Philippine design pushed as ‘national competency’

As the push for the creative industry is deemed to be a big thing for the country in the coming years following the enactment of Republic Act 11904 or the Philippine Creatives Industry Development Act, the Department of Trade and Industry, through its attached agency, Design Center of the Philippines, said it would exert best effort to make design a national competency.

Celebrating Design Week Philippines 2023 last week under the theme, #OnTheEdge at The Astbury Makati, DTI's Design Center of the Philippines executive director Rhea Matute stressed that for leading changemakers in the country's design and creative industries, "design" embodies "malasakit" (compassion) — a force that propels one into action.

She stressed that her agency aims to foster a design-thinking mindset, enabling individuals to transcend superficial solutions and delve deeper into the root causes of problems, crafting sustainable and impactful solutions that genuinely address the needs of society.

"Our ambition is to really make design a national competency. We believe that the whole tool kit that is with the designer can be something that becomes a skill, even for people in the business world or in public service. It allows them to become critical thinkers, system thinkers, and problem solvers. It's about creating a system that can genuinely address real needs and issues and not just surface solutions. That's what we want to be able to include in the Design Center's portfolio," Matute said.

Uniquely positioned

On the same matter, Haraya del Rosario-Gust, the CEO of StraightArrow Creative Process Outsourcing, shared her thoughts when asked about the urgent mission of design today, noting that in a world inundated with conflict and seemingly insurmountable challenges, designers are uniquely positioned to envision solutions before they come to pass.

"Design has a unique power to solve problems. As designers, we possess the ability and capacity to visualize something before it becomes reality. So, before people design the solution, we help them understand the real problem," said Del Rosario-Gust.

Design Week Philippines 2023 featured over 116 main and partner events nationwide, including talks, workshops, tours, and exhibitions, all showcasing the convergence of creativity and community.

The event brought together over 7,000 participants, including designers, architects, entrepreneurs and students, providing a dynamic platform for networking, learning and collaboration, fostering a vibrant atmosphere of creativity and innovation.

This year's festival highlighted the role of design in addressing the challenges of our time.