social responsibility arm of the La Filipina UyGongco Corporation catering to communities in Iloilo City, Guimaras and Capiz. Their programs include day care and elementary children feeding, scholarship programs for elementary, high school, vocational tech courses and formal education. They also have a school improvement program and provide books for kids. It also organizes job fairs for fresh graduates and the unemployed.

The project began it's planning stage last year and started early February. We finished it a few weeks ago and now it's online. If you want to give and help out raise up children's education in this region, please visit www.ufi.org.ph.

Other Jobs

2011-05-10T23:54:00.000+08:00

Awesome Dog Tags - 8 art work total

Logo for the Road Racing Event

Design for the Hunter Homes Website in the US c/o 704 Creative

Also designed the logo

The logo for the Manila Marathon

And an invite for Nicole's Birthday

DB's Hometel

2011-05-10T23:33:00.000+08:00

This is a long over due update.

DB's Hometel is a new modern hometel located in D.B. Ledesma, Jaro, Iloilo City. With sleek clean rooms and a homey ambiance, it attracts tourists, students and visitors, providing them a home away from home in Iloilo.

Below is the initial mock-up design for the website:

And this is the final website now online: www.dbshometel.com

The hometel offers tours to local tourist spots in the Visayas. Check out their travel pages and download the brochures for package tours to Iloilo, Palawan, Bohol, Bacolod, Boracay and lots more.:

Online since March 2011.

For Love Of The Game… and The Money LOL

2011-04-10T08:55:00.001+08:00

People tell me I write well. But they obviously haven't met the whole family yet. I suck compared to my siblings. LOL. Anyway, here's an excerpt from a note my brother wrote in Facebook. This is our youngest, Roy, who just got married and will soon be a dad. Again posting this for posterity ... or as long as blogger stays. :)

So the dilemma becomes whether to get paid and pay the price of success or have more quality time at home and yet earn barely enough to make ends meet. Sadly, I know only a handful of people who:

a.) Understand that there are obligations that come with the additional income and/or,

b.) Are willing to sacrifice whether (not necessarily the greater good) financially or personally

People in my line of work often forget to ask three things: Do I devote enough effort in my work to get paid this much? Does the quality of work that I do reflect the income that I receive? Most importantly, do I really deserve to be here? More than most will answer yes to all these questions and yet less than a handful would not be wrong or would not be lying to themselves.

Unfortunately, you cannot really answer these three questions truthfully if you expect your work to be easy all the time. Remember, you have to work enough to stay in the game. You have to work hard to compete in the game. But to be truly the best at the game, you have to sacrifice FOR the game. And yet in this scenario, more often than not, those who get rewarded are those who show enough to fool their employers into thinking that they work hard.

Let me be clear though, I am not saying one should forsake everything good in life to deserve the kind of lifestyle we have but there IS some amount of sacrifice involved. And this includes, but is not limited to family. You have to be willing to get screamed at everyday by people. You have to be willing to endure the stress of coming in early in the morning, working your ass off to get something done and at the end of the day get chewed out for an insignificant something that you forgot to do.

People seem to be under the impression that working in front of computers is easy. You sit all day in front of the computer until your day ends. What most people don’t know is how stressful is the stupidity that we have to deal with day in and day out. The hours of endless lectures we have to endure because some idiot made some mistake in the process of doing something that should not have involved us in the first place.

The fact of the matter is, everyday at work is war for us. And war should only reward survivors. But in my world, it’s the cowards who hide in the trenches during the firefight who get rewarded over the veterans who were emotionally, physical and psychologically scarred forever by the seemingly endless struggle. And it’s sad that we live in a world like that but we do. So I pose this challenge to the readers of this note: you can’t be content to EARN it, you also have to WANT IT. Because if you can’t OWN the responsibility that you have been given, you are sadly someone who doesn’t belong here.

Here's my two cents. An added clause if I may. I agree with everything he says. But I have my limits. (1) I will not kiss my boss'es ass just because I WANT IT. (2) I will do everything to EARN IT but not at the expense of others or my principles. But then again, that's not really the point. I can't stop myself. I have angst. LOL.

Manila International Marathon

2011-03-28T05:15:00.000+08:00

I re-did the logo in Photoshop because the original was pixelized. The client wanted a very simple design based on the Dinagyang website. This was not the original color. I forgot to get a screenshot of the original psd file but except for the color, it's no different from this one. By this time, I have already a css formula prepared for my grids which I made full-use of in this static website.

Now online: http://www.manilainternationalmarathon.com

You can register for the marathon online or download the Reg form for fax. And you can also pay registration fees online using google check out or paypal.

For Japan

2011-03-14T16:56:00.000+08:00

Nothing new

2011-02-20T22:48:00.000+08:00

I haven't posted anything new lately so I'm posting old projects. The new ones will have to wait until I get paid :D

For the love of family :)

2011-01-05T23:08:00.003+08:00

More to avoid Christmas Shopping. I got the idea from John Mayer's ambigram sticker. I thought it would be cool to have something like it on a shirt. I know I keep saying I have a crazy family. They are more of creative lunatics really than people who talk to themselves - although we do have that too haha.

I thought this would be a great gift for people who more or less think outside of the box. I had it designed so that you can't really see the hidden word unless you were the one wearing the shirt. So my sisters and I printed this on shirts and asked the family if they could see the hidden meaning into it. Of course, only the deranged people could appreciate a puzzle like this.

It was a hit. Now there's an on-going challenge on giving out gifts like this for next Christmas. My cousin is already planning to give out lollipops and asking everyone to figure out its hidden meaning. LOL. Crazy, right? We took a family pic of all of wearing the shirts. I'll post when I get a copy :)

This is one of six vector artwork I made of my brother and his soon-to-be wife. We will be using it for their wedding souvenirs. SIX! Each one takes about four-eight hours to make. So this is really a labor of love. Not only is it free, you can't find this anywhere else. Will post the finish product after the wedding.

Happy 1.1.11

2011-01-01T04:43:00.014+08:00

Happy New Year Folks!

Scheduling workload for the next two months. Waiting confirmation for two website jobs and awaiting data for two more. And while at it, I'll be fixing old websites - one a month while updating my own www.dudsonline.com.

I won't be offering new calendars this year. Sorry about that. I already made one for my younger brother for his wedding souvenir and I will post that one after the wedding. Besides, I want to use my free time studying a bit of programming.

A toast to a lovely and creative year ahead!

Marina, I Touch and tshirts worn

2010-12-12T20:03:00.000+08:00

Recently re-designed the Marina Oyster and Seafood Restaurant. I took a different route from the all orange site to a more colorful one. The food is delicious even in pictures so I wanted to focus on that. Started out with this template in psd. Then moved things around, re-did the colors and the graphics until I was satisfied.

Then did this using html and css. Check out the site: www.marina.com.ph

And this was designed for a concert. I started out with sketches in pencil which my sister played around some more, and we finally got this logo to market the concert:

Here are the tickets for the concert:

And my friends wearing them after the concert:

And remember this shirt from my last post? :)

December 2010 Calendar

2010-12-01T09:58:00.000+08:00

Almost didn't make one for December. Thank God for quick online tutorials. I got this one from Abduzeedo. I made it just this morning. I didn't feel like making a Christmas Calendar this December. Let's keep it simple.

Paul Ra said "Design is so simple. That's why it's so complicated." :)

A quick shout to my friends in Texas. Good things to come in 2011, Justin, and more power to 704 :)

I love it when my clients turn to friends.

Still quite busy. Will post latest works soon.

November 2010 Calendar

2010-10-29T16:48:00.000+08:00

Not feeling too good today. Lack of sleep. A full weekend schedule. Dad still in hospital. Projects still waiting to be done. Clients to bill. Bad weather.

I need coffee. Been fasting on coffee for about two weeks but have managed to steal a cup now and then -not more than a cup a day though. Still, I made this a few months ago. I think it made me crave for a cuppa more desperately now.

The Hijas Iloilo Website

2010-10-22T00:01:00.001+08:00

This took approximately one month to plan and two weeks to make. Posted it online last Friday midnight, without coffee for a week. Hehe. Daw may fasting nga dala.

WE got it online in time for the Canonization of the School's Foundress, Mother Candida on October 17th. If you're an alumni, a parent of kids who go to school there or part of the educators of the school, please visit the site and register: http://hijasiloilo.com/

The PSD file of the Home page

The psd file of the internal pages

The actual Homepage

The Register page

The Photo Gallery

The YE Project

2010-10-21T23:49:00.001+08:00

Fr. Richard Daulo called me and asked for help for a t-shirt design. What started out as a t-shirt design eventually became a full ad campaign. I submitted three t-shirt designs that became logos. Soon I had an logo, invitation, a banner, a stage backdrop, and a Road to Emmaus board :) I decided to post this ahead while I still have the time.

