02 December 2012

Life of a Blan in Haiti: Haitian Cockroach vs Blans

A few weeks ago I encountered the first, or maybe one of the many immortal cockroaches of Haiti. A roach that just won’t die no matter how much you stomp on, hit with a slipper, smash with a broom, a frying pan and Culligan 5 gallon water jug! And after all this effort the damn critter would still manage to slither away from you! I swear, that if the world ends these roaches would still roam the, uh, nothingness of space! But despite this particular insect’s inability to die, nothing could be more despicable than an immortal roach that has gone airborne! 
So, without further ado, I present you this week’s episode of Life of a Blan… 


Life of a Blan in Haiti Comics: The immortal cockroach


Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. Pong Li since 2010 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.

28 November 2012

Kreyol Lessons: Life of a Blan in Haiti

Do you ever wonder where this “blan” word came from? How can a simple word hold such significance in the Haitian vocabulary like rice and beans? I don’t know the answer too. But one thing is for sure, the person who told you that it’s hard to learn a new language hasn’t tried learning Kreyol yet! So without further ado, let me present this week’s episode of Life of a Blan in Haiti! Based on a true story when I was trying to learn French. Yes, French, but in the end I speak better Kreyol than French.


Kreyol Lessons: Life of a Blan in Haiti Comics



Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. Pong Li since 2010 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.

12 November 2012

When it Rains: Life of a Blan in Haiti

After the infamous storm a few weeks ago, it seemed insensitive to post a comics strip like this. But now that the storm has passed (no pun intended!), all is as it was; we can now start laughing and making jokes at how it rains in Haiti. Who said we couldn’t laugh at the Haitian rain?

Life of a Blan in Haiti Comics - When it Rains


Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. Pong Li since 2010 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.

07 November 2012

Racists: Life of a Blan in Haiti

Surely, one day I might get hanged for this or worst lose all potential lovers and the opportunity to procreate and pass my genes to the future generation because of my borderline offensive jokes… mostly to Haitians and probably to HRs and to those lovely closet human rights activist NGO ladies! But let’s face it, almost everyone has been called or addressed as a blan in Haiti, so much so that it starts to sound like a big Haitian national joke that people play on non-blacks.  
So, here’s one for those who are sick and tired of being called a blan and being treated like a walking ATM machine. Let’s laugh and not give a sh*t! 

Racist: life of a blan in Haiti - comics


Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. Pong Li since 2010 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.

27 October 2012

Life of a Blan in Haiti

Like anyone who lived in Haiti long enough, I know how it’s like to be a “blan.” And I’m tired of it. The daily grind, Haitian style, has a way of getting into your bones. So I decided to say f*ck all and expose the daily life of an ordinary blan in Haiti, without trying to be polite or trying to sugarcoat my thoughts. If it offends someone, so be it! If it makes people laugh... well, give me money! A big sponsorship will be nice, make it close to a million euros so I could retire early.
...and What better way to expose it with than solid grade sarcasm and good ol’ comics? So here’s my first installment of a series of comics called “Life of a Blan in Haiti.” Enjoy!

COMICS: Life of a blan in Haiti

DISCLAIMER: If you’re easily get offended, get off and stop viewing my comics! No, seriously. Do not comment. Make your own comics! These comics are for those with the ability to laugh at the daily hardships that all foreigners have to face in this strange land.


Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. Pong Li since 2010 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.

01 July 2012

Happiness Rule no.1


Happiness Rule no.1
Rules of happiness. So simple, isn't it?

While it’s true that no one is 100% constantly happy, it’s possible to be happy most of the time and bounce back easily from an unhappy state. It’s important to be happy. In a happy state we’re in harmony with ourselves and everything around us, translating into more fun, more fun means better mood equals more creativity. You need to flow like the rappers if you want to create great designs. Don’t let anyone tell you that you need to turn your insides into mash potatoes to create a work of art. Just do it and flow! Live and be happy!


If you would like to see more Rules of Happiness, leave a comment below to let me know.


Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. Pong Li since 2010 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.

