MANILA, PHILIPPINES –– The state of Philippine design is young and with an eye toward the future. 50 years after the Design Center of the Philippines was founded, the design scene has grown leaps and bounds with the rise of Filipino creative talent making waves here and abroad.
Yet the growth of the Philippines’ design sector is a constant work in progress, with efforts to foster continuous innovations, safeguard its sustainability, close the gap between current practices and emerging trends, and reframe the discipline of design beyond object making and more as a life-centric problem-solving tool to properly address the local and global challenges of our times.
“After two years of research work in measuring the value of design in the Philippine economy and engaging with over 1,600 stakeholders of the design innovation ecosystem, we determined that the Philippine design economy had a total economic impact of PHP 1.179 trillion in gross value added (GVA) to the Philippines in 2020. This accounts for 6.6% of the PH GVA and is nearly equal to the size of the professional and business services, real estate, and ownership of dwellings sectors. In the same year, there were 705,000 supported in design jobs equivalent to 1.8% of the total national employment,” said Design Center of the Philippines Executive Director Rhea Matute.
She added: “Since we launched the research findings and as we look to the country’s first-ever National Design Policy to further strengthen the use of design in aid of the Philippine development agenda, there’s a groundswell of excitement that frankly is palpable. What has to come next is that we have to make it mean something – design and the creative industries need to seize the moment. These are exciting times, and we are excited to establish the next industry winner for the Philippines. It’s about time!”
Honoring the past means looking forward to the future — and recognizing the path that has been paved along the way — including the whats, whos, hows, and whys. Paying homage to a half-century of Filipino design innovation is “Reimagined Design Futures,” a commemorative event featuring a tribute to the late Arturo Luz, national artist, renowned pioneer of the Philippine neo-modernist movement and the inaugural Executive Director of the Design Center of the Philippines.
A preview of the exhibition was showcased in Manila FAME 2023, which featured 10 of the country’s foremost designers who flaunted their creativity and craftsmanship as they reimagined the Buri Chair, one of Luz’s most revered works using their own materials and special techniques.
“On the occasion of the 50th year milestone, the Design Center is staging an exhibition showing the highlights of the Philippines’ version of the great leap forward. Having leaped onto the global realm of creative products for increasingly sophisticated markets — which includes local connoisseurs — the field of design, systematically cultivated by Design Center, will be seen as bold, intelligent, people- and community-oriented, and aesthetically strong. It will also be self-evident that throughout the half-century, designers in both the studio modality and the export market remained keen on concepts traditional to the Philippine archipelago,” said Marian Pastor-Roces, Independent Art Critic and Founder of TAO, Inc.
The heart of this exhibition was anchored in the transformation of Arturo Luz’s vision — the chair as a blank canvas — into contemporary masterpieces that capture the essence of Filipino design sensibilities. With an eye towards innovation, “Reimagined Design Futures” represents the aspirations of the Philippines’ design talents and the transcendent possibilities of Philippine design, moving beyond mere aesthetics as it solves the challenges of a global landscape that values sustaining communities, the environment, and cultures.
From incorporating climate-resilient materials and reducing waste to fostering a circular economy, cultural heritage, and community empowerment, designers must be able to integrate these themes into their vision — while pushing the boundaries of aesthetic excellence.
“Designers are actively creating new paradigm shifts through their work. With our imagination and skill, we can constantly create and remake our environments, hopefully alongside the aim of improving people’s lives. Design can support the formation of our innovative ideas, provide tools to create solutions, enhance culture and identity, and create a blueprint for inclusive and sustainable growth,” shared Royal L. Pineda, Architect, Chairman, and CEO at ROYAL PINEDA + Architecture and Design Advisory Council’s Design Co-chairperson.
As a preview to the National Museum of Fine Arts exhibition this December, this milestone represents a movement towards creating a more inclusive and diverse design sector, empowering designers in the country and uplifting their practice by making more resources and knowledge in trends, culture, and traditions available to them.
For years, the Design Center of the Philippines has helped widen opportunities for a larger number of artisans and micro-small-medium enterprises (MSMEs) across the country, including areas such as La Union, Antique, and Northern Mindanao, providing assistance with product development and visual merchandising.
These collaborative efforts were showcased at the Manila FAME exhibition — with the Artisans Village the merging of traditional processes with material manipulation techniques and contemporary design sensibilities; meanwhile, the Coconut Pavilion exhibited the creative ways of using coconut beyond a food ingredient and particularly as material for innovative design.
“The Department of Trade and Industry is and will continue to champion the Philippine Creative Industries and we look to our country’s design sector as a leader, contributing value and excellence to the Southeast Asian region and the rest of the world,” said Secretary Department of Trade and Industry Alfredo E. Pascual.
These developed products will be showcased in Frankfurt, Germany during the AMBIENTE 2024 – the largest sourcing event in the world and is set to be a melting pot for designs spanning home, dining, and work.