And because we're inviting everyone to join in the Youth Encounter Reunion at the St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary on October 30, 2010, Saturday at 8am-6pm. :D

These are the first two t-shirt designs with their pencil sketches.

This is the chosen logo. I did this in photoshop but with color.

The YE Invitation

The YE Banner

The Tshirt Designs

Found these in the baul

2010-10-21T23:32:00.002+08:00

Well, not exactly. Found them in my hard drive. They were supposed to be written on cds and archived but I've been preoccupied, I never got to that. Now my hard drive is over-flowing with projects with no back-ups. Uh-oh.

So, I'm posting these. Not necessarily back-ups but for reference later on.

Dinagyang and Kasadyahan 2010 Tickets. Layout, Photo Editing.(pics by JM Mejorada, and some are mine)

The Coop Newsletter. Layout, Photo Editing.

The Coop 2010 Annual, Layout, Photo Editing

Engagement Rings for Karat world, Photo Editing

For Karatworld, Layout

Earth and Me

2010-10-06T13:23:00.000+08:00

Before I start working on another website tomorrow, let me just post this.

I was excited to take this project. It was my fourth website design project for this year but it was one of the most challenging. I almost volunteered to do it had the owner not offered that I give it a try.

So we started with an idea, the mock-up in Photoshop. Brown and green to remind people of the earth.

But later, I didn't like the dark brown because it made the website look too dark, when it should be light and calming. So I changed it into a lighter shade of beige. The mock-up is edited to see the effect.

Then I coded the psd into xhtml. I made good use of grids in this project. They were really easy to work with. Below is the image of the website itself.

And the most interesting part of making the projects is this. A Shopping cart feature that leads to order forms. And it also has a contact form.

Check out the real site: Earth and Me. They sell organics hair and body care as well as remedies for common skin problems. My favorite product is the Boo Boo Cream. Must have that for Binoy soon.

--------------------------

And let me just post this previous project that I forgot to post. A Chanel table display to showcase Chanel jewelry for Karatworld.

October 2010 Calendar

2010-09-30T08:49:00.000+08:00

Almost forgot about this.

The design is supposed to be - well, weird. I was looking for the psychedelic look but I don't want to drown the text with the background. Looking at it now, I want to try another idea ... maybe the dark background was a bad idea ... but I don't really have the time to do it now. Well, maybe in the next October Calendar.

The quote is from one of characters in Criminal Minds - the computer goddess Penelope Garcia. She opens up phone conversations like this and she has every right - well, as I said, she is a genius with digital data. Other phone line openings goes:

Oracle of Quantico - speak if you deign to hear truth!
Fount of all Knowledge, check my flow!
Rainmaker, how wet do you want it?
All hail the goddess of information.

See? She totally kicks ass :) I love her next to Reed.

The Power of One

2010-09-21T09:50:00.002+08:00

People ask me why I don't hire people to help me with my design work. I would actually, if I can afford it. And have a bigger office. And have more time to give to my small business. But I would keep it small - maybe five people - less noisy that way and less people to argue with.

But I don't mind working alone, or that my office space is a small area in my living room and that I have to keep a day job to keep myself and my family moderately fat and uncomplaining. I like it. The pressure sometimes gets the best of me, but I love what I do. This is my cause, my purpose. And I tend to kill myself (with work) for a cause, a purpose, a passion.

Anyway, found this quote and just had to share it:

“As businesses get larger, it’s easier to hide bad people in them. This is because there are so many things going on, alongside numerous coworkers who can shield one’s dismal performance. Toss in some memos, meetings, office politics, and it gets harder to determine whether a staff member is kicking ass or just great at kissing it.

“In a company of one, there’s little room for any of this. When you’re that tiny, you have little choice but to be exemplary.”

Eric Karjaluoto, Speak Human: Outmarket the Big Guys by Getting Personal.

Which brings me to this: Adding more people to government actually doesn't solve the problem. It just gives the bad guys a place to hide. Turning a department into an office does not solve the problem if it's not the problem. I wish our leaders will take heed and get to the root of the problem instead of listening to all the ass-kissing morons who don't know what their purpose is. Just my two cents.

September Calendar

2010-08-27T21:20:00.000+08:00

Got an old layout and used it for the calendar. Didn't have time to create one from scratch so this will have to do. Every time I make one now, I think of how it would look in my desktop at work. So the words I choose are words I would want to tell myself while at work. I've been finding work a burden lately despite the fact that I have a clean plate at home. Maybe you reach a point when you've given it all you got and you dry up. There's a word for that but I can't think of it right now.

I'm not getting enough business lately. I don't know if it's because I'm charging too much, or businesses are just not spending enough, or the competition just got more fierce. I know I cannot compete when it comes to time and interactivity but that has never been a factor before. There are businesses out there who just needs a web presence. I like that I'm not breaking my back every weekend. But I miss the income. I suddenly cannot afford the things I was used to. So I need to cut back on my spending. I didn't realize how comfortable life was with the extra income. Sigh. You win some, you lose some I guess.

Still I plan to inspire, strive and celebrate ... everyday ... for as long as I can.

Hey, if you need a website, a print layout, a logo or if you know someone who does, do me a favor and point them in my direction please. I could use a challenge. :)

July Jobs

2010-08-17T19:56:00.001+08:00


Tyo Mike's Invite - Printed in Photo Paper

Karatworld Display Case Plan

IBC website concept done in Photoshop

IBC website re-designed transformed to XHTML and CSS

August 2010 Calendar

2010-07-25T20:24:00.000+08:00

Smiling through the grime? : ) No not really. Just wanted to say that no matter how bad the situation maybe, one could always make it look pretty. It's a matter of seeing beauty in the madness.

Current

2010-07-04T12:34:00.000+08:00

Hmmm, I'm re-designing a business site. But I'm in the dark because the clients just expects to be dazzled - LOL! Sigh. Oh, well ...

Here are some previous projects done recently:

1. Invitation and program, logo, backdrop for the Despedida for Retirees called Season of Change
2. The Zonta Invitation - you should see the finished project but the pic is stuck in my cellphone. This is just a print layout.
3. Standee for KaratWorld
4. Invitation, tshirt design for WVSU HS Class of 1982 Reunion.

And here's the recent pic of me working at yet another seminar somewhere in Antique. I have a feeling I will take a laptop to my grave to make sure I don't get bored. Yup, that bandanna magically appears on my head on every picture. I don't know where it comes from. It just does.

July 2010 Calendar

2010-06-30T10:03:00.000+08:00

I seem to like not working for weeks now though I know I have to earn a bit as soon as possible before I get bombarded by unpaid bills. Guess I have to get busy soon. I only made calendars up to August LOL! Sigh! This past few months has been a long holiday. So the work begins again.

The Anatomy of a Web Design

2010-05-29T23:05:00.005+08:00

First, it begins with an idea on paper.

Then, it takes shape on Photoshop.

Then we talk colors and experiment some more.

Then more discussions until we agree on the mock-up.

Then, after html, css and a some back-end programming from Chris and Justin, the folks at www.704creations.com, we get a website:

June Calendar

2010-05-27T23:03:00.001+08:00

And another one

This one's personal because it lists my happiness.

This blog needs an update

2010-05-27T22:56:00.000+08:00

Sigh. I know. I should post more often. But been working on something more ... well, healthy ;) Here's some pats prjects, some dating back January I think..

May 2010 Desktop Calendar

2010-04-25T19:42:00.000+08:00

April 2010 Desktop Calendar

2010-04-17T11:57:00.000+08:00

La lang magawa. April 2010 Desktop Calendar for Monitors 1440 x 900 px res.

Will be uploading a new one at least once a month - if things don't get too toxic at work and at home :)

Latest Work

2010-04-03T19:11:00.001+08:00

Hi. Just thought this blog needs updating. Can't believe I've skipped two months to update this blog. Promised myself that I'd finish a book before the holy week is over but haven't even started yet.

Anyway, these layout was made months ago. Will post this month's work in the next two months. Really looking forward to that vacation.

Dinagyang 2010

2010-01-25T16:43:00.003+08:00

Not bad for a Canon point and shoot camera eh? Decided to post different photos in my my different social networks. That way there's variety for everyone. Will post the links here when I have them. This is the first one. All shots taken with a point and shoot camera. Some editing like blurring fo background (the limits of a point and shoot is depth of field!), cropping, resizing for web and some adjustments on brightness and contrasts. No colors were changed. Click on the image for a larger view.

If you want to post the pictures somewhere else, I require a link back. No pics should be used without permission from me.

