Bring Yourself to the Table

In a talk held last October 4, 2019, our esteemed guest speaker Mr. Jaykee Evangelista discussed the importance of graphic design, namely that it creates a tangible identity once delivered clearly. Being a good graphic designer requires that you are always learning and looking for inspiration around you which you can use to create out-of-the-box ideas. On the other hand, our brilliant second guest speaker, Ms. Inka Magnaye discussed her experience as a professional voice-over talent. She stressed the importance of “having your own voice” with respect to the challenge of having to portray different personas for each client that requires a definite idea in mind. With these in mind, although both fields necessitate the skill of being able to adapt well to client’s needs, most importantly, they need to be infused with your own personality and character to give a distinct style that people will remember.

Around the beginning of his talk, Mr. Jaykee displayed a logo for an automobile company that he and his team created. It was simple but original, because there was a significance to the design behind the logo. He admitted that he also loved cars, which I believe helped him and his team come up with a unique design. When I asked him how long it takes for him to come up with an idea, he relates that it depends, but it does not usually take long. He admits that it is challenging to immediately come up with an idea, but it is usually overcome through finding inspiration everywhere around you: from your family, friends, your surroundings, your passions, even in the most mundane things, as long as there is significance in what you observe. That is why it is important for us to experience everything in life as much as possible; to better illustrate this point, allow me to liken it to a machine.

A machine has its parts that make up the whole; our experiences act as these parts which we need to create innovative ideas. But before coming up with an idea, you have to know how your parts fit together. It takes skill to find connections between seemingly disparate ideas, but once you are able to connect these links, an original idea comes not long afterwards. Graphic design has made it easier for people to translate their ideas into art; anyone can be a graphic designer especially in this digital age where the tools are readily available. But a graphic designer can only become an artist if he puts his heart into his work – his life, his experiences, his passions, his loved ones – and illustrate it in a way where its significance and purpose will be relevant and inspiring to people.

On the other hand, Ms. Inka related to us that she is the voice behind some of the most memorable radio ads that we usually hear. Although she had a very distinct voice, she was able to flawlessly portray different characters that were clearly distinguishable from each other each. She explains that different clients have different needs, and some clients have a vague idea of what they need; but as a professional voice-over talent, you must know precisely what the client needs for you to be able to construct your voice into what works best. But even with the different characters she was portraying, she was able to maintain herself all throughout; hence, the importance of “finding your voice.” You must be versatile enough to express yourself in different ways, but for every character that you play, your style – your X-factor – must be consistent. She shares how there are a lot of voice-over talents she encountered but what distinguishes the good ones from the great ones are how the latter are able to “own” their performances in a way that no one else can.

Everybody wants to leave a legacy. It is the reason why we do our best in every project given to us, why we spend as much time as possible with our loved ones, why we all want to be heard one way or another. Ms. Inka and Mr. Jaykee were able to distinguish themselves in their respective fields not just with pure skill, but with their charming personality. Someday, I hope to do the same.