Dan Matutina is a designer and illustrator based in the Philippines, known for combining angular, graphic forms with hand-painted textures. He is a founding partner at Plus63 and the Hydra Design Group, and a recipient of the ADC Young Guns award. At Plus63, he works across brand identity, strategy, and spatial design, while his illustration practice spans print, digital, and animation.
Which three books would you recommend?
Design as ArtBruno Munari
This is my favorite design book of all time. It contains various writings and essays on how design can be beautiful, functional, and accessible. Reading this book was so enlightening to me. The content resonated with me and had a huge impact on my design and illustration career. I bought the book while traveling in Italy in 2010.
This excerpt really had an impact to me: "The designer is therefore the artist of today, not because he is a genius but because he works in such a way as to re-establish contact between art and the public, because he has the humility and ability to respond to whatever demand is made of him by the society in which he lives, because he knows his job, and the ways and means of solving each problem of design. And finally because he responds to the human needs of his time, and helps people to solve certain problems without stylistic preconceptions or false notions of artistic dignity derived from the schism of the arts."
The Shape of Design Frank Chimero
Frank Chimero tells us how design can be delightful through thoughtful and fun stories. I'm a big fan of how Frank Chimero writes. I've always wanted to be someone like him, a good designer who can write really well. I thought visual art/design people should just create and make, not bother about being eloquent in writing. This book is for designers who are afraid or intimidated to write and talk about their work. Yet this skill is needed nowadays. While it's important for your work to speak for itself, sometimes (well, a lot of the times), you need to be able to talk about your work eloquently.
Who Can Afford to Be Critical? Afonso Matos (Editor)
Who Can Afford to Be Critical? by Afonso Matos was enjoyable to read because it's refreshing to see designers openly discussing the precariousness of design practice. It deeply resonated with me, especially considering how challenging it is to work as a designer (or any creative professional) in the Philippines. While the book takes a serious tone and at times might lead you to question your career choice, I found joy in it because these difficult conversations are essential to have.
What is your favourite bookstore or library?
Everything's Fine is a new independent bookstore in the Philippines. They feature and sell books from local independent publishers, while also offering hard-to-find international titles. It's always inspiring to visit their shop and discover new books to add to your collection.