MANILA, MARCH 14, 2013 – France has the Eiffel Tower. Malaysia has the KLCC twin towers. New York has the Statue of Liberty. These are world-renowned icons that represent their respective country’s economic progress.
It has recently been reported by Bloomberg that at the rate the country is growing now, the Philippines will be the 16th largest economy by 2050. The fact that we are a progressive nation, poised for even more robust growth cannot be ignored. However, we have no single symbol for progress.
The challenge is this: With the absence of infrastructure to represent our progress, what is that logo or visual representation that can symbolize a progressive Philippines?
The design brief was given by incumbent agency TBWASMP’s chief creative officer Melvin Mangada last week to 22 teams, composed of an art director and a copywriter, from 18 agencies. After hours of debate and careful consideration on Wednesday, March 14, the Creative Guild of the Philippines’ jury panel declared the DM9JaymeSyfu young tandem as the winner.
The team, composed of Josh Galvez and Benci Vidanes, is slated to fly off to Cannes, France in June this year to compete against the world’s best young creative teams in the Young Cannes Lions competition. They will also be joining the thousands of creatives from around the world in the largest festival of creativity.
“Behind any design is a solid idea and thinking, making the team from DM9JaymeSyfu win the gold,” said Joey Ong, Creative Guild of the Philippines’ president.
The team’s final product argued the idea that the Philippines does have an infrastructure that can be used as the country’s icon: the world-renowned, but often overlooked, Banawe Rice Terraces. Aside from the logo, the team also provided pegs for the icon’s use in various merchandise including a stamp, which can be used on almost anything.
“[Although] it’s not the perfect answer for the brief, it stood out from the rest of the 22 entries because it’s simple, unexpected and they are brave enough to challenge the brief,” said Y&R Philippines creative director Herbert Hernandez.
TBWA\SMP’s young team, which is composed of art director Kristoffer Zapanta and copywriter Paolo Salcedo, came in close second. The team will be given the chance to represent the Philippines in the Young Spikes competition with a sure slot in Young Kidlat.
The Young Cannes Lions team will go through rigorous training under the tutelage of the Creative Guild of the Philippines to prepare them for the international competition. The Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, which will be celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, is scheduled to happen on June 16-22 in Cannes, France.
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Creative Guild of the Philippines jury shows the two winning works by DM9JaymeSyfu (on the left) and TBWA\SMP (right). The former will represent the country in the Young Lions competition in Cannes, France this year while the latter will be given the chance to compete for the Young Spikes slot.
