I have to be honest: I am nowhere near good when it comes to graphic design. Let alone reach the heights of my friend The Aldrincore! At any rate, the design is probably the single most important thing a content creator should at least consider.
It doesn’t matter if you’re using Canva or Adobe Photoshop. (We’ll have that Canva vs. Photoshop argument at another time.) Making your stuff more appealing is vital to the success of a business! With that in mind, Platform 88, in partnership with the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry and The Company Cebu, held an event called Rugrat!
What on Earth is Rugrat?
Since I can’t really explain what a Rugrat is, I’ll let a section of the event description do that for me:
“Rugrat” is an affectionate term for a young child, derived from the way toddlers will scoot around the floor on all fours, nosing into things, making messes, and generally being underfoot, — very much like what startups generally / usually undergo in their early stages.
Basically, this event really dialed in on what it takes to start a business through design. The thing is, you can’t just go into it with a simple understanding of what you’re doing. You have to know your WHY. It’s also IMPERATIVE that you know why you need to know your “WHY” as well!
Highlights!
I wanted to expand with what was talked about, but I feel it was better if I would show you pictures with short descriptions. Getting some energy from the room is really important, so pictures show those better. Here we go!
Know why is it important to know your why. 
Joy Garingo of The Company Cebu being awesome as always! 
Nannette Arbon of DTI Region 7 explains their full-on support with the tech and startup communities through Startup Island PH. 
Love how Platform 88 basically believes in more than one infinite number of possibilities. Parallel dimensions, anyone? 
I never got to eat their burger, but I find this story from Newfound Burger super relatable! 
Basically the Avengers of this event. Hehe. 
Christianne Tampos of Platform 88 applying some Design Inquiry with Newfound Burger! (1/2) 
Christianne Tampos of Platform 88 applying some Design Inquiry with Newfound Burger! (2/2)
More Mixers Please!
For the first event in a series of Startup Island Mixers, this is a GREAT START! Although I appreciated the long Q&A about government processes, I feel that it should be shortened to give more time for other questions. I also think that there should be some time to interact with everyone. (Though the 2-hour limit would present some difficulty.)
All in all, I’m really glad that I got to attend Rugrat! It was a fun new way to look at Design and how Design Inquiry can aid you to know why you want to start something.
For more info on what Platform 88 does, head over to their Facebook page! (They do a lot of design inquiry sessions and graphic design tutorials.)
To know more about Startup Island PH, head to their Facebook page to know about their mentoring program and possibly other Startup Island Mixer events!