Pinoy Designers

Last week (July 6, 07) I had the good fortune to be invited to speak at the Davao Cyber Expo. The expo was a well organized event and some very impressive lectures were given to about 200 students from Davao City universities. Along with the 100+ computers that were used for gaming competitions the event was lively and exciting for all who attended the 3-day fair at NCCC Mall.

I've been a conference speaker for more than 15 years and I've had the pleasure of speaking at some conferences with friends like Deke McClelland, Katrin Eisman, Ron Chan, Ted Alspach, Russell Brown, Thom Parker and many other world industry leaders. Conferences held in the USA and many other countries around the world that attract world authorites on computer applications software are impressive and provide a wealth of information for attendees as well as a learning platform for the speakers themselves.

Comparitively, I found the Davao Cyber Expo on par with any other conference I've attended. And with the massive floor of NCCC Mall covered with computer workstations where gaming wizards applied their talents, I'd have to say that the Davao Cyber Expo was one of the best events I've attended.

More impressive to me however was the sophisticated level of expertise from the presenters. And here I'd like to draw another comparison. Take Deke McClelland who is the world's leading author on Adobe Photoshop books. Deke and I worked together on several publications and I've always found his command of just about any computer program to be extraordinary.

How did Deke (Katrin, Ron, Ted, Russell, Thom et al) get their knowledge? First off, these people all have about 4 or more computers at home or in their offices (I personally have 6 computers I use to write my books). They began their computer experiences as children with their own computers in their bedrooms. They've been to schools that offer design, photography, computer, etc. training. They all have friends at Adobe Systems who liberally help out routinely with support. They have a network of friends who are the world's best and most knowledgeable users and they all have attended many, many conferences and expos to learn as well as speak.

Now let's take a look at the Pinoy counterparts who spoke at the Davao Cyber Expo. I saw one session on Blender. Blender is a free application you can download from the Internet and since it's free it doesn't have the same friendly user interface as you find in commercial software programs. As such, Blender is extremely complicated and would take most people years to learn. The presentation on Blender showed some very impressive 3D designs created by a Davao university student who taught many different features of the program. Then there was Chris Cubos' presentation on Adobe After Effects. Chris demonstrated some of the newest features in the CS3 release. And again, After Effects is quite a complicated program.

So what's the background of the Pinoy presenters compared to their colleagues in the USA, Europe, Japan and other countries? In the Philippines, these geniuses did not have the benefit of growing up with a computer in their home. They had no Internet connection and many gathered together to combine their Pesos to huddle around a computer at an Internet Cafe. They had no formal graphic design training. They couldn't afford the more than Php 2,500 for Deke's Adobe Photoshop Bible. They have no contacts at Adobe Systems. They don't have friends who are world authorites to share knowledge.

Where did they get their training and foundations? Quite simply, most of these experts poke around the Internet and read articles and information to help them learn new programs. That's about the only source of training people have here in the Philippines for graphic design applications. And, most people need to practice their talents at Internet Cafes without the luxury of owning a single computer.

When it comes to programming and systems analysis, I find the university classes here, for the selected few who can attend them, to be the same quality training as you find in other countries. But what I don't find here in the Philippines is many classes in graphic design, typography, color management, courses on Photoshop, InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, and various multi-media programs. These skills are often picked up by those with a thirst for knowledge and through perseverance.

By comparison, I find the Filipino designers and technicians to be extraordinary. To think that they start with so much less than others in more affluent countries and have attained the same levels of expertise as many world authorities is indeed an extraordinary feat. We have so many brilliant minds here in the Philippines who have achieved so much expert knowledge and I, for one, am totally impressed!

—ted