Native Creative: Delo Dayondon

"Really awesome person" were the first words I had heard about Delo Dayondon from our mutual friend who had introduced us. And after getting to know him, I found out that "really awesome" couldn't be any further from the truth. The 28-year-old graphic-designer-slash-triathlete-slash-photographer-slash-blogger possesses a can-do attitude that seems to permeate into all of his endeavors - the most recent of which being his participation in a half-Ironman challenge a few weeks ago in Kona. Blending his loves for graphic design and athleticism, Delo even designed his training group's "Race with Passion" t-shirt, which they all wore during the 70.3 mile challenge.

Who better than an Ironman to inspire up-and-coming local graphic designers to persevere towards their dreams? Read on to find out about this talented Native Creative... 

NC: What do you do and where do you do it?

DD: I'm one of two Advertising Art Directors at PacificBasin Communications (an AIO Hawaii company) where I process and create display advertisements for our growing magazine publications. Outside of my "9 to 5", I also take on freelance design and photography projects under my own company, Delography.

NC: How'd you get to this point as a designer?

DD: Perseverance and a leap of faith. I graduated with a BBA in Marketing degree from UH and worked briefly at a large advertising agency before moving over to magazine publication. I worked both on the client services and sales side before realizing that my true passion lies in the arts. I dabbled with graphic design/photography as hobby so when a position opened up in our creative department, I jumped at the chance and got the job! Having no formal art/design training, the first few months were rough having to learn a lot of things on the job. Fortunately, I'm blessed to be surrounded by so many talented and nurturing co-workers and mentors who are responsible for helping me to become the designer that I am today.

NC: Describe a typical day in the life.

DD: Ads, ads, and more ads! PacificBasin Communications is Hawaii's largest magazine publishing company with diverse brands including a city, business, shelter, and family magazine (to name a few), so there's hardly a typical day. We basically work in cycles depending on which magazine is due to the printer next, and with just two of us processing ads for all titles, we have to work at a fast and furious pace. A typical day consists of processing ad materials that have been submitted by the clients, ads that have ran in the past, and working with our sales team to build new ads for clients that rely on our creative services.

NC: What's the best thing and worst thing about your job?

DD: The best thing about my job is being able to make a living doing what I love. Not many people can say that, and I feel very blessed to have art as a part of my daily life. It's definitely a huge part of what keeps me balanced and sane. The worst thing about my job is that it can sometimes be a thankless job. I don't think people quite understand the nature of our job and the amount of effort that we pour over our work.

NC: What's your favorite place and/or tool to create?


DD: The great thing about creativity and ideas is that it can come from the most unusual places and at the most unusual time. Any place where can clear my mind and allow me to focus on my thoughts is the most ideal. For me, it's usually when I'm out for a run or a bike ride usually somewhere along the beach or mountain like Ala Moana Beach Park or Tantalus. My favorite tool would have to be my iPhone4. It has everything I need - music to drive my mood, apps to jot down notes and ideas, and of course the Internet to do research and stay connected.

NC: What's one piece of advice you'd give to someone interested in doing graphic design here locally?

DD: Surround yourself with great mentors and learn all you can from them. These are the people that will give you honest, constructive feedback, encourage you to challenge yourself, and most importantly, believe in your skills and talent.

. . .

For more and inspiration and info on Delo, checkout his Delography website and also his One 40 Point 6 blog, which documents his journey towards the Ironman Triathlon. 

Native Creative: Farida Ong of Evening Invitation

February 28, 2011

Farida: I was messing around and I made this lil bag out of rabbit fur…Let me know ur thoughts :)

Me: Cute! How big is it?

Farida: It’s teeny abt 10 in width and 6 in height…

March 1, 2011

Farida: Grey wabbit

Me: I love it in grey!

March 2, 2011

Farida: I added on etsy today lol crossed fingers

Me: Ooh! Fishloaves? I’ll search for you!

Farida: Oh no I called the line Evening Invitation

And this is how I first learned of Evening Invitation – through a series of text messages over the span of three days :P

Farida Ong is just amazing like that. I won’t see the girl for a week, and in those seven days she’ll tell me she’s worked as a stylist on an ad hoc photoshoot with some of Hawaii’s most talented designers, photographers, and models…or created an entire lookbook for a friend who wanted to try a new style of dress…or as in this case, designed and crafted her very own rabbit handbag line.

