Experts tell designers to focus on unique Pinoy flavor

Take inspiration from what is truly Filipino, and go back to the basics.

This is the advice of two Cebuano artists, who are making waves in foreign countries, to  local designers during a forum.

Dan Boyarski, design professor at the Carnegie Mellon University in Boston, and architect Lyndon Neri of China-based Neri & Hu shared their expertise and experiences to local designers during last week’s  Creative Industries Cebu: Salon Talks.

The event was part of the recently concluded Cebu Business Month.

Boyarski, a Cebuano designer, advised local designers to “focus on quality and uniqueness of their products by putting careful emphasis on the distinctive Filipino flavor.”

With the Asean integration happening next year, local designers’ are concerned about the competition from the other member Asean countries.

There is a need for a deeper search for Cebu’s identity to achieve the uniqueness that every designer wants to achieve in their creations, said Debbie Palao of Design Ventures Cebu Inc.

“Cebu is currently at a very critical stage, and we need to define what we have, who we are and what we need,” said Palao, who is also the event chairman.

While technology has made designing more complex nowadays compared to how designers and artists made their creations in the past, Boyarski said that the world has also evolved and it doesn’t matter whether the product is done by a Filipino artist or not.

“What matters is to really make it very good — that it will catch their attention, arouse their interests,” Boyarski said.

Back to basics
With people being busy with their gadgets, Boyarski advised everyone to “once in a while “disconnect, unplug your earphones, take a walk, look around and take inspiration from what you see as what’s considered the basics.”

For basics, Boyarski was referring to the tested concepts of design.

“Let’s not throw away the old practices too quickly. It’s important to go back to the basics. I still believe in physical and visual aspects of form,” he said.

He said what makes a good artist or designer is not his or her high capacity to adopt to technology, but for the artist to be grounded and in touch with the basics.

With competition expected to become stiff, Boyarski said that a good product and satisfied customers will be the best marketing tool for a designer.

Neri said for interior design it is really important to understand culture to better conceptualize a piece which he said is very important for architects like him.

“Presentation is not only about building, it is also about how people live, cook and dine. Consider the people in that space and draw your design from that natural flow,” he said.

Boyarski and Neri urged the attendees to define what is most “uniquely” Filipino and work from there to create something that will work.

“The ‘Bahay Kubo’ for instance is very Filipino but if you put airconditioning units in a Bahay Kubo, it becomes something else. You can create something that is inspired by something uniquely ours,” said Neri.