Links to other Dinagyang pics posts:
On Being Ms. Finch
Flickr
Deviant Art

Nature's first green is gold

2010-01-09T21:08:00.000+08:00

I don't often regard myself as a good example to the younger generation - I'm a college dropout after all. When I was a member of a church group, there was pressure to be a model-figure to the younger generation because as a youth leader - kids do look up to you whether you like it or not. Although I never did like that kind of responsibility, I do try to teach my nephews and nieces the right thing to do. Not just by showing them, but by reasoning with them and telling them of what I learned from past mistakes. I think kids nowadays are wiser than their elders when we were at their age. They think differently. I do sometimes wish they stay kids for a little while longer though. Smelling the flowers is just as enjoyable as running past them. Whichever way you go, just live the now and you can't go wrong.

Today, I had an online conversation with an SEO/designer wanna-be who got curious of my blog and my website. It's a pity that I didn't get to add his name in my friends list and that I never got to record the conversation. It reminded me of a similar conversation I had 6 months ago I think, by another young designer which I promised to post but never got to do it because of work. Well, I'm posting it now. Kath, I lost your url. If you could find time to send it to me again, please do so I could post it here. Thanks.

KG: How did u start web designing?
me: I was just playing around at first. Then my brother hired me. The first website was the breakthrough. People started to notice my work after that.
KG: Wow.. that's nice.
me: You can start by doing volunteer work for non profit orgs who are willing to invest on a web host. And it helps that I blog too. Free advertising.
KG: I also have a blog pero napabayaan ko na. I couldn't find time and motivation kasi. :(
me: I think its just following your heart, investing time on what you like doing. If people see that in you, they would be willing to take a chance with you. One mistake freelancers take for granted, they need to communicate well. You cannot sell your services if your clients can’t understand you.
KG: Ang dami ko pa talagang bigas na kakainin haha.
me: Hehe. I didnt learn all these overnight naman. It’s fun – learning.
KG: And it doesn’t feel like work when your having fun right. Have you ever thought of working in a web design company? If meron dyan sa inyo?
me: I had offers. The offers came from abroad - full time freelancing with steady stream of clients. But I like my day job. My priority is that I enjoy what I’m doing. Kung pera lang, I probably have a different job now - but I don’t know if I would be happy
KG: what is ur day job pala
me: I’m a government employee LOL. Assigned sa IT.
KG: What do you do there?
me: I do software trainings and user application-troubleshooting. I also do a lot of graphics design as part of my work. Admin support kung baga.
KG: Related rin pala..
me: Yup. Maliit lang kami sa office and I enjoy the company of my co-workers - same mind. But I’m not working today. On leave ako ngayon.
KG: but you don't have an it degree right? accountng grad ka d ba?
me: Hehe. I never finished college. Accounting was not that interesting - I keep dropping out. I still advise people to finish school though.
KG: Wow. Your really inspiring.
me: I’m not. I just really love what I do
KG: When I was still in college I thought that I should work in a software industry because I'm taking computer engineering because that's related to my course. But right now I never really enjoyed coding. I realized this is not what I love to do. Maybe this is not my passion
me: What do u want to do? What keeps you awake at night? What is the one thing you like doing that you don’t mind doing even if your tired?
KG: Doing layouts but that was years ago na. Meron rin akong blog noon. Pero di na ako active ngayon. I dont know if I can ever go back to it.
me: hmmmm. maybe u don’t know yet, but that’s ok too. I didn’t start liking graphic design until 7-8 years ago. I was 31 then - too old for IT na nga eh. I think it was a matter of trying out things and discovering which shoe fits. And if you do find it, you need to invest time to hone and study your craft. For example, you want to be rock star pero di mo rin pinagaaralan yung paano maging guitarista. Sayang rin. Walang mangyayari kung ganun dahil walang growth.
KG: kaya nga I should start NOW!!!
me: How young are you ba?
KG: 22
me: Hahaha. I dont think you should start worrying about that now. Bata mo pa. Your on the stage of experimenting. I suggest try everything - your passion will find you eventually. Some just discover it when they’re not looking so hard ;)
KG: thanks
me: Your welcome. Now go back to work ;)
KG: haha.. :D

Labels Labels I Love Making Labels

2009-12-16T23:50:00.000+08:00

I wasn't kidding when I said I was busy the last two months. This is one of my most favorite projects - freehand design for 13 TSKI labels for local products with just a vague description of how the clients want it. This project followed a jewelry editing job for a foreign client - about 100+ jewelry images which I can't post here until I get permission from owner. So I was working about two-week nights and full weekends without breaks. So I understand now the literal meaning of "working my ass off" - or as my former Brit boss would remind me, "arse"! This makes me happy.

Book Mobile Layout

2009-12-16T23:31:00.000+08:00

Ad attached to the side of a truck full of books.

Christmas Jewelry - Now Na!

2009-12-16T23:26:00.000+08:00

Now available in Karat world. Layout for posters, billboards, magazines etc.

Trina and other half

2009-12-16T23:19:00.000+08:00

She contacted me in facebook that this be done in time for the other half's birthday. barely made it but done. Can't remember how long it took me. I have it on record somewhere but I can't be bothered to look for them now.

On the brink of ....

2009-12-16T10:25:00.000+08:00

Imagining myself on top of a mountain overlooking the ocean. And shouting:
AAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Can't breathe. Feel sooo stressed out and there is no reason for it. No air. No air. Tell me how I can breathe with no air.

Awwwwwww!

2009-12-03T08:36:00.000+08:00

I suddenly want to work for Google Switzerland LOL.

Check this out: Google EMEA Engineering Hub, in Zürich

Be The Change

2009-11-30T16:26:00.002+08:00

Remember this streamer from my last post?

Not long ago, Italians donated cooking equipment to poor families who were victims of Typhoon Frank. The baking equipment was to give them a source of livelihood to provide for their families as well as to feed them.

A month ago, a friend of mine asked me to take part in another Italian Heart Giving Activity. This time, Italian friends from IBM, and friends of their friends pooled their resources to adopt a school in Cainta that was hit by Ondoy. What is it with Italians? ;) Thay can't be all good looking and generous at the same time. It's not fair! Anyway, the people who gave seems to be both so who am I to complain?

The flood water reached the roof of the school and there was very little funds to put things back to normal. The money donated was used to paint the classrooms, buy school supplies and slippers for the kids, fix the windows, buy a table for a teacher, electric fans and a whole lot more. It triggered some more generosity from the locals. Someone donated computers. An Ilongga businesswoman paid for plane fare, and a local chicken company paid for food. My job was miniscule - a streamer, and later on a thank you website. But hey, I'm just happy to be able to witness generosity :) and more happy to be asked to be part of it.

How rewarding can this smile be?

Congrats to my friend Lea - the BFF who will change the world. You deserve a party girl! Gather the gang and let's get drunk tonight! Woo hoo!

Italian hearts

2009-11-21T22:18:00.000+08:00

Tonight, my BFF who's going to save the world called from one of her mission sites and reported status. All systems go. My streamer will look great. The Italians will be pleased ... and wish they had given more - hahaha. More on this at a later post.

Bohol and Cebu

2009-11-13T00:09:00.001+08:00

Joined the Lakbay Aral trip to Cebu and Bohol this week. Got back yesterday and still have a hangover from all the running around. Anyways, there were about thirty of us - officers and staff of the Cooperative. I was in charge of, as usual, documentation. My partner in crime holds the video cam while I take the stills. Which would explain why I'm not in most of the shots. I was holding the camera most of the time; Cameras! Everyone brought with them a digital camera during the trip. And everyone wanted me to take the same shot about 10 times with different cameras. I suggested that we should just take the shot with one camera and consolidate all the soft copies on a cd where everyone can have a copy. But Noooooooooo, everyone had to take the shot with their camera. So patiently, I took the shot-s. I'm not very photogenic anyway so I really didn't mind not being in the picture. I did mind taking the same picture about 10 times with different cameras.

If you've visited my flickr page you would have seen these. But I'm posting them yet again for those who can't be bothered to look for the flickr page.

Here's Bohol:
Loboc River Trip - mandatory to tourist because everyone has to eat lunch ... on a boat ... while cruising the Loboc river and enjoying nature and all it's greenery. There is a small tiny waterfall at the end of the trip and then you get serenaded with folk songs by a group complete with dancers :) Anyone care to try Tinikling on a river raft?

A commanding view of the Chocolate Hills on top of the Observation Deck.

Chocolate Hills at Sunset.

Riding the Trans Asia Boat to Cebu in the early morning. This is a surreal sight - sunlight breaking into the clouds casting a white line reflection on the water. God saying hello at early morning :)

I like this pic. I can't explain why. I just do.

