LONDON, UK – At the 2025 D&AD Festival, adobo Magazine caught up with two rising stars in the creative industry: Charisse Saculingan and Eugene Corpuz, a Filipino student duo from Ravensbourne University London.
The pair, both completing their Bachelor of Arts in Advertising and Brand Design, are among the 2025 D&AD New Blood Pencil Winners for their campaign “Go the Distance” for HSBC.
The D&AD New Blood Awards provides a global stage for students, recent graduates, and emerging creatives to break into the industry. The competition challenges participants with real-world briefs from some of the world’s biggest brands — Google Cloud, Hellmann’s, Xbox, Yahoo, and more — and judged by top industry creatives. Pencil levels will be officially revealed at the New Blood Festival Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, July 2, 2025.
The D&AD New Blood Awards is part of a wider mission by D&AD (Design and Art Direction), a British non-profit organization that has been inspiring and celebrating creative excellence in design and advertising since 1962. The New Blood initiative is a cornerstone of D&AD’s educational programming, aimed at nurturing emerging talent and helping bridge the gap between education and the creative industry.
Charisse Saculingan: Telling bold stories through design
“I’m passionate about brand design, art direction, and curation — anything that lets me tell stories through bold visuals and thoughtful details.”
Charisse described her D&AD Festival experience as “extraordinary,” with a highlight being the session from Gail Bichler of The New York Times. “The art direction they pursued captivated me,” she said.
Although born in the Philippines, Charisse moved to the UK at the age of 2. Her family hails from Zamboanga City, and they maintain strong ties back home.
Charisse’s journey into design was sparked by childhood memories of sketching characters like Mulan and experimenting with her mother’s makeup. It wasn’t until college that she realized design could be a career, leading her to apply for a course in graphic communications and later pursue advertising and brand design.
She continues to give back to the Filipino community through Filifest, a nonprofit organization that celebrates Filipino youth culture, and hopes to fuse her design passions with her cultural identity in her future work.
“I want to inspire others through my story — especially young Filipino creatives finding their voice.”
Eugene Corpuz: A creative thinker shaping purposeful design
“It was incredible to be surrounded by people who see the world differently … creatively.”
Eugene called the New Blood experience a “rollercoaster” of trials and triumphs. “Go the Distance,” their winning entry for HSBC, was born out of a desire to create meaningful portfolio work — and ended up earning them a coveted Pencil.
Originally from Bacolod and Tarlac, Eugene lived in the Philippines with his grandmother before moving to the UK at age 3. His early interest in fine art evolved into a love for design during high school, eventually leading him to Ravensbourne’s Advertising and Brand Design program.
“I’m fascinated by how design can be a force for good. My dream is to find a place that nurtures that idea and make a difference through creative work.”
He credits his tutors, Paula Williams and Stephen Lloyd, for encouraging him to push boundaries and approach creativity as a tool for real-world impact.
Partners in creativity
Charisse and Eugene’s creative journey is as personal as it is professional. The two met in high school, became close friends and collaborators, and eventually both landed in the same university program. Along the way, they’ve completed internships at agencies like STORMBRANDS, Drummond Central, and Sky Creative, gaining real-world experience that’s helped shape their vision.
“He’s still courting me,” Charisse jokes, “but what’s more important is that we challenge each other to grow — and that we believe in our work, together and as individuals.”
As they graduate, both are excited to build meaningful careers in design, stay rooted in their Filipino identity, and create work that reflects the values and cultures they hold dear.
adobo Magazine is an official media partner of the 2025 D&AD Awards and the 2025 D&AD Festival.