24 June 2012

Kony 2012: Analysis of Communication Success

Kony 2012. The web says it’s a scam, Whitespacelover says it’s brilliant! Other than Invisible Children Organization’s (IC) shady finances and its founders’ dubious behaviors (one is a topic in cheaterville the other “acted in a bizarre manner in public”), they did a fantastic job shaking the web. Scam or not, you must say kudos to the men of IC that even Rihanna pledged that she’d help the cause. This is something that most humanitarian organizations should be aiming at. So with marketing and design eyes, this is how I think the Invisible Children made a ding in the web. 


1. Kony 2012 viral video is nothing short of spectacular! No doubt Jason Russell, director of Kony 2012 and co-founder of IC brought his experience from film and theatre in the development of the video. This is something NGOs need, talented people who’s main concern is just to make sensational masterpieces. Don’t think of saving the children for a while, think doing a spectacular job, when done you’ll end up saving them by the dozens. Just think of the masterpiece, 2 weeks, 104 million views? That’s more views than a woman flashing her boobs in public and a million more views than a goat farting in Youtube! 
logo invisible children
Nice huh? Even the organization's name sounds cool. Invisible Children, say it with me...

2. Design and branding. This is a very important point that most NGOs don’t pay attention to. We’re visual animals, Larry Pole understood this by the looks of IC’s materials. The branding and design component of any entity is important; this creates an image that people can associate to a cause. Let me put this in marketing terms, a strong brand identity translates to brand recall and a solid following. Can you imagine Swiss products not stamped with the white cross against a solid red background?
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info graphics of IC profits
Infographics from Invisible Children's site. Nice graphics, lots of profits!

3. Advertising mind. This is just me, but analyzing Kony 2012 I came to the conclusion that this is a classic advertising case–look for a good problem and find, ahem, profitable solutions. In this case, the problem is a very bad man who needs to be put into justice. Solution: show the crimes of Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army. Woosh! It almost sounds like a tag for a movie. Not to mention, portraying the war criminal in cinematic proportions. Catchy and Entertaining? Profitable? Clearly yes! Though this is where IC becomes shady. Apparently, only 32% of the funds went to direct services and we never got the Kony kit!
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Invisible Children shooting in Africa
Shooting the film. Looks like they're having fun.

4. Bobby Bailey, social entrepreneur and founder of Invisible Children. Why do I get the feeling that he understands the dynamics of business and marketing? Here’s where I think most people get lost. Sure, we’re trying to alleviate suffering and make the world a better place. But we live in a monetary system and we need money to retain a staff, have an office, run an operation and keep a project going. We cannot denounce profits and in the same breath ask donors to give more funding. In my opinion, IC understood this. Just look at how IC made profits. They made millions and now they could do another film! I strongly believe that NGOs should make even a small profit to become sustainable themselves. We live in a monetary system.
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Founders of IC
Oh look! Guns and goons! Aright, let's take a photo, looks cool.

5. Deadly combination. Bobby Bailey, social entrepreneur. Jason Russell, film and theatre director. Laren Poole, filmmaker, producer and creative media. To my eyes this looks like a typical creative team at an advertising agency. Putting their wits together on an issue resulted to something that made a ding in the web.
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Ask yourself, since when was the last time any NGO made it this big? There’s a lesson to be learned here somewhere.
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What do you think? 
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DISCLAIMER: The content that you’re reading is my personal analysis of Invisible Children’s success with Kony 2012 in comparison to the performance of most NGO campaigns I’ve seen in the past. This is in no means a criticism to the humanitarian sector but my own opinion of the matter. I'm not here to say who's right and wrong or to say if Kony 2012 is a scam or not.


Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. Pong Li since 2010 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.

09 June 2012

Save The Restavek Children

It’s fun promoting our clients’ products and helping their brands grow, that’s my excuse for not saving Haitian children and helping Superman score a date with Louise Lane. Though, it’s very nice to know that there are good people at IOM who’re using their skills to actually help enslaved children in Haiti called Restaveks.