Indeed the more you get to know her, the more you realize that there is a fashion mastermind behind Farida's unassuming demeanor. In her early twenties, Farida worked for many years in New York's fashion industry, at companies such as Fendi and Audemars Piguet. After moving back to Hawaii in late 2009, she opened a fashion and vintage wares boutique at Samsung Plaza called Fishloaves. When her lease was up, Farida took the shop online, where you can currently find her at www.fishloavesinc.com. And it was only a few months after establishing Fishloaves' online home when she began working on her Evening Invitation project.

I was originally going to write that "Farida's most recent endeavor is creating five new Evening Invitation handbags to be featured in Matt Bruening's upcoming Summer 2011 fashion show."  But I've recently come to find out that she's also making a variety of unisex jewelry pieces for the show, which will be added to the Evening Invitation line. (See, what'd I tell you about this girl being amazing!)

Momoko Metzker in a MB jumpsuit w/ EI "Cloak & Dagger" bag (via Farida's iPhone)

Be sure to keep up with Farida and Evening Invitation at the Matt Bruening and Andy South Summer 2011 Fashion Show, this Friday at Nextdoor. The event will also be feature Alt/Air, Clones of the Queen, and Sicktyte performing live. You can get more info and purchase tickets at the Nextdoor website.

 

The Box Jelly, Coworking, and Hawaii's Creative Rennaissance

As much as I fill my cubicle with personal photos, post-it doodles, and plushies, there’s still something so blah about coming to an office day in and day out. I secretly dream of the day my blog takes off, allowing me to join the ranks of all those cool people you see at Starbucks and Fresh Café, laptop in tow, working on a client’s website design or sealing a business deal via Skype.

Now Honolulu's freelancers, independent contractors, and other mobile-office types have a new workspace to call their own – The Box Jelly, Hawaii’s very first coworking space! If you’re unfamiliar with the coworking movement, the term refers to a new way of working, in which people of different companies/industries work independently, but in a shared physical space. The way it works is that a person pays an hourly, daily, or weekly rate to have use of a temporary workspace.

The Box Jelly’s soft opening was this Monday, and I was determined to pay them a visit to find out first-hand what this whole #HICoworking movement is all about. (Thanks to @johngarcia for opening my eyes!) Upon stepping into Fishcake, where the pop-up coworking space is temporary located for about a month, I was promptly greeted by Hasan, who is The Box Jelly's Community Curator and one of the five Chaminade University-graduates / entrepreneurs behind this initiative.  

After getting the grand tour of the space and hearing more about how The Box Jelly came to be, I had to ask Hasaan, “Why would people come to here do their work, as opposed to, say, a coffeeshop?” He replied that unlike a coffee shop, the Box Jelly caters to your working needs. The space comes complete with your basic office requirements, which includes four shared work tables, a printer/scanner, a whiteboard, and of course COFFEE (or tea, if you prefer).

A little bit into the evening, my friend Jennel came to join me, and not too long after that, Rechung, another one of The Box Jelly owners, dropped by too. And that’s when the magic happened. What stemmed from talking about their business venture led into all sorts of creatively stimulating discussion. We talked about inspiration, logo ideas, Seven Pounds, brain monkeys, personal projects, Talk Story Sessions...and by the time I had to leave for dinner, we culminated in agreement that YES, there is definitely a Creative Renaissance on its way here in Hawaii, and that its growth lies on the shoulders of the creative risk-takers of our generation who believe that there's something more for us out there, should we choose to seize it.

I had left the space feeling great, not only because I had gotten some blog-work done, but also because I was INSPIRED – inspired from meeting new people, hearing new ideas, having good conversation, and feeling that sense of camaraderie among people of different backgrounds, but all who, as Hasan put it, can “see our better selves.”

And in that lies the value of the space. Sure you can get coffee, wi-fi, and a table and chair at coffeeshop. But what a coffeeshop can’t provide you is the opportunity to find your better self through the creative energy and collaboration that The Box Jelly and the Coworking Movement seek to draw out of us.

 . . .