Dumaluan Beach Resort, Bohol

Hidden Valley Resort and Training Center, Lamac, Pinamungajan, Cebu

Feels like Insomnia

2009-10-23T09:47:00.002+08:00

Had an extreme urge to write something but I really have nothing to write about. Hmmmmm. I could post a few jobs I've done but I don't really have the time to upload anything just now. I just need to get this blog going since the other one seems to have a life of its own and the OC in me imagines a quiet competition between the two blogs. :)

I haven't been sleeping enough. The jobs I was anticipating last weekend didn't start coming until Monday so I've been pretty much on my toes ... or should I say my butt ... slaving away in front of my PC every night. I would have longing glances at the TV when they're watching Gregory House and Criminal Minds and a new TV series about seeing the future which sounds disturbing. Sometimes I would suddenly jump and break-out into a song and dance number with my headphones on - much to the chagrin of my sisters and nephews. Insomnia by Craig David is the current favorite, some KPop, a bit of Kate Perry and the usual good old rock and roll. But hey, we do anything just to get through the night right? LOL. My current work load requires a lot of eye contact :) and attention to detail. Which is fine since I seem to like the tedious and the complicated. So I do enjoy my night job.

Things are kinda boring at the day-work. No - boring is not the word. Slow - a better word. It's not that I hate slow. It's just that I believe that there is sooo much we could do to make the world a weee bit better ... and well, sometimes like it feels like your on your own. And you eventually lose your enthusiasm and your drive and with it, all the excitement. Sigh sigh sigh. Patience was never my strongest virtue. But I keep my mouth shut and speak short words. Complaining is silly. I'm not paid well enough to make a lot of noise. And if I try to work smart, I usually get other people into a lot of trouble (evil laugh). Does watching too many CSI and Criminal Minds on tv make you think more like a criminal? ;) Be afraid. Be very afraid. LOL.

Current favorite at work is Shawn Mullins' Shimmers. {Sings) "We're born to shimmer. We're born to shine, We're born to radiate! We're born to live! We're born to love! We're born to never hate."

The Viking said I had my two legs growing deep deep into Iloilo soil. I'm afraid he might be right. I love my life here. But a large part of me wants to fly and need to shake dust.

I feel the need for speed :)
God help me. Hehehe.

Blog + Free Food = What Diet?

2009-10-05T23:04:00.001+08:00

What to say? I'm drawing a blank. Typical if you have a full stomach, a sleepy disposition and a license to be lazy on a free weekend.

I attended this food blogger event last Sunday at SM City Iloilo aptly called the "Food Blogger's Event" :) - for the FREE FOOD!

I know. I'm shameless. When you get to a certain age, you really don't care what other people think.The prerequisites to be there were : (1) You have to own a blog, (2) You can write about food (3) You can eat :) I passed!

Anyway, it was a unique way to showcase the smorgasbord of treats that Iloilo is known for. Bloggers are after all the new media; and what they say - no matter how simple - are deemed profound and are, more importantly, read by someone else other than the writer.

Ilonggos, too, are food lovers of wide taste. It is considered hospitable for Ilonggos to fatten up their guests by forcing food in their mouth 6-9 times a day. "Try this! And you must have this! Or you can't leave Iloilo without savoring this"! It will be the end of the world if foreigners leave town without an inch added to their waistline.

But I digress, the event was well worth skipping lunch for. The Sponsors did not disappoint! On your left are my chosen favorites among the scrumptious buffet displayed for us to gorge in public without embarrassing ourselves with drool. Among the generous food givers are: Casa Ilongga, Yukashii (yum yum sushi), Breakthrough (kick-ass crab meat!), Chicken n ribs, Ocean City, Sabor Ilonggo, House of Panini, Buko ni Frutas and Thirsty. I must say, that I was well satisfied, and a little too happy to be munching away while people pass us enviously, wondering why the hell they didn't join Iloilo Bloggers when they had the chance. Nyahahaha!

We also got freebies! We got gift certificates for free meals from the various restaurants named and also coffee from Figaro, shakes from Thirsty, a take-home bag from Sabor Ilonggo, Litro softdrinks from Pepsi, a signature Coke glass from Coca-Cola, free internet from Netopia and take-home sushi from Yukashii! Big thanks to the wonderful people of SM city - Stephen and Leo - and the rest of the guys who made us a wee bit too comfortable (We never wanted to leave but they started packing away the chairs from Home Store!). Also I would like to mention the visionaries of Iloilo Bloggers Junelle and our President, Claire, for spreading the word. It would have been such a shame to let all those free food go to waste :)

My stomach is deeply fattened and my heart greatly pleased. Wait, I meant stomach pleased, and heart fattened. We should do this again. When will the next food trip be?

Jersei

2009-09-30T21:07:00.001+08:00

I always ask my clients to describe the person they want drawn. Likes, dislikes, personality traits, favorite colors and expressions. That way I could include their hidden traits in the artwork, if I can manage it.

Jersei will turn 4 years old soon. Her grandmother Joa Griffith describes her as the sunshine princess :) She said that if Jersei were older, she will share my outlook and bubbleness in life. That would make Jersei a blond bright-eyed mini-me :) Cool! Now, if only I were as pretty as her :D

Vector artwork finished during the weekend in 6 hours - on and off because of the power outage. I will have to learn to perfect the hair but I think I'm getting really fast at it :)

Joa said: Looks PERFECT to me! I truly do love it, it's funny, when you want the perfect gift but don't know what it is, when you discover it. It is like a lightbulb over the head.....THIS IS IT !!

I love a happy client :)

Discontent

2009-09-27T05:00:00.001+08:00

No power again. Good thing I still have the laptop with about an hour’s worth of battery. I’ve been hoping my siblings in Manila are ok. Two are stuck in the 2nd floor of their homes. One has gone safely back to his apartment after being stranded on a mall for several hours. And my nephew is safe and sound in his dorm despite the flood in front of it. So I’m sitting still waiting for power to come back on because I need to work on a vector project for a client. And I just started this morning when the power went out. It hasn’t returned since. Bummer.

I’ve had a pretty busy but I think it's been a very productive two weeks. My co-workers and I were exposed to the IBM culture which in itself is impressive and very … mind-numbing. But I guess it’s only because we were not used to it. We will be adapting their best practices and hopefully can have it implemented at the whole agency when the right time comes. I’m banking on this. I want change and I don’t want to be complaining about the same things 10 years from now. I am totally, positively hopeful that we can make this work, And I really wish that despite the politics at the office, administration will see how big this could be for all of us.

So thanks to Keven Cheng and Shefali Bansal for all the help and advise and the patience to see us through. We have become attached to them over the past week and it was really difficult to say goodbye. You get attached quickly. But good things to come. Good thongs to come.

The thing about meeting other people from another country, it opens your eyes wider to see how small you are in the universe and how vast the possibilities are out there. And meeting people like them just shows that anything can happen. After meeting them I am no longer CONTENT – Hahaha. I REALLY HATE THAT! It’s a bad thing really but it’s also a good thing. I want to be able to push myself to the challenge. You be the change you want to see in the world they keep saying. Amen to that. BE THE CHANGE. Remember the post secret postcard I posted a year ago? This one? I want people to say that about me. No matter how small that change maybe, I want to be able to contribute something to the world. I want to be significant! I don’t think it is ever too late.

El Jardin Standee

2009-09-21T22:55:00.000+08:00

Tumandok Exhibit at Robinson's this week :)

Privado Event Today!

2009-09-15T21:23:00.000+08:00

Have your invites ready!

Bag ladies, feast your eyes on these:

This guy turned 19!

2009-09-11T00:29:00.001+08:00

I know your not suppose to play favorites among nephews and nieces, but I think an aunt is always entitled to have a special place for the child she had to care for the most. I love all my nephews and nieces but this guy literally grew up with me. I have changed his diapers, saw him wet his pants, loved him when he had no teeth, celebrated almost all his birthdays with him, saw drama in his life with broken hearts and unfulfilled promises, survived a flood with him, but most of all saw him triumph over his limits. To me, he is larger than life :)

Vector art was done on and off for five hours. This one has been filtered with poster edges for effect. Two more nephews to go. Then I draw my four brothers, my two sis-in-laws, and finally my Mom. The rest who want this done for free, will just have to pick a number and wait - hahaha ;)

Not Lazy, just preoccupied

2009-09-07T05:36:00.000+08:00

Just to let you know that I haven't been lazy. And aside from stalking SS501, Kim Hyun Joong and Hwang Bo, I still do some work. Here are the latest for the portfolio:

Book Cover Design for the Citizen's Charter of the Province of Iloilo. Designed front, back, spine and inside backgrounds. From the book cover, we also created invitations, a brochure, a stage backdrop,a program and a signature board. Book is supposed to be launched today but ... might be postponed due to Holiday.

704 Creations Logo. Re-designed Logo for the 704 Creations mavericks Chris Harrist and Justin Cook. Visit their website here. They had willingly adopted me to their team and I think this was the initiation.

Five Label designs for Taytay Sang Kauswagan. Partnering with DOST, DTI and TSK, I came up with 5 label designs to help out starting entrepreneurs with their business packaging. TSK does the packaging concepts. My role is just to design the labels. These are not the actual packaging but just a layout on how they can be applied to the real deal. These are real products though.

