Future-proofing Filipino society through design
The Design Center of the Philippines mounted an event the other day at the Henry Hotel garden area, and it was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with Design Center Director Rhea Matute. The Design Center has been busy all throughout the pandemic, and the event was a way to highlight this and reacquaint ourselves to what the Design Center stands for, and why they’re such an integral part of shaping and strengthening our MSME’s as they future-proof themselves by design.
It’s unfortunate that in our country, when we speak of design, most will immediately think of fashion designers or interior designers, and thus, pigeonhole “design” as something elitist, or attached to an exorbitant price tag. As Director Matute was adamant in pointing out, the word ‘design’ can be far-reaching, practical, inclusive, sustainable, and compassionate, as well.
Think of a public park bench that’s ergonomic and now infinitely more comfortable, or a pen that’s more snug between our thumb and pointer finger, or even an installation that serves both as Art and as something interactive, that children can enjoy, and provide us with IG moments—these are all aspects and examples of how design takes its proper place in the everyday world. And while that’s something totally accepted and acknowledged in other parts of the world, here design has been placed in a straitjacket of “privilege.”
Director Matute then spoke about the various activities that have kept the Design Center busy in 2021, as they provided invaluable assistance and support to our MSME’s. The Design Center of the Philippines is a national agency that ensures design plays its role as a creative, strategic, and innovative tool for positive development.
Attached to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Design Center goes beyond promoting good design, and is tasked with investing in inspiring and equipping creative industries to create human-centered products, services, and spaces that enable inclusive and sustainable economic growth. This is a legacy pioneered by founding Executive Director Arturo Luz, when the Design Center was created in 1973.
Of late, The Design Center has made malasakit, or compassion, one of the pillars of good design. It’s about shining a light on design’s impact and context, how it can improve lives and address social, economic, and environmental sustainability. It’s about impact-driven solutions that take on social challenges, and protect future generations.
Over 774 MSME’s have been “touched” by the Design Center, as these MSME’s aspire to create sustainable Filipino products and solutions for export. Pinyapel and Bakong are just two such enterprises, great stories of how design plays an all-important role in the development of products that future-proof, and could be the answer for where the revival of our export markets will come from. It’s worthwhile to visit the Design Center website to learn more about these initiatives.
As for the Design Center, it strives to serve its purpose in these troubled times by concentrating on the five pillars of Skills Building, Enterprise Building, Innovation Building, Community Building, and promoting a Design Culture that’s tied in with the building of a nation. These may be lofty goals, but I loved how the event demonstrated that these aren’t merely pipe dreams, but realities that exist on the ground, and exemplify how the Design Center is fulfilling the vision set by its founding director in diverse ways.