Unable to pay for their kid’s needs some parents voluntarily send away their children to become a Restavek, a.k.a. be enslaved and be abused for little or no pay. No freedom. Not fun. This system of modern day slavery has existed as long as rice and beans but no one seems to be doing anything about it until today. Thanks to the good people of IOM Haiti and Foyer l’Escale–a shelter for Restaveks–these children now have somewhere to run to and a chance to be reunited with their parents. Touching stories, really.

Even with our hands full with clients, we could all contribute to helping these children by promoting IOM’s campaign Frennen Sistèm Restavèk | End Restavek Abuse. Visit them, share, like and be part of the campaign or follow and give @FrennenRestavek a shoutout. Better yet, if you know of a Restavek child call 177 and help stop this form of modern day slavery! Or leave a comment below if you know of a Restavek child near you.

To the good men and women of IOM Haiti and Foyer l’Escale, kudos! 


Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. Pong Li since 2010 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.

03 June 2012

Out of Whack

Crazy! Is such a lovely word to describe a wonderfully deranged, extremely pleasurable fun-filled past weeks (past months, actually). Now I’m really starting to believe that life is more like a Haitian taptap or driving in the streets of Port Au Prince. It’s crazy. And the only way to make sense of it is to be crazy yourself. And if you think about it, it’s not so bad being insane; you protect yourself from going completely bonkers or being wrongfully diagnosed with clinical depression! Not really sure if that made sense but it’s 100% certain that you’ll go nuts if you live each day pretending to be sane.

Haitian Taptap for JP Faubert, Illustrated by Whitespacelover
Past Project. Illustration of Haitian Taptap.

But let’s be serious for a while, haven’t you noticed that modern day life is insane? Why else would humans, sacrifice their health, happiness and the best time of their lives for money/career and then later retire to make up for the time they lost, do fun stuff in pursuit of happiness while throwing away their money to recuperate their health? Insane, isn’t it? 
So I say, from this point forward, let’s just loosen some screws, let go and let the world spin out of control like a taptap swooping downhill with its engine off and cheap made in China brake pads. Leave the serious stuff to people mad enough to be sane. The upside is, you’ll make better designs and illustrations once you’ve gone completely kookoo.


Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. Pong Li since 2010 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.

26 May 2012

A Financial Lesson for a Graphic Designer

Haiti Airport
Empty Haitian Airport. After everyone ran to catch their flights.
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“Money, whether earned yesterday or tomorrow, is something we trade our life energy for.” 
The situation felt like scrambled eggs—we missed our flight. I forgot my credit card. A friend’s flight was cancelled as the other friend sat waiting for us in the plane. My lovely friends hurrying to buy last minute tickets from the other airline. “Are you buying the tickets?” she asked. I looked at my friend and the airline’s logo like a tempting 5000-calorie [per bite] dessert dipped in dark chocolate with marshmallows and cherries on top. I could already taste it while the wad of Benjamin Franklins tug in my pocket. I resisted and said, “No. Ladies, enjoy The Dominican Republic...”
In the last entry, How Much Does a Graphic Designer Cost? you would see how life, time and money are closely related especially for us Graphic Designers because we not only trade our time for money but also our unique expression, sometimes we even suppress it to satisfy our client's needs. For everything you buy, you trade life energy and/or time that you could’ve spent having fun, or being with friends and loved ones or doing something else. I know we all took Fine Arts and hate math but let me illustrate this point in numbers. For our example, let’s use a typical middleweight Graphic Designer who has ad agency experience and love drinking a gallon of coffee every afternoon. He or she earns, say, $25/hour and he or she wants to buy a $380 plane ticket. 380 divided by 25. So that translates to working for 15.2 hours to make $380. I’m not in the position to tell anyone how to spend his or her money but for me a $380 plane ticket is not worth it, especially if you have other options.
As Graphic Designers we enjoy what we do, we’re born to create great designs, but we also have our fair share of clients from hell and sacrifices in the workplace. The important concept to remember or the moral lesson of the story is: we trade our time for money and each penny we spent is as unique as the minute we traded it for.
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Barahona, Dominican Republic Road
Road to a weekend of fun. Dominican Republic. I thought I was dreaming but there were really little yellow butterflies fluttering along the road.
Haitian-Dominican Border
Haitian-Dominican Border.
…I ended up going to the Dominican Republic by car with another group of friends after spending 48 hours in Pétion Ville's nicest places, having fun with a buddy and going to a salsa evening. So I guess, that means rebooking the missed flight for some other time plus pocket money for another vacation.
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Infinity Pool, Casa Bonita, Dominican Republic
Casa Bonita, Infinity Pool.
Los Patos, Dominican Republic
Monster waves at Los Patos.
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Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. Pong Li since 2010 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.