Karat World Amazing Diamond Sale posters, newspaper ads and mag ads. African themed and rugged. Runninh from August to September 2009.

Business Card Design.

So I'm off to bed. Have plenty more to post but I really must sleep. Because if I don't, I'll start stalking again LOL! Good morning world.

The resemblance

2009-08-23T11:06:00.000+08:00

My nephew Markey and Russell of the Pixar film Up :)

And they are just cute as buttons.

The Tipping Point - as promised

2009-08-20T11:53:00.000+08:00

I promised to write about the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell because I love it and I want it in my blog for easy review if I need it later on. The book suggests how little things make a big difference to create change – and it’s applicable to everything. The tipping point is the level at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable, when ideas, products and messages, behaviors spread like viruses do. The tipping point starts epidemics of significant proportions that it’s not easy to go against the tide. Remember EDSA? The tipping point was Ninoy Aquino’s death although it took another two years for Marcos downfall. Remember Jiho’s popularity? The tipping point is We Got Married although very few people knew about it and only saw him on BOF. It was his personality in that WGM series that started the wildfire. He was irresistible, so his shows followed one after the other.

The book enumerates the rules of epidemics and they are:

1. The Law of the Few. Only a few people initiate the change. The Pareto Principle Says that only 20% of the whole who do 80% of the work. These 20% probably have particular and rare set of social gifts that moves the universe to change. How many people does it take to light a stage? How many people would it take to kill Michael Jackson? Ok that’s a bad analogy but I think you get my drift. Gladwell calls this 20% the:

a. Connectors – people who have the gift of bringing people together, have the ordinary talent of making numerous friends and acquaintances. My niece Kela falls in this category. She has 100 bffs in her high school alone. I don’t know how she can remember all their names at all ;P

b. Mavens – information specialists we rely on to provide us with new information or a piece of their accumulated knowledge about everything under the sun. They are the know-it-alls although all they really want to do is help people so they volunteer information which they think people will find helpful even if people don’t ask. Oprah would be a maven simply because she shares everything she thinks people need to know in her show.

c. Salesman – persuaders who have the ability to sell you anything under the sun and convince you that you can’t live life without it. They are charismatic people with great negotiation skills. Like Hyun Joong who can say, this is not the Philippines and can actually make you believe its true. (I know I talk about him far too much – hahaha)

2. The Stickiness Factor – The specific content of a message that renders its impact memorable and effective to retention. Swine flu. Though it was called an epidemic here for sometime, it didn’t stick. Why? Because very few people died of it. And eventually, people stopped washing their hands. This is an important factor in product branding. People attract to things they easily remember – things that stick. The Bulilit Sanay sa maliit Commercial for example. Or Korean pop song Nobody. They stick.

3. The Power of Context – Human behavior is sensitive to and strongly influenced by its environment. Epidemics are sensitive to the conditional circumstances of the times / places in which they occur. We wanted a second floor in our home because it is falling apart. It’s been falling apart for years but we didn’t seem to mind. After Baguio Frank, there is now a strong need to fix the house. We suddenly looked for ways to find a solution desperately. Frank was a tipping point. The second floor is not only a house improvement now, it is a need in case of another flood calamity. It has now become a future safety harness.

The book is a must read. Fate is a question of circumstances and events coming together to make change happen. I can’t say that life had been pre-determined by God to happen the way it does. Maybe everything is planned but no one can tell for sure. But changes occur because of agents of change come together to create a holocaust of movements making it the tipping point. And this coming together is called the point that tips the scale. It maybe planned by some super power but then again, maybe everything just happens by accident. I like not knowing this. I like an unpredictable life.

Happiness is design

2009-07-19T09:19:00.000+08:00

I realize that I'm happiest when I'm creating or in the midst of a creative process, even though I have a predominantly analytical mind. I sit in front of a computer, or sometimes a draft or drawing pad, put on headphones to tune out the world (lately, listening to Korean SS501 music to which I don't even understand most of the lyrics - haha), and lose myself in whatever world I'm creating. And when I'm in that world, everything wrong can be put right. Well, that is when I'm an inspired mode and phase out.

There are times when I can't force it and draw a blank. So I must take a walk, dance, watch TV or read - any other activity other than creating. Tune out thinking for awhile and just ... be. I love that part too.

So I wondered why I never considered the arts when I was thinking of a course in college. Maybe it was the practical side of me who dominated then? Maybe Accounting was more ... in tune with my realities then? These thoughts are brought about by the current book I'm reading called "The Tipping Point" which I will discuss on a much later post. I am recommending it however to all wanna-be artists and entrepreneurs out there. NO ONE IS BORN GREAT! THEY BECOME. It's really mostly circumstantial. So I still believe that life is how you make it. Happiness is how you choose it to be ;)

But I digress, my real topic is this. I attended a 2-day basic label design workshop last week. I asked my boss to let me attend even though design is only a small portion of what I do at work and I wasn't directly invited. (Thanks boss.) It was sponsored by DOST, SMED and Taytay sang Kauswagan. We were taught the basic design process (basically the same with my design process except for the mandatory music headphones). And we were also taught designing packages for food products, the requirements, the considerations. It was quite interesting. I have this website where I just look at product packaging for inspiration because you can never tell where inspiration will jump out.

Anyway, I was partnered with two creative students from WVCST, Arli and Jude. Our product was fresh milk in a bottle and we were given client specs and a filled up questionnaire by real clients. It was a test run for my laptop which I haven't really used fully. After drawing sketches on paper, we got to work. The next day, we got to witness the printing and packaging process at Taytay Sa Kauswagan. I hated it that I didn't think of questions to ask before going there because I had plenty and never wrote them down. Forgot to ask them while I was there. Anyway, we presented our product later that morning and we got good inputs and helpful criticisms. We were told that we couldn't use the designs we made for the workshop but I wanted to post ours anyway. I changed the names and certain details in the product label in case I get sued - hahaha. This is the edited version - post-criticisms. Being true to my OC self, I corrected everything that they found wrong with it :)

Hope they don't sue me for posting this but I'm quite proud of what we came up with - for first timers ;)

More work

2009-07-19T09:06:00.000+08:00

Recent work for Karat World.

Now on signages, billboards, nespaper, posters and what have yous. Visit SM Northwing Cebu :) Credits to Trix for his ideas.

And my joongbo vector edited again and again - hay! I love this couple.

Remembering Frank

2009-06-22T09:09:00.000+08:00

A year ago yesterday, muddy flood waters careened through the doors and covered my house with four feet of water in 30 minutes. It was an ordeal. I still have the trauma of flooding waters every time it rains. I fight the urge to put everything on top of cabinets when I hear loud thunder storms. I now pick furniture with height and buy equipment that I can throw over tall cabinets quickly. That memory has embedded itself in my brain and trained my instinct unconsciously. So let me commemorate Typhoon Frank with posts of the ordeal I had on my other blog. The flood revisited.

Flash flood drama Episode I
Flash Flood Drama Episode 2
Flash Flood Drama Final Episode
Back In Business

Yonsama

2009-06-19T17:49:00.001+08:00

Bae Yong Joon in line art and vector shading. Didn't get to put much detail in the hands but will do that in due time.

Next will be Kim Hyun Joong and Hwang Bo. :)

Tshirt Designs and what else have you

2009-06-18T00:06:00.000+08:00

I really would like to write something more substantial but ... I'm so sleepy. So just this for now. Until further notice.

Offline for a day

2009-05-24T20:44:00.000+08:00

I didn't have any internet connection the whole day. Which sucks. But it also forced me to take a rest from surfing. So ... there. Didn't do much. Did very little work too. But connection is back and I decided to work until midnight tonight.

Here's a rough draft of posters, an invite made for twins and a logo :). Been busy. Been lazy too.

Prints In The Meantime

2009-05-13T09:23:00.000+08:00

I have website jobs lining up but still no word on when. This scares me. What if they all say go all at the same time I will have to say no to some of them then or move them around to accommodate them or worst pass them to other designers - (there goes my businesswoman side). People are telling me to hire people to do my work. I don't do this for several reasons. Maybe my business will not grow if I don't hire people but then again I'm fine with that. My mission is to have fun and dammit I will - (evil laugh!).

Some projects finished some time ago:

Nicole's Tinkerbell posters, souvenir graphics and what-not. This lovely baby just needed wings and off she goes. Thank God for Tinkerbell brushes!

Fort Manokan is now serving more drinks. Yummy. Come and get it. Incidentally, I am loving Tanduay Dark. Plan to have that at every Christmas Party from now on!

