About

I'm a Filipino web designer/developer based in The Hague, Netherlands.

I developed my design skills while doing Desktop Publishing work in the late 80s to mid-90s -- posters, souvenir programs, flyers and the like. Initially just something to do with computers while I taught myself how to use them, the first project (a newsletter for the WHO) awakened a dormant love for design beyond what was until then just a deep appreciation for things that looked good and worked well.

I was breaking into multimedia production around '95 when the consumer internet hit Manila. I transitioned to designing for the web, building sites for local ISPs, small tech companies, and the internet-aware at the time (this, while doing MIS work and IT consulting on the side).

I got started at my current organization in the late 90s when I took on a short-term tech support gig while on vacation in The Hague. I saw an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution and decided to stick around. I developed standards for service and technical implementation through to establishing management frameworks for the efficient delivery of IT services and projects among other more fun but less impressive-sounding activities (I've got a pretty mean tech stack I'd love to tell you about). 

In the early 2000s I took on the redesign of our organization's Intranet as a side project. The resulting site was embraced by staff members and the Communications Section alike and secured a place in the IT department's highlight reel. I formalized the role of designer in the Development Unit and learned and taught the value of Information Architecture, Interaction Design, and Experience Design by example, during the occasional talk, and as I worked alongside programmers and developers on a variety of web and desktop applications.

I continue to build for the web, develop branding, and do some occasional DTP work outside the day job as I aspire to produce at the same level where the things that inspire me were realized. Things that look good and work well.