29 April 2012

Paragliding: Graphic Designer on Air

876,600 hours to live. After that last entry and a long silence, you’re probably expecting a packed suitcase, a one-way ticket to Europe and early Oktoberfest photos. Unfortunately that is not how things turned out. Just because you realized how you’re trading your time (your life) in the name of sleek designs, it doesn’t mean that you should pull off Justin Timberlake’s stunt in the movie In Time.
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You must do something to compensate if you can’t say au revoir to being a graphic designer yet. Living like a rockstar at night is an option but paragliding might be better. It’s like being Peter Pan with a giant kite as replacement for happy thoughts and fairy dust. Of course, it won’t be as magical as flying over London to Neverland but I imagine the feeling would be the same, seeing Port Au Prince from a bird’s eye view.
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Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. Pong Li since 2010 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.

16 October 2011

How Much Does a Graphic Designer Cost?

time infographics from whitespacelover
I don't know if this realization is liberating or depressing. 876,600 hours to live. Unless I'm wrong. Graphic designers are not really good in math. Click infographics to enlarge.

You have 876,600 hours to live! Assuming you’ll reach your 100th birthday. If my calculation is correct: there are 24 hours in any given day. 365.25 days in a year, that’s 8,766 hours. Multiplied by 100 years, that’s 876,600 hours to live if you were born right now and if you'll reach 100 years old. 
Freelancers, in-house creatives, corporate/office, NGO, factory workers etc. We all have something in common, we’re paid based on the number of hours worked. Or if you’re a Tim Ferriss fan, that’s number of hours spent looking busy inside an office.
I just realized something today; we’re not paid for our time but for our life. So when someone asks you how much is your per hour rate, think of this: you have 876, 600 hours to live. How much does your life cost? 


EDIT: After a good chat with a new friend and some much needed sleep, woke up today feeling refreshed and liberated being aware that everyone has 876,600 hours to live... assuming you'll live to a hundred.


Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. poNg Lizardo 2011 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.

10 October 2011

On Being a Graphic Designer in Haiti

Montagne Noir Haiti, mini landslide
We woke up one morning to this, part of the mountain at the back of our building fell. Luckily my car is safe, the rubble stopped at the nose of the car. ;-)

Graphic Designer, Montagne Noir, Haiti—I once asked for clean running water, continuous electric service and a bit of silence in an apartment. The landlord and the real estate agent looked at me as if I’m asking for some luxury item like Zafiro’s $100,000 razor made from meteorites (and yes, that razor is already on sale!). What’s next, they’ll say people need to pay taxes for their human rights? 

Now I believe Maslow when he said that creativity and art ranks as one of the highest human needs that could only be satisfied once you’ve fulfilled your basic needs. It’s hard to create great designs when your head is still trying to understand how the sink could spew murky water, rice and beans all over your kitchen, mmmm smell the morning air! Or when you're still dazed on how part of the mountain fell on the parking lot crushing the neighbors' cars and making the parking lot as useful as coffee to an insomniac. This is what a graphic designer has to deal with in Haiti. Life is a bit complicated here (understatement). It’s a miracle sometimes how we could produce nice designs when the mountain is literally falling over our heads. Though, I should say, when things work life's a bliss. When it doesn't... well, it's like walking into the twilight zone mixed with the worst of Dante's inferno.
Maybe Maslow is not completely right. But I like his triangle… 

Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia
Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. Courtesy of Wikimedia.

Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. poNg Lizardo 2011 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.