No Spec

2009-05-09T23:36:00.000+08:00

I've been dipping my hand on spec work despite all the bad publicity it's been getting. I should have learned coz I still have no luck. My agent already sent me a cake to pacify me for my losses - nyahaha. And I'm limiting the time I spend on spec projects (not true because my brains sort of runs by itself when I have an idea). I have been hesitant to do it in the first place because it's designing blind and there is also the possibility that the client will use your work anyway without you knowing it. I've been watermarking my submitted projects. If they use it, they will have to do a helluva lot of editing.

I tried it for two reasons: First, I only take those jobs when it won't affect my paid jobs; and second, It's a great opportunity to practice website design with free criticisms to learn from. Sort of like the Photo Friday of Photography. Ok, NOT really but at least I can say I tried it before making a verdict. I love getting carried away designing for a project; BUT it's discouraging if I don't win. Sometimes I have a great idea and lose it to a really bad one. VERY frustrating.

I'm posting those sites that didn't win. I don't have any use for them now but I could always use then for future projects. Still it's no excuse. Design work should always be paid jobs. And those sites supporting spec works are just milking us amateurs for ideas. So I stand for No Spec.

Here is an article from www.no-spec.com

What is “spec?
“Spec” has become the short form for any work done on a speculative basis. In other words, any requested work for which a fair and reasonable fee has not been agreed upon, preferably in writing.

What’s so wrong with that?
In a nutshell, spec requires the designer to invest time and resources with no guarantee of payment.

Isn’t it wise for a client to “try before they buy?”
On the surface it may seem so. But, digging a bit deeper, one realizes that professional graphic design is about creating custom solutions, not cookie-cutter concepts.

But, with today’s computers and software, how long could it take?
This is a common point-of-view for many who confuse the professional with his or her tools. The “process” is more than simply tapping at a keyboard or clicking a mouse. It’s about understanding the nature of a communication challenge and then using one’s brain to find the appropriate solution.

At the end of the day, there is a certain irony in spec work. A prospect requesting it is ultimately saying, “My project isn’t important enough to hire a professional who will take the time to understand my situation and goals and invest the time needed to create a suitable solution.”

So please do your research. Find artists that fit the style of what you want. Read the previous article about How to properly contact an artist and send the artist an email.

You may get a lot of work by getting artists to do spec but by contacting artists and paying them up front for work both parties will win and ultimately the designs will turn out better.

So Spec you too!

La Lang

2009-05-08T09:20:00.000+08:00

I've been neglecting my updates. I've been busy and can't get my self to prioritize posting here. Anyway, made this for a private newsletter - the second released early this year, the first to be released in the next few months.

summer survival kit by ~ilongga70 on deviant ART

Tightening the Belt by ~ilongga70 on deviant ART

One Lourdes Dormitel

2009-04-24T22:25:00.000+08:00

Now online. www.onelourdesdormitel.com. If you need a dormitory, an affordable place to stay or crash if you don't know anyone in Iloilo, this is the place.

A Basic Website

2009-04-23T19:42:00.000+08:00

I've been receiving a lot of inquiries about website design lately. Possible clients start by asking questions about packages, about prices of websites I have previously designed and what they could get with a named budget. If they can't afford my rates - which I really think is quite reasonable since I do customized work, they start asking for the price of a basic website. Which I don't understand.

A basic website to me is a page with text - no design. Basic to me means a skeleton site. White page and black same sized-text arranged in columns and rows. For a basic website, you really don't need a designer. You can just get a basic template and design it on your own. Here's an example of a basic website. Anyone can make a basic website, but I think the reason clients ask for a web designer is precisely because they don't want a basic website, right?

So I did some research on the web. There are website designers who charge lower than Php 8,000.00 (US$200) for a basic website. And a basic website is really pretty basic. It is so basic, it's plain. Those who charge a lot for a website design - with prices so extra-ordinarily corporate are those who have actually made a name for themselves and are breathtakingly good at what they do. And they have every right to charge pretentious fees.

While I don't belong to the latter, I don't enjoy making basic sites because well, they're basic - LOL. I do take pride that I like to work at what I do, take extra pains and thought in my website designs. I like to research my clients, my client's client, demographics, colors and content. I do SEO work even when my site is just static. And because they are static, it's also the reason why they are cheaper than corporate interactive sites.

So why do my sites cost the way they do? I review the hours I spend to come up with a concept, do research and design a site in Photoshop. I count the hours to do customized graphics, play with ideas. I add the fraction of study and experience I had done to experiment and learn coding, software and on what makes a website effective. And I finally throw in the overhead of electricity, tools, rent, ISP, phone calls and text messages, transportation fees and time spent on emails, bookkeeping and administrative tasks. I really can't charge basic fees because I don't like making basic websites.

I just love what I do. And I want to be paid enough for the effort I put in my work.

Anyone can make a website. Not everyone is asked to make one. And if you are lucky enough to be asked, make sure you name a price you can live with. Take pride in your work and don't allow people to bargain on something you do best.

Let me leave you with a quote from someone who understand passion for work done:

To a client who once told me, "It shouldn't take you more than 20 minutes to do this. Why are you charging so much for so little work? My response was: "It takes 20 minutes because I have 20 years of knowledge and experience to back me up."
-Tony D. Clark
www.successfromthenest.com

Entrepreneur

2009-04-11T14:17:00.000+08:00

I was asked to do layouts for the Entrepreneurial Exhibit for Semana Sang Iloilo. It's a series of posters that showcase the wide variety of products available in the Province of Iloilo that has been integrated in among our people and embedded itself in our culture by showing up in the different festivals and events in each municipality.

The exhibit will run at the Provincial Capitol Lobby from April 13-17, 2009. This is in cooperation with the Provincial Archives and Library and the Provincial Tourism Office. Come visit. Here are the pics of the layouts.

Click on the image for a larger view.

This is the layout that won over the two other layouts I posted earlier. As I said, I have been listening to a lot of Coldplay and The Script when I did the three layouts so a lot of grundge was needed. Of course I had to explain to my supervisor why the font look like scraped paint - hehehe.

Bag Tag

2009-03-25T18:39:00.000+08:00

My sister is going on vacation and asked me to layout some pics for bag tags which she wants made us for sisters. I already had ready vector art so I just made layouts and emailed them. Hope they turn out well.

Bag Tags by ~ilongga70 on deviant ART

Exhibit Layouts

2009-03-20T14:47:00.001+08:00

The work just started with these so I decided not to post the actual layout which I will be doing until we start the exhibit. I made three layouts. These are the two that didn't quite pass although I liked them too. I will post the layout which I will be doing as soon as the exhibit starts sometime April.

I've been listening to a lot of music from Coldplay and The Scripts and I guess these influenced the above designs. :)

Birthday Invite

2009-03-20T14:40:00.000+08:00

One of the birthday invites, front and back. Also made layouts for two wall banners, a 2nd invite for print and web and several souvenir layouts :)

Damu no? Kulbaan ako sa Nanay nya - hahaha :)

Nicole's Tinkerbell theme had me researching about Tink. Point of note, Tink does not have a magic wand, she has magic dust which she sprinkles on Peter Pan to make him fly. And every time you stop believing in fairies, one fairy drops dead. So clap! Clap if you believe in fairies!

Logo Design

2009-03-20T14:37:00.000+08:00

Originally created for as a website banner, now a T-shirt design. Visit Natz at www.pugadan.com.

Er ... What have I been doing?

2009-02-27T11:33:00.000+08:00

Not much. I took a break. I deserve one. I have to keep my head grounded and remind myself that money is not everything. If the bills stop coming, I might not need to remember that constantly :)

Anyway, designed a logo for Awesome Designs - an Ilonggo homemade card business. I made five of them (Only four on display). The winner was the third from the top. That's also my personal choice but I also liked the first one.

Also created a logo for pugadan.com but I don't have the file here. Will post that soon, too.

I have been busy but not THAT busy. I miss the income but not the work. I like time for myself too ;)

11 ... no 16! Must watch movies

2009-02-14T11:37:00.000+08:00

Back in the days when I was "religious", we took up short courses on Theology. I loved it. Because of it, I was able to read the bible from cover to cover. And appreciate my being Catholic a whole lot more.

There was this one course which ran on and off for a few years. It was called "Theology at the Movies". It was taught by Ton Sison, a brother in community who wrote the screenplay Nine Mornings (a movie which starred Piolo Pascual and Donita Rose). Because of the course, I not only learned to appreciate foreign films, I also learned how to look for the Christ-figure in each movie. And you also learn to look for symbols, that will prepare you for the next significant event. The protagonist, is the character that affects the change in the other characters in the movie. He or she might not be very obvious, might not even be angelic, popular or seen. But you will be able to witness his/her birth, suffering, death and resurrection. The Christ-figure. He/she will be the most important charater in the story. And for every story, there will always be a lesson. Except if you're watching a Cohen brothers film LOL.