The Box Jelly coworking pop-up space is currently located at Fishcake (307 Kamani Street). For more information, visit their webpage, like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter.

In4mation Continues To Represent for Hawaii

Local streetwear brand In4mation continues to represent for Hawaii in big ways. They've recently shared on their blog two epic stories...

A few days ago, MTV News aired a clip of an interview with rapper Lil' Wayne talking about his latest single "How To Love". In the interview, Wayne was sporting In4mation's AYA Hi Hat, designed by Creative Director and Mililani-native Rhandy Tambio. You can pickup your own for only $32 at your nearest In4mation shop. (The dreads you'll have to figure out how to get on your own.)


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In other recent news, In4mation has teamed up with Casio's G-Shock to create the "One Love" watch, which was released in-store and online last Friday. This timepiece is actually the brand's fifth collaboration with Casio.

“In4mation is excited to continue their ongoing relationship with G-Shock by introducing a new collaborative model for Summer 2011,” said Tambio. “For our fifth watch, we introduce a new colorway revolving around the island lifestyle and reggae culture. Reggae is a big influence worldwide especially in Hawaii. It carries a striving positive movement. The colors hold a strong meaning with Red standing for the blood we shed, gold reflecting the richness of the Green land we all live upon, trying to share and spread one common goal of living in harmony, One love. Also the title of a legendary reggae song to unite the people.”

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For more In4mation information, checkout their website or Facebook page.

CMA Hawaii x FLUX Hawaii Magazine's Talk Story Sessions

Why didn't they teach me this in school??

You know the feeling...after maxing out your credit card...after dating a loser for six months too long...after learning anything the hard way...you sit there and think, why didn't they teach me this in school??

That's the exact thing I thought to myself after attending Talk Story Sessions, put on by CMA Hawaii and FLUX Magazine Hawaii this past Saturday at the Waikiki Edition Hotel. Thankfully though, it was successful local designers, artists, musicians, and entrepreneurs sharing these important life lessons, not the School of Hard Knocks.

The purpose of the event was "to promote arts and music education in Hawai'i with Talk Story Sessions, designed to educate, evolve and inspire the local creative set through interactive dialoguing." Each time slot had two speakers who participants could elect to "talk story" with. I attended the sessions with Nella Media Group, Brandon Reid of The Manifest, and Mari Matsuda of CMA Hawaii.



Nella Media Group is a local media company that specializes in magazine publishing and design, PR, brand management and creative advertising campaigns, and is perhaps best known for publishing the Chinatown newspaper and innov8 magazine. Speaking at the session was Jason Cutinella (the "Nella" behind NMG), Valerie Sanchez (the self-proclaimed "dream crusher"), and Chance Carpenter (the stylish architect turned graphic designer). The trio had a clever way of organizing their Talk Story Session. Jason talked about Vision - his personal vision of NMG and how important it was for him to partner with others that could help him fulfill and elevate that vision. His talk led into Valerie's discussion of Production. As the "dream crusher" and "email nazi" of the team, Valerie's role is to provide structure and to create systems for the company. She stressed the importance of keeping on track with schedules, calendars, and always following up. Chance rounded out the session with a fun and aptly designed power point on Execution. He discussed the designer's role of making his team's or client's vision a tangible reality, through at many times, playing a therapist or mind-reader.

Brandon Reid of The Manifest started his Talk Story Session with asking the crowd (and perhaps himself) "Is this really happening??" The owner of the Chinatown coffee shop/bar/art gallery immediately got the audience on his side with his honest disbelief that his successes have taken him to the point where we would spend our Sunday listening to him speak. He made us feel that he was one of us, just your typical local guy from a public school education and divorced parents...but one who achieved his amazing vision of a place that would serve the Honolulu Chinatown and art communities. He made us feel that if we persevere, we can make our dreams reality too.

This sense of realness remained throughout Brandon's talk. He talked about the death of his father, being duped out of his money, and people who doubted his dream to build The Manifest, among other life tales. Yet through his hardships and despite the nay-sayers, Brandon pushed forward with his goal. "What kind of man would I be if I didn't make things better?", Brandon had thought to himself at a point in his journey. He advised that if your idea will help serve the community, people will want to see it succeed and will put their $1 down to help you see it through.