05 September 2011

Apartment in Haiti Lessons

Whitespacelover Haiti apartment
Living room / dining room where I love to work.
Much has been said about Haiti and its daily catastrophes, but not much about expats moving to a new apartment… and after months of skirmish with landlords and ladies, Whitespacelover has moved to Montagne Noir! A.K.A. my excuse for blog inactivity! 
So it’s time for a useful entry for expats and for those who are moving to Haiti. 
As a graphic designer, I put much emphasis on my personal environment. In a perfect world it would be silent and well-designed but I live in a not so perfect piece of Haiti in Montagne Noir. So, here are some tips to keep in mind when finding a place in Haiti.


1. Hire a local real estate agent. Sure they may charge a 50%-of-the-rent-fee but they will find you a place with your budget and specifications. They will also help you out with issues that you might encounter. They also make the process of finding a place in Haiti faster and easier.
2. Location, location. Take places close to PV (Pétion Ville). Higher than PV like Laboule and Kenscoff is nicer but travel time to PV ranges from: with traffic 1-1.5 hours and without traffic 10-20 minutes. Lower than PV, well, good luck. Also, never take a place that is too isolated. 
3. Once you find a place, check if it’s structurally sound. Then check if you have electricity 24-hours a day and "clean" running water—clean meaning you don’t see green stuff or particles floating on the water and it doesn’t smell too much of Clorox. 



Whitespacelover Haiti apartment study
Custom-made corner desk in the study room that is rarely used. Dining room is better for work. ;-)


4. Very important, prick your ears. If you can hear cars passing by or people talking then it only gets worst. So, abandon or buy some earplugs or noise cancelling earphones. 
5. Look for generators. If you see it, you’ll probably hear it. The only choice here is to go look for a new place. Otherwise you’ll never get peace in your new place. You don’t want to sleep to the hum of diesel engines at night or wake up to the early morning fumes. 
6. They say the devil is in the details. Look under the sinks, inside the closets, toilet bowls and turn on faucets and showers. If you see something leaking or water trails ask to get it fixed before you move. 
7. Test the doorknobs and locks. Though not common, it’s not unheard of people getting locked in or out of their apartments. 

So, there you have it. Keep in mind though that we’re in Haiti and most places may not be up to the standards of the country that you used to live in. Be patient and learn to adapt to it. 


Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. poNg Lizardo 2011 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.

16 August 2011

Digital Illustration: Le Clos, Haiti

digital illustration: le clos haiti

When somewhere new they say, “do as the Romans do.” In Haiti, well… This digital conté crayon drawing of where we used to live was an attempt in naïve style—a popular style in Haiti. Tried my best to be naïve. Unfortunately, when you’re a designer things has to make visual sense, perspective, colors, light and shadows etc. and this logic is like OS X pre-installed in your brain. Though what’s good about being a designer is even if you can’t be naïve, you can still wiggle your way out to create a half-way naïve art. Actually, more like wiggling your way into creating Frankenstein.


Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. poNg Lizardo 2011 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.

08 August 2011

Flyer Design: Gaz Kole, Ba Li Gaz 2011

Gaz Kole: Ba li Gaz 2011 flyer
Gaz Kole Presents, Ba Li Gaz 2011!

Alright, let’s roll baby! Here we go again, Gaz Kole Entertainment presents, Ba Li Gaz 2011! A street drag race for supercars, mosnter bikes, ATVs and UTV’s! Claim your bragging right in the first official drag race in Haiti! Check out the race venue here
 
Bali Gaz Flyer 2
Ba Li Gaz Flyer 2

Designing things for Gaz Kole is fun! There’s something about cars and speed that motivate designers more than pretty models posing in front of the camera… needing a bit of Photoshop. You could almost hear tires screeching and engines roaring when you do designs like this. Digitally adding the smoke effect was pure pleasure, like eating double bacon cheese burgers while running 200kmH on the streets of Port Au Prince, but of course without the jackhammer effect and crazy traffic common in Haitian streets. 

So don’t forget to checkout Gaz Kole’s Ba Li Gaz 2011!  


Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. poNg Lizardo 2011 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.

25 July 2011

Logo & Teaser Design Gaz Kole


Teaser Design for Gaz Kole
Gaz Kole teaser design.

