I was born to an art-school drop out and a computer nerd in the Philippines in 1975. When I was three, my brother, sister, parents, and I moved to Bahrain, a small country next to Saudi Arabia. My dad made bank and drove a hunter green Datsun. My siblings went to British schools. We finally moved to America in 1982 to a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. I went to college in Pittsburgh and studied industrial design. I moved to New York after college, adopted a dog, got hitched, had a kid, and am now eager to see what big things will happen next—while enjoying the little things, too. And if you are wondering what I am thinking in this photo, it is poké. I am thinking about eating poké.
But we can talk about my actual work. Just reach out via email here.
Things I need everyday:
My Muji notebook & Sharpwriter
Because my best ideas often come at the most inconvenient times.
4 inch heels
Because I have a Napolean complex.
Eye drops
Because I have gigantic eyes and I can't always turn them off.
Matcha, vitamins, and more matcha
Because B12 and caffeine make me a nicer person.
My wacom
Because a decade of tablet usage has rendered me useless with a mouse.
Things I've learned from previous co-workers:
Skilled graffiti writers are the most underrated typographers in the world. They have a deep understanding of letterforms, how they intertwine to form words, and how far you can push those characters before legibility is sacrificed. They can teach a thing or two to many designers about creating alphabets and sculpting ligatures.
The oxford comma is a real thing. Who knew? Apparently everyone but me. But more so, I realized how crucial it is to work with great writers. They practice clarity, information hierarchy, repurposing content efficiently but without redundancy, and keen editing—all things designers should know. And without music, motion, color, or graphics, their work still evokes emotion and incites action. It's impressive stuff.
I know the text on this site is really small. Like, really really small. The digital designers I know would tell me that. But I wanted the text to be secondary. If you want to discuss all of the rationale behind these projects, we can get together in person.
Things you don't really need to know about me:
I can write texts that are so long, it'll boggle your mind. I am a novelist in the texting world.
I am an awful cook. So if there's a potluck dinner, I will order from someplace great.
I can listen to the same song on repeat for days. I embrace being a creature of habit in my non-design life.
I used to be a raver. If you ever spent a Sunday with Danny Tenaglia at Vinyl in the late 90s and early 2000s, then we have something special in common.
Clients I've worked with:
Nike, Pepsi Global, Staple Design, Uniqlo, Gap, Burton Snowboards, Edun, Lacoste, Candie's, Jeep, UBS, Victoria's Secret, America's Next Top Model, American Eagle Outfitters, The Gap, Kiss My Face, Champion, Barbie, The Gap, Aeropostale, and more.