Mari Matsuda is a professor at the UH Richardson School of Law. She began her Talk Story Session with stating that many people believe that our generation is apathetic towards creating positive social change. She continued with video clips of protests by young people - Arizona high schoolers, University of Rutgers students, rappers from L.A. and London, and finally Kauai natives in protest of the Super Ferry in 2007. 

The proof was there - our generation does care about social causes and wants change. It's just a matter of putting yourself out there as a concerned individual and banding with like-minded people in order to enlist that change. Members of the audience questioned, "But how do we make a difference? How can we protest?" Mari answered simply to start small. Start with a small, obtainable goal and get a handful of friends to support you. In that success, people feel a change within themselves - that they can make a difference and that they actually like that feeling. This "something small" builds the kind of imagination and courage that leads to big social change. I think she drove the point home when she asked the group why did we all come out to the day's event...because there is a feeling our gut and we can envision that things can be better.

I think the over-arching theme throughout all the sessions I attended was to make your life one that's worth living. Jason Cutinella said "At Nella Media Group, we get to create our own lifestyle." Brandon Reid asked the group "Why would we leave the things we want to do in life for someone else to experience?" And Mari Matsuda simply put it, "Just do it." I took away from these three sessions that if you have the courage to follow your gut instinct, you can indeed find that sense of personal fulfillment that we all are longing for. I hope to continually attend these Talk Story Sessions and will definitely be on the lookout for more positivity and inspiration coming out from CMA Hawaii and FLUX Magazine.

In The News: Project Runway's Andy South Produces New Line



Photo by Olivier Koning


In this month's issue of Honolulu Magazine, Karin Gallagher writes about local fashion designer Andy Southiphong, better known as Andy South. The article tells of the "lithe, soft spoken and unfailingly polite" 24-year-old designer's Waianae upbringings and his rise to fame during Project Runway last year. More recently, SOUTH by Andy South's Fall 2011 collection debuted in March and will be available for sale at Neiman Marcus at Ala Moana Shopping Center in August.

One particularly interesting part of the article was the mention of South's commitment to human rights in the production of his line. Last year, he made a trip to southern China to personally make sure that the facilities in which his garmets were made were all up to standard. It's that kind of ethic that makes this local boy's popularity even that much more great.

For more about Andy South and his work, read the article in its entirety here.

Revamped and Refreshed

If you have yet to check Owens & Co. at the corner of Nuuanu and Pauahi, right now is a great time to do so! The home decor/fashion boutique recently rearranged shop, and by the look of the sneak peeks shared on the their blog, things are looking as amazing as ever! View more pics of the newly refreshed boutique here.

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Ginger 13 Launches New Collection

Feathers and leather and spikes, oh my!

Earlier this month, local jewelry line Ginger 13 launched its "Wild At Heart" collection. Owner/designer Cindy Yokoyama was inspired by nature, art, and music as she created this covetable collection which features semi-precious stones shaped into spikes, tusks, feathers, skulls, and chervons.

Here are some of my favorite pieces:

Crystal Quartz Spikes are oh so right!
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Olive Jasper Chevron beads - my personal fave :)
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Carved Feather Bone and Pyrite -  Loving the mismatched earrings!
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Wire-wrapped Brown Leather Hoops - now this is FIERCE!
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Purchase your favorite pieces online or at one of these fine retailers!

Design Trends: The Groom's Cake

I admire anyone who can mix their passion with their profession, and that's exactly what Kristin Kato did with her cake making business, A Cake Life. After graduating from the University of Oregon, Kristin returned home and began work as a paralegal at an employment and labor litigation firm. In a couple years' time however, she came to realize that law wasn't the quite for her. Yet, as cool new shows like Ace of Cakes began airing on the Food Network, Kristin found a new interest in cake making and decided to take classes at a local craft store as well as at Cake Creations Dessert Haven in Manoa. From there, she studied up on cake design, sugar artistry, and starting a business...and in 2009, A Cake Life opened! Gaining inspiration from fashion as well as from her clients themselves, Kristin is able to create beautiful cake designs that have won A Cake Life numerous praises and awards.

On A Cake Life's blog, Kristin recently wrote about an emerging trend in weddings, the Groom's Cake. The blog post in its entirety can be found here.

