Happy Garaje was brought in to do brand design direction for the One Town, One Product program, our task was to help the crafts sector in Region 7 (Cebu, Bohol, Negros, Siquijor) tackle the economic challenges brought about by the pandemic.
At the beginning of the project, we were teamed up with Creative Director and Holicow co-founder Debbie Palao. We worked together to select a team of product designers and communication designers. We picked a crop of young and talented creatives from across the region.
The Design Center of the Philippines also assigned senior designers to the team. Each senior designer would provide guidance, team superverions from Manila and report to us and Debbie for overall direction.
Why is it called the Kalibutan Project?
Debbie Palao introduced the concept of the Kalibutan Mindset - based on her own personal design philosophy. In Bisaya (the language we speak in Cebu) Kalibutan means two things: the world and awareness. So it became apparent that we would answer the following questions: What is happening to the world right now? How do we respond?
The project invited 39 small craft businesses to work with a team of designers across 4 provinces in the Philippines. Our task was to strategise how crafters and artisans can continue with their livelihood during the pandemic.
The selection process was spearheaded by the Department of Trade and Industry, they are the government agency responsible for providing support to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the Philippines.
Our initial design research revealed that most of the artisans made products for tourists and we needed a shift in the target market, at least for the time being, as the pandemic raged on. So we responded by designing new products in partnership with local artisans that were targeted towards everyday people in the Visayas whose lifestyles have been changing during these strange times.
Biyahe Bicycle Bags. The artisan in this video is Reyboy Felicano, who is a master weaver, who has taught the hapao technique to hundreds of other crafters in the area. Mona Alcudia is a talented young designer who recently graduated from a masters program in Design Academy Eindhoven (a great school!)
Designer: Mona Alcudia.
Artisan: San Remigio Basket Weaving Association.
Kawayan Stampers. This was interesting because Kawayan Collective previously made big objects like furniture and even houses and this was the first time for them to make small things. We're also super glad to have worked with Vanessa, who is an amazing young designer.
Designer: Vanessa Gaston
Artisan: Kawayan Collective
Ship of Stories
Designer: Jobel Dino
Artisan: Hinablon sa Cebu
Insta Kwelyo Designer Iris Tirambulo worked with a business with just one employee to create InstaKwelyo, a fun product that directly addresses the challenges of the pandemic zoom life.
Designer: Iris Tirambulo
Artisan: InsaKwelyo