With 2020 fraught with uncertainty, releasing new products required a lot of deep thinking. What can we do to help put people’s minds at ease, and at the same time uphold the advocacy of promoting the importance of native species in biodiversity and forest conservation? Following our Forest Series projects (Philippine Forest Blooms, Philippine Forest Fruits), Forest Foundation Philippines and I came up with another collaborative project, the Forest Reflections Nature Appreciation Journal. Part undated planner, part workbook, it encourages users to harness the healing powers of the outdoors while developing a deeper appreciation for nature through art therapy and journaling.

Since it is meant to be used outdoors, the journal’s “packaging” is a zippered carrying pouch made of canvas printed with llustrations of fruit, flowers, stems, seeds, and other elements that make up various species of Philippine native trees. The journal itself also has watercolor and gouache illustrations of native trees and birds, field-sketching tips, and basic watercolor painting techniques. Blank pages at the end consist of 200 gsm watercolor paper that can be used for field sketching, and inserted in the inside back pocket are weatherproof cards that have identification charts for flower and leaf arrangements and bird field marks.

* Philippine Forest campaign items, produced under the #DrawNativeTreesPh initiative, are available at the webshop. All proceeds will go to the production of more items that can help spread the advocacy.

* I post most frequently on Instagram, so for a sneak peek at the latest projects (that might take a while to land here), feel free to follow along there! 😉

In March 2018, Forest Foundation Philippines tapped me to do a collaborative campaign aiming to raise awareness on the importance of Philippine native trees in forest conservation which gave birth to the #DrawNativeTreesPh initiative.

Among the fruits of the collaboration that year are (1) Philippine Forest Blooms (Volume 1), an A5 size undated planner with watercolor paintings of 12 native trees with information on their flowering periods, conservation status, and areas of distribution; (2) a set of greeting cards that feature a selection of native flora, and (c) a native tree drawing contest that was held on Instagram and Facebook.

Through those efforts, we hoped to bring attention to our native flowering trees, particularly endangered varieties, so that they can be appreciated for their beauty and value in the preservation of our local biodiversity.

You can also read my blog post about our collaboration  on Forest Foundation Philippines’ website.

*The Philippine Native Trees Forest Blooms Planner (Digital PDF version), Note Cards, and Pocket Notebooks are available at the webshop. All proceeds will go to the production of more items that can help spread the advocacy.

* I post most frequently on Instagram, so for a sneak peek at the latest projects (that might take a while to land here), feel free to follow along there! 😉

I was commissioned by Sony Music to design a box set for the Eraserheads. The band was already disbanded at the time but they got together for a massively attended reunion concert the year before.

Having designed 4 albums, 2 fanzines, a picture book, and several side-project albums for the Eheads in the ’90s, the record company felt that I could gather all those experiences and come up with an idea for the boxed compilation.

The result was a tin container emboss-printed with an inverted E (the band’s symbol) made up of doodled elements that represented their songs. Inside the box is a thick “scrapbook” of old photos juxtaposed with the band’s story, song lyrics, and other info that encompassed their 9 years in the business. The box also contained CDs of all their albums and a special commemorative t-shirt.

* I post most frequently on Instagram, so for a sneak peek at the latest projects (that might take a while to land here), feel free to follow along there! 😉

Fellow graphic designers Lizza Gutierrez, Chinggay Labrador and I collaborated on the book design for fashion designer Tippi Ocampo’s “Not By the Book.” Tippi is known for quirky, irreverent designs that use a variety of materials, patterns, and textures so we sought to reflect that in our layouts. The book is covered in chocolate brown fabric, the title is stitched on like a clothing tag, and the closure at the back uses hook and eye fasteners.

*Illustrations by Tippi Ocampo

* I post most frequently on Instagram, so for a sneak peek at the latest projects (that might take a while to land here), feel free to follow along there! 😉