This was a surprise grooms cake of a red Audi convertible. We handmade a replica of the couple's 2 dogs sitting in the front seat. The dogs were wearing a black top hat for the groom and a white veil for the bride. The bride asked us to integrate their special inside joke "MKT PRC" on the front license plate and their wedding date on the other. All the guests got the inside joke and the groom was stoked to see his surprise cake.

More often, couples are having two wedding cakes – the traditional cake and a groom’s cake.  As weddings often tend to be “all about the bride” a nice way to honor (or surprise) the groom is with his own personalized cake.

Accounts of the history of how the groom’s cake came-to-be often differ.  Some say the tradition dates all the way back to the 17^th century where the cake was originally was a rich, dark, fruit cake made without icing.   Others say it was the top layer of the bride’s cake that was not served to guests, but rather drenched in brandy to preserve for the couple’s first anniversary.  Another story says the groom’s cake was a edible treat packaged individually in decorated boxes, often monogrammed with a couple’s initials and given to guests to take home.

While some wedding traditions have evolved (from groom’s cake to wedding favors, or celebrating the first year of marriage with the top layer of wedding cake) so has the groom’s cake.  It is usually presented at the wedding, and sliced and served just like the traditional cake.

Most often the requests we get are to create a fun “manly” cake reflecting the groom’s hobbies or interests.  They often choose a different flavor from their wedding cake ranging from Red Velvet with Cream Cheese filling to Devils Food Chocolate Cake with Cookies N Cream filling.  This offers guests a nice variety to choose from when it comes to cake.

Some of the most recent groom’s cakes we’ve created are as follows:

 

Lakers themed Basketball Cake and handmade figurines of the couple in their Lakers jerseys

New Jersey Devils Hockey Puck Grooms Cake

 

One of our brides sent us this photo which served as the inspiration for the cake to follow:

 

Michael Godard "Shoot the Wad" Print

Grooms Cake inspired by the print

 

While groom's cakes can be a bit more challenging to create, it definitely brings an air of personalization to a wedding.  People remember details like this, and that's what makes a wedding special!

 

Miemiko Atelier Launches New Website

...my very first Miemiko Atelier stationary print. It was 2008, and I happened to come across this beut' in now-long-gone Alliway boutique at Ward Warehouse. I had never seen a letterpress print before and was all, "Ooh! It's textured!" Since then, I've been happily adding more of Cari Nakanishi's Miemiko prints to my collection and eagerly waiting for something to manifest in her miemiko.com webspace.

Finally last week, my prayers were answered! A cute new site was launched with the help of web designer Kelli Harada of PinPoint and photographer Steve Czerniak of wag and snap. Find out more about Cari and her business, and shop the prints here. If you're a letterpress/paper/typography enthusiast like me, I'm sure you'll be hooked!

In The News: Fighting Eel to open up shop in Kailua

Pacific Business News reports that local clothing company Fighting Eel will be opening a store in Kailua, Oahu. A specific date was not given. The Kailua store will be the company's second boutique - the first being in Honolulu's Chinatown district.

My favorite look from Fighting Eel's Summer 2011 Collection

The brand's designers Rona Bennett and Lan Chung are prime examples of local designers doing it big! Not only can their simple, yet sexy dresses and tops be found in hundreds of boutiques around the US, but also are have been worn by such celebs as Paris Hilton and Eva Longoria.


Bennett and Chung
(Image borrowed from the Fighting Eel website)

Tidbit Extra: It doesn't stop there! Did you know that Chinatown t-shirt shop Tee Tee Bar is also owned and curated by this dynamic duo??!! (Not sure if this is old news for most, especially being that the two shops are right next to each other on Bethel Street, but I sure was impressed to find this out recently!)

Happenings: Talk Story Sessions, May 29 2011

This Monday, Ara Laylo (@aralaylo), Creative Director of Flux Magazine, tweeted a flyer twitpic for "a series of workshops by musicians, artists, graphic designers, and small business owners." Among the graphic design participants are local firms Wall-to-Wall Studios and Humanhand. I will update this post with more info as it becomes available.

*update* More information has been released!! It seems the event is a Flux + CMA Hawaii + Waikiki EDITION partnership to promote arts and music education in Hawaii. Find out more info and register for the event here.