As part of the course, we were made to list out top ten movies and read them out to class. I lost all my notes in the flood, including my list. But I can still remember Schindler's List, Steel Magnolias, Magnolia and Shawshank Redmption as part of that list. I haven't made a list in a long time so I decided to last night. I can only remember the most recent ones I've seen. Not my top, but still they will be at the top. Should you get a chance to see them, please do:
(in no particular order)

1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. The Secret Life of Bees
3. Revolutionary Road
4. Slumdog Millionaire
5. Body of Lies
6. Rachel Getting Married
7. Seven Pounds
8. Hancock
9. Wanted
10. Inside Man
11. Eagle Eye

I wish I still had my diaries (also lost in the flood). There are more but I can't remember the titles anymore.

Oh, remembered five more:
12. Doubt
13. The Reader
14. Burn After Reading
15. Milk
16. The Duchess

Nerd wars

2009-02-10T23:01:00.000+08:00

My baby brother is a star wars freak. I saw a tutorial today on how to make the clone wars desktop images and so I decided to make him his own personalized desktop wall papers. Here they are:

Dinagyang 2009

2009-01-26T09:48:00.000+08:00

I'm sorry I had to remove all my Dinagyang pics from this post. Apparently Flickr was not too happy that I had watermarks on my photos. Or at least watermarks of my website in them. Sheeesh!

Oh well, will host them some other place or will just change the watermark to something else. So sorry if you get a lot of blanks on this blog.

I took down all my good pics. If I can't have my name on them, I don't want them in flickr.

The shirt that didn't make it

2009-01-23T13:18:00.000+08:00

My T-shirt design didn't make the deadline. So it didn't make it to candidates for T-shirt Design. No worries. I can always post it here ;) And I can always make a new one next year.

If any one think they can make use of this - minus the logos and titles, let me know. I'm giving the original template for free.

I should post something

2009-01-15T09:30:00.000+08:00

Just to show you I'm not dead, sick or anything.

Currently busy with Dinagyang. Will post those after Dinagyang. Happy New Year everyone. Sorry for the very long absence.

Finished these just right after New Year. Fort Manokan Cream Mag ad and delivery menu. Must visit! Yum yum!

Fort Manokan Menu

2008-12-16T02:02:00.000+08:00

Check out Fort Manokan at SanMars Point down General Luna St., Iloilo City and taste their mouthwatering delights. Try the yummy oysters. Also check out the 10-page menu I made for them :)

Billboard

2008-12-07T11:20:00.001+08:00

Seeing my work on a billboard for the first time is just as exciting as seeing it on a magazine, a newspaper, inside a mall shop, on brochure, on an exhibit and being sold as tickets. I feel like a kid at Christmas.

A calendar card giveaway at Karat World.

Billboard on the Marcos highway facing Pag-IBIG.

See my Dad as inspiration for a line art drawing here.

Damien Lewis with shading

2008-11-30T08:35:00.001+08:00

Hopefully my final version:

Done in Photoshop CS3 using vector, pen and brushes. in about 4 and a half hours.

Damien Lewis

2008-11-30T07:04:00.000+08:00

Finally found some free time in my hands. Went on to watch Twilight, the whole 3rd season of Desperate Housewives and Band of Brothers again. At 4 in the morning, suddenly found myself drawing Damien :) My first try on line art drawing. Not good but I am pleased with it. Still learning how to handle brushes. I think I just need a bit of practice to get this right. Click on the pic for a closer look.

Here is the wallpaper version:

Print Advertising : Karat World and Citisports

2008-11-13T16:19:00.000+08:00

I had wanted to post these but never seem to get to it. I'm having a break now so might as well. The first one was for a poster, which later developed into a series of posters, streamers, mag ads, newspapers ads a whole lot of ads I can no longer count. The second, third and fourth were created for lighted duratrans ads installed on the mall walls.

You can now find some of these in SM and Robinson malls and in most Karat World branches. Go avail of the sale now.

This one is for Citi sports. Should you pass by Marcos Highway to or from SM City, you might see this along the road.

I can't take whole credit for all of them. The client is an artist himself so he have specific requirements for his ads which was really easy for me. So I did layout and photo improvements and played around with Photoshop a little bit to get these. Anyway, hope you like them. leave me a note if you do see them around ;)

Flowing

2008-10-09T09:39:00.000+08:00

I've been itching to update my website. I have a new contact number although the old one still works. And I have new projects for my portfolio and very nice testimonials from clients which I'd like to add. But just when I'm about ready to change it, something always comes up. And I shelf it for the next opportunity.

I'm feeling nostalgic. Gone are the days when I do work just to please myself. Don't get me wrong. I like working for others. I like experimenting with new ideas. But an artist job is only limited to the specifications that a project requires. I never try to limit my creativity and I'm quite lucky if my client gives me freehand on my projects. But I can't always go with the flow or I miss my targets. I miss the days when I cold just go where the tide takes me. I miss the days when I make without really knowing where it is heading. I miss the days when I do something and surprise myself in the process - hahaha.

For now, let me just hang on to the bank of the river and keep my feet on the ground. The flow will come soon enough.

Iloilo Graphic Designers Unite

2008-09-29T09:18:00.001+08:00

Calling all freelancing graphic designers in the Province and City of Iloilo willing to work for a foreign company for outsourcing. Job includes photo retouching, illustration, CGI and design. Please send resume and samples of work to ilongga70@gmail.com or call 0917-2430417.

Remember September

2008-09-20T17:20:00.000+08:00

So, I've been working hard. And not getting any sleep. And missing out on the great telenovelas. But, I'm fine with that. The fruits of my labor paid up for a lot of my home expenses and something extra too. I have a lot to be grateful for. Praise the Lord! :) (And he starts thinking: now if I can only get her to attend mass... hmmmm)

Check out www.dinagyangsailoilo.com - the official Dinagyang website :)

And I visited this place with my photographer friend. Spent two days there. Enjoyed nature, fresh and healthy food plus a dose of know-your-family stories. I haven't been to Ajuy for more than ten years. I went to accompany my friend for a photo shoot. And I ended up visiting old places of childhood and getting to know my mother's family all over again. :) Really nice! I was told that my great grandad was a fisherman who caught a mermaid while fishing. He returned her back to the sea and she , in turn, promised him more fish. Which she did. And he always had to return the fishes that can't fit his boat back to sea. And my great grandfather prospered. He and his wife had five kids, the eldest of them was called Luscevita, my grandmother who died before I was born.

Anyway, my mother's cousin owns this place. They have a homey and comfortable inn, a large function room with a greehouse at the back and a restaurant that serves organic, home-produced food. Must try their buko pie and cassava cake. Oh, and green salad plucked from the greenhouse straight to your table. Yummmmmmmmm! I ate eggplants there and enjoyed it like it was ice cream. And no one could force me to eat eggplant before that. :) Drop by and see the works of Pierre Patricio displayed there too. By the way, Mr. Patricio was kind enough to give us a ride back to Iloilo. Now, that was a perfect weekend. :)

Effect change

2008-09-08T09:35:00.000+08:00

My most favorite secret in Post Secret so far:

I would love to say this about somebody or have somebody say it about me. Wouldn't you?

David crashed

2008-08-31T11:49:00.000+08:00

After 6 hours of working straight, David, my black computer crashed. Shee-it!

Said no to 2 layout work and looks like I will need to postpone the website launch too. It happened Friday at midnight or maybe it was Saturday early morning - I wasn't sure.

Because of it I didn't get any sleep.

And because of it, I got to finish yet again another Korean telenovela (Romantic Princess)- hehehehe - an effective way to put a cork on panic and frustration.

Now David is in the shop and I've been assured that my files will be fine and that I can work again tonight. Something to do with an effing bootdisk and the OS or something. Quite frustrating.

But I'm determined and I believe I am capable. Self-confidence - not too much of it anyway - is a driving force to self-motivation and a major factor towards self-preservation. That and a belief that a more powerful being controls the universe and can take matters in His own hands, whether I like it or not :) He won't let me down.

Aja!

My ego

2008-08-18T09:54:00.000+08:00

the brother, my id says: They hire you because you're cheap.
the best friend, my superego says: They hire you because you're good.
the significant other, my ego says: They hire you because you're both.

I'm the kind of person who needs to know how short is short, how cheap is cheap and how good is good. I need comparisons and contrasts. I need measure. Otherwise, everything is just as abstract as the id, ego and superego.

I love drawing kids

2008-08-13T19:00:00.000+08:00

Commissioned work from the Mack family, USA. Hours done were 6, 14, 10 and 5 respectively. All done in vector and printed in 2x3 feet tarpaulin. Thanks guys, really enjoyed making them. :)

Tai and Nico

Nico

Tai

Olivia

Karat World

2008-08-05T09:42:00.000+08:00

Jewelry by ~ilongga70 on deviant ART
Created for Karat World. Four choices. The last one was chosen, edited and printed on Iloilo's Cream Magazine. Made June 2008.

