CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY--The third installment of the Oro Design Conference (ODC) will go virtual this year.
Taking place entirely online, the upcoming event finds its new platform on a Zoom-web conference and will stream live on Facebook and YouTube on Saturday, February 20.
Launched in 2019 here, the conference takes place annually in time with the National Arts Month and amplifies career conversations among local creatives and artists.
ODC covers topics that range from graphic design, animation, content creation, and brand identity to similar avenues made more convenient with digital technology.
Although this year’s conference may take a different turn as this would be the first time the event will not have a physical venue, the mission to inspire artists remains the same.
“Our theme for this year is about connection despite being physically apart because of the pandemic,” ODC Founder Karl Adrian Aguro stated in an interview sent via email on Friday.
“Aside from this being a totally new platform for us, I guess what still makes this conference unique is our commitment to highlighting local speakers. This edition will also go beyond the discipline of graphic design by tapping into conversations around marketing, curation, and design initiatives such as Filipino typography," he said.
Diversity in topics
Like its previous events, ODC is giving a platform to creative professionals whose works have impacted the industry, trailblazing the path that aspiring creatives can choose to follow. This year’s ODC will feature local and national artists with related expertise.
The speakers' line-up includes Revere Creative Director French Andico, Type63 Founder Jo Malinis, Happy Garaje’s creative duo Johanna Velasco Deutsch and Mark Deutsch, Serious Studio Founder Lester Cruz, and illustrator Soleil Ignacio.
Aside from the presentations that this year’s speakers will provide, ODC will also take a turn to support artists who have witnessed their share of struggles in the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Opportunities for creatives
While the pandemic has affected the job market, some digital creatives remain steadfast with their work from home set-ups.
“I got to work at home. There is less pressure for me to make revisions and beat deadlines," freelance illustrator Rose Anne Quirante said.
As a volunteer of this year’s ODC organizing committee, Quirante hopes that the event will encourage creative professionals like her to pursue their craft even during challenging times.
“This year, we're going virtual, so it's something new and different from our end, but I'm hoping it'll be as fun an experience as the previous events," she said.
Also, Quirante said that she did not know how things will turn out this year, but for certain, she will be "drawing and making art because it’s what I love to do, and it helps me get through tough times.”
Meanwhile, Aguro said the challenge this year is how to bounce back and get inspired again.
“ODC is one of those events that we hope to help those in a rut and be inspired from creatives who are still churning out creative works despite the pandemic," he said.
Aguro hopes that aspiring artists in Northern Mindanao would participate in the event as it is free and accessible online with the preregistration link and additional announcements posted on their Facebook Page. (PNA)
