Edwin Capalla
Nag-usap kami—gaano kalaki ang space, magkano ang rent,
pwede ba ang design studio? (We talked—how big was the
space, how much was the rent, could it be a design studio?)
I thought of pulling in Kaye Llanto (KM Interior Design
Manila) for interior design, so we really could become
multi-disciplinary. If we’re banding together, we might as
well have different expertise and specializations. We set up
a meeting with Charles Paw (Tasteless); for some of them,
it was their first time to meet and have chat. Together we
checked out the area at Karrivin, and it was then that we
decided to do it. It was an impulsive decision to move in
together.
How does Hydra run as a collective? Can you describe
the process to us?
We’ve been trying different things. Most of the
time, the project comes from me. I (Plus63) do the brief
and general directions. Then all of the studios pitch in.
Whoever comes up with the best work, siya yung project
lead. Everyone else provides support. If there's a project that
requires the full collective, we will do it. We try not to limit;
we don’t stop them from working with each other as Hydra.
The other thing is forming a team. One head from Hydra
would get members from other studios to form a team.
We found that it's inefficient for everyone to have their
own pitches all the time, so what we did was to make sure
there's one head for a project. We would all make studies
and have it checked by everyone, ask for comments or
suggestions. That’s one way to do it. We’re still finding
the best process for us, but we’re enjoying figuring it out.
There's still a lot to learn. In a way, we get competitive,
especially when we pitch against each other and we see
work that wows us. It makes us wants to do better for the
next project. It raises competitiveness and creativity within
Hydra. Our ideas and work always different from each
other. Acid House, for example, are primarily focused on
motion design and broadcast design. It's a first for them to
Formula E Championship Beijing for Qualcomm, 2015
Bottom: Jeepney for Pinterest, 2015
“In a way, we get competitive,
especially when we pitch
against each other and we see
work that wows us.”
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