VOL. 8 ISSUE 72 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, JULY 12 - 13, 2015
P 15.00 • 20 PAGES
www.edgedavao.net
Pulong orders inspection of durian candy makers THE BIG NEWS P4
EDGEDAVAO Serving a seamless society
By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO njb@edgedavao.net
I
T’S a given. The Filipino artist is known as one of the best designers in the planet. With that, opportunities are on the rise for Filipino graphic designers not only in the country but also worldwide. Demand for graphic design in the Philippines according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is expected to boom in the next five to six years. Based on that forecast, the industry could still grow by 14% in 2020. Although the entry-level positions will always be there and available, the senior graphic design or higher positions in the Philippines will always be tough and competitive. “There is an artist in everyone. All we need is to harness our creativity and let it out,” said Paolo Ramirez, Davao Graphic Designers Community co-founder, during the FAST Fridays media forum at SM Lanang Premier. The DGDC, organizer of the annual graphic designers convention known as GraphiCon (now on its fourth year), has over 1,000 members now and counting. Graphic designing has been classified as one of the most in-demand skills/occupations by the land-based placement agencies in the Phil-
ippines (POEA, 2010) and also one of the most sought-after courses by the Department of Labor and Employment and the Commission of Higher Education. Howe v e r, in a count r y that gives greater importance to academic courses, creative flairs and wide imagination will hardly make it to the next level in terms of being a lucrative professional career. “It’s not a high-paying profession. That is why most of our artists look for jobs elsewhere,” said Ramirez. “But this does not mean we are having a brain drain. We have a very rich pool of creatives.” Graphic de-
FTHE FUTURE, P2
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