Bianca Mendoza

This project is about my hometown Cagayan de Oro City, a city in Northern Mindanao, Philippines. The place is also known as the City of Golden Friendship because of how friendly and welcoming the Kagay-anons (people who live in Cagayan de Oro) are. The publication explored the culture of the Philippines and my stories and memories of places that are of importance to me growing up and to this day, in Cagayan de Oro.

The significance of the project is to help promote, showcase, and explore Filipino culture, my city, and my experience. My personal journey with reconnecting with my roots and learning more about the culture of my family, conveying what I’ve learned and my experience through the publication. As part of the minority, there is a lack of design outcomes that represent the Philippines and as a designer, I feel as though it’s part of my responsibility to help represent the country and the people by creating artefacts that showcase the vibrant culture and stories.

The outcomes included along with the illustrative publication are a series of postcards based on the six places featured in the publication and several postage stamps featuring the icons of the places and the national symbols of the Philippines.