Batch 88 UPV HS

2008-07-24T13:06:00.000+08:00

Created for the UPV Centennial Alumni Homecoming 2008. For Class of HS '88. Final print is 4 feet wide by 8 feet tall. It stood out from the rest because of the colors and photos.

Batch 88 by ~ilongga70 on deviant high school

Back in business

2008-07-08T08:36:00.000+08:00

Houston, we have take off! Got my internet connection back. Thanks to Vic who cleaned out my router and modem right after the flood drowned both. After testing David, we got Kimberly connected; then the laptop with two more CPUs to spare. Sigh. Had to make do with makeshift computer tables though. The ones we had just gave out during the flood. Our new set-up looks like an internet gaming station. After two weeks of cleaning and scrubbing, the house is still a mess and we are still living out of garbage bags (what! no cabinets!?), but Hehehey! Got internet! Must mingle!

I hate corklike boards on computer tables.

These are the ones we lost. These are broken and were in the process of salvaging bits and pieces. We intentionally allowed them drown in the muddy waters. May they rest in peace.

And the ones we saved.

The Petulant Child

2008-06-16T14:07:00.000+08:00

The Petulant Child by ~ilongga70 on deviant ART

Was trying to make a digital photo look like Lomo Photography and this is what I got.

What is Lomo Photography? According to Photocritic.Org: A Lomo camera is essentially a really, really low quality camera built in Russia. That doesn’t stop it from having a nearly religious following, however, and with the right attitude when wielding one of these cameras, it can be a very liberating photography experience.

Can't quite perfect it yet and can't decide if it's the subject I picked or just the technique. Anyway, this is my niece; not really the petulant type but she photographs well. This was a stolen shot in Boracay taken with my handy Canon Powershot A400. So it's not really pure Lomo, but a product of Photoshop.

Incidentally, I think Kirsten Dunst in Elizabethtown would look great in Lomo Photographs. I love that movie.

And byy the way, wasn't it cool to see my favorite mythbusters guest on my favorite CSI? Teehee. I'm such a nerd.

Failure and Imagination

2008-06-11T22:53:00.000+08:00

Because I think she's brilliant
and she says it best
and she mirrors my sentiments ...

Check out J.K. Rowling in Harvard :) Read the link before you start reading notes below. The ones I emphasized are the words that resonates. Sigh. No one can say it better that J.K. Rowling.

... failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realised, and I was still alive,

Unlike any other creature on this planet, humans can learn and understand, without having experienced. They can think themselves into other people's minds, imagine themselves into other people's places.

Of course, this is a power, like my brand of fictional magic, that is morally neutral. One might use such an ability to manipulate, or control, just as much as to understand or sympathise.

And many prefer not to exercise their imaginations at all. They choose to remain comfortably within the bounds of their own experience, never troubling to wonder how it would feel to have been born other than they are. They can refuse to hear screams or to peer inside cages; they can close their minds and hearts to any suffering that does not touch them personally; they can refuse to know.

I might be tempted to envy people who can live that way, except that I do not think they have any fewer nightmares than I do. Choosing to live in narrow spaces can lead to a form of mental agoraphobia, and that brings its own terrors. I think the wilfully unimaginative see more monsters. They are often more afraid.

What is more, those who choose not to empathise may enable real monsters. For without ever committing an act of outright evil ourselves, we collude with it, through our own apathy.

One of the many things I learned at the end of that Classics corridor down which I ventured at the age of 18, in search of something I could not then define, was this, written by the Greek author Plutarch: What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.

Creative Critics

2008-05-18T07:09:00.000+08:00

Love Tom Fishburne and his work.

Have met some of these clients. I just wish I could tell them that just because you use a computer doesn't make everything easy! And that they don't pay us enough to make their unreasonable changes. That's why, I keep a contract :)

Boracay Part 2

2008-05-07T11:12:00.000+08:00

All taken with my handy point and shoot cam in manual setting.

Part I is in this blog.

My new love

2008-05-02T00:24:00.000+08:00

Here's a pic of my new work station at home. I love my new computer. I thought since I named the first one Kimberly, I should name this one too. A guy's name this time. Because I have a feeling that I will never get married and will be married to my job. Which is fine. For now. wehehehe. So a guy's name. Because it's black, it's bigger, and because I will be married to it. Hmmmmmm. I'm leaning towards David. ;) Hehehe.

Incidentally, Kimberly still lives. And sits just right across David. My sisters and nephew take turns using it. I have David all to myself. My new love.

Back from Singapore

2008-04-20T18:19:00.000+08:00

I'm back after a one week vacation sponsored by my brother and sister-in-law, presumably for good behavior and my ability to be yaya a kid - hehehe.

Going through Singapore on my own with a map and a few dollars in my pocket. Dropped by the largest fountain in Asia, or the world? There's a mall below it and a park and the highway above it. Nice.

The best part of the pink dolpin show was when a hunk-of-a-volunteer stripped down into his shorts to play with the dolphins. Of course, there was also a French-girl-in-a-bikini volunteer too but who cares, right? :D

The Durian Theater taken from inside the bus. All modes of transportation in Singapore is air-conditioned. And color-coded. And operated by computers. So you can't really complain about the heat if you're travelling in style. AND SOOOOO CLEAN!

flash aha! leader of the universe!

2008-03-31T17:57:00.000+08:00

My next project involves a bit of flash. Yey! Been spending the weekend reviewing flash again. And, I likey! Think I can do flash after this.

Also need to create a crest for a very large family reunion. It involves big ears - hehehehe.

And I'm planning to buy a new computer. My passion for my work is reaching new heights.

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
- Howard Thurman

"The passion in our nature urges a human being to choose "the one precious thing," and urges him to pay for it through poverty, conflict, deprivation, labor, and endurance of anger from rejected divinities. It is the warrior that enables the human being to decide to become a musician only, or a poet only, or a doctor only, or a hermit only, or a painter only. It is the lover in a man or woman who loves the one precious thing, and tells him what it is; but it is the warrior in Rembrandt or Mirabai who agrees to endure the suffering the choice entails."
- Robert Bly

If someone like you doesn't care a whole lot, nothing's going to get better, it's not."
Dr. Seuss

Launched Philforemost

2008-03-16T08:18:00.000+08:00

This is probably the easiest client I had to deal with. So out of my naivety, I gave him a huge discount and realized later that he didn't ask for it. Hahahaha. A lousy business woman I'm turning out to be. But oh well, the important thing is to learn from your mistakes.

Now online: www.philforemost.com - website re-deigned.

Iloilo Bloggers

2008-03-04T10:41:00.000+08:00

They have this vote for me thing in Iloilo Bloggers. I was thinking of campaigning but I was never much of a politician.

Made the logo for Iloilo Bloggers.

Thanks to Junelle for asking me to make one. Loved doing it.

Was also designing a certificate for the Court LegaL Researchers Association of the Philippines. Re-did the logo and integrated it in three certificates which they can choose from.

I thank God that I have an outlet for my craziness. Otherwise, I will be like greedy Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood or the best supporting actor winner in No Country For Old Men - both great deep movies by the way. Loved them. Also highly recommend Halle Berry's Things We Lost in the Fire and Steve Carell's Dan In Real Life. Me thinks that there has to be a balance between light and heavy movies. My sisters and I had "what the ..?" moments after the two previous movies, and a whole lotta love after the last two. Sigh.

I am sick with cold. And fighting off my bad mood with goofy dances. I miss my bed. I miss sleep. Must have both soon.

Turtle pace dearie!

2008-02-29T13:08:00.000+08:00

Things have been kind of hectic. They always are when it comes to implementing a project. Added to that is the website project I've been working on. It's hectic but I'm not complaining. I've always loved working, and I love it more when it involves problem solving, creating and helping people.

My post today is about the phone calls I've been getting. I had five job offers since December, three of them came from abroad. All I have turned down. For two reasons: (1) They want me to work full-time; (2) They require some programming background. Now, I've been hitting my head for not paying that much attention to asp, php, java and visual basic. I've started learning them. But if I don't use them, I will have to re-learn them all over again. I can't just pick up where I left off because I kept forgetting the basics, syntax and all that complicated commands. And when I thought I'm alright without them, I get calls like these. All these opportunities I keep passing up. I don't want to go over my head. But I don't want to be too comfortable either. So I again hit my head with a hammer.

My day-time boss said I should take it slow. I can't learn everything. I know that. But sometimes I get impatient with myself. And impatience doesn't always help in the creative and thinking process of web and graphics design. I WANT PATIENCE, AND I WANT IT NOW!

Bam Bam Bam. What fun! Hehehe. I took my programming books to bed last night. They have been accumulating dust in the bookshelves for years. Looks like I will be sleeping with them all until I stop hitting my head with that hammer.

Slllloooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwww Dooooooooowwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnnnn! Things don't happen overnight! So I keep telling myself.