It’s a fact of life that you feel like your car is being caressed by a jackhammer when you drive on the streets of Port au Prince, but that doesn’t stop some people in owning supercharged vehicles here. Recently Jn-Michel Carvonis, a super car owner in Haiti started blogging about how it is to own these wonderful set of roaring wheels in Haiti. And we were more than happy to be obliged in creating a logo and a teaser design for him. We can’t stop shouting “Gaz Kole vvvrrrrrooom!” and feel the pedal to floor while creating the designs. Even after submitting the artworks, we still couldn’t stop hearing growling engines and screeching breaks in our heads.
Logo design Gaz Kole
Gaz Kole logo design.

So if you’re a car enthusiast check out www.gazkole.blogspot.com. Even if you hardly go from 0-60 in 5 seconds, this blog is still worth the look. Maybe after reading the blog you’ll learn how to say, “let’s roll” with a Fast & The Furious Vin Diesel voice to your girl.

Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. poNg Lizardo 2011 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.

21 July 2011

Barbancourt: un portrait


Rhum Barbancourt Billboard in Petion-Ville Haiti
Rhum Barbancourt, Portrait Famille 2011 Billboard. And yes, we were contemplating about how the white rhum lands against the black BG too.

The simplest design is always the best design. Rhum Barbancourt first fell on my hands in my first few days in Haiti. How me and the team wished it was a nice glass of rhum sour instead of a piece of paper telling you to make print ads and billboards.
We turned into coffee-powered zombies for days trying to cough up some fancy-schwancy designs for one of the biggest brands in Haiti, but to no avail. Then one day, just before the caffeine high permanently turns into clinical depression, it came… the beginnings of Portrait Famille. First as an accidental layout that later became a design that Barbancourt approved with much hoorah. In fact, they loved it so much that this year’s new Barbancourt design was just a modification of the original Portrait Famille. Hmmm, if memory serves well, last year's design was also the 1st Portrait Famille. Dang! They love that design.

Rhum Barbancourt Billboard in Haiti
The first version of Rhum Barbancourt's Portrait Famille billboard. Look at the upper right-hand corner of the 2011 Billboard, there are still remnants of the first design (with reduced opacity).

Looking back though, if you put the fancy-schwancy design attempts side by side with Portrait Famille, it would look like you're putting wicked stepmothers + big bad wolf vs Disney princess. So moral lesson, keep it simple. Always works, promise.


Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. poNg Lizardo 2011 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.

12 July 2011

TV Commercial: Oishi Prutalastas

Prutalastas. Two words in Filipino, Prutas (fruit) Patalastas (TV commercial). So in English, that’s Fruit TV commercial. Hmm, sounds better in Filipino. It’s an invented word courtesy of our Creative Director back in Creative Juice\ Manila. The TVC's storyboard was one of the last TVCs I illustrated/conceptualized before I left the The Motherland. Actually, there were several boards for this ad. This one got chosen, and my colleagues went on to produce it. So, voilà, a nice TV commercial. Simple concept and clean execution. Back then I never thought that my idea had wings.




I know, I know, I’ve been going through my archives a lot lately.


Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. poNg Lizardo 2011 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.

06 July 2011

Graphic Design for VIP +Booze

It’s true that in Haiti activities range from, uhh, ten-thousand types of drinking and eating and party activities (a.k.a. socializing). So, who ever told you that there’s nothing to do in Haiti is sorely mistaken! Best of all an international DJ is coming on the 8th to little town Haiti to make the party hot! So if you want to be in one of the coolest event in town and be the man with the VIP table at Taras, like Prestige in Facebook and join the contest! And remember, the VIP table comes with booze (I imagine it to be free booze galore!).
 
Prestige VIP Avicii
A Facebook & Google Ad campaign for Prestige Beer, designed by yours truly. Hehe! ;-)
Prestige Haiti Ticket Magazine VIP Avicii
Full page print ad for Ticket Magazine in Haiti for Prestige Premium Lager Beer.

Copyright © Whitespacelover a.k.a. poNg Lizardo 2011 All Rights Reserved, unless stated otherwise. You may copy and/or use the content of this blog only if you acknowledge this blog and other parties (if there is any) as the source of the material.