Interview with Danilo Villanueva & Makina & Co

I've always excelled in art at school. I discovered graphic design in my high school in Melbourne, Australia because, thankfully, they were offering it as an elective. It is something I fell in love with quickly. I've completed my Bachelor's degree in design and quickly applied all skills learned in my advertising career.

Answering briefs effectively and making sure designs are both aesthetically pleasing and functional are the obvious boxes that need to be ticked in the design process. Beyond that I always explore things that are hardly ever mentioned in the brief like need to be new and the need for whatever it is that we're making to have character.

A lot of happiness when finally reaching the point where I can say "this is it. this is where stop. it's finished". It's all excitement from there and the eagerness to get it produced and introduced to the rest of the world.

My creative advertising background has had a real impact on me as a designer. My need to always look for something new and the need to make sure whatever it is I'm building has to be "human", that really is my advertising background talking. In advertising we spend weeks and sometimes months trying to find new ideas, and finally conveying those ideas in a way that trigger emotional responses in whatever medium it may be. These are things I naturally apply in my design process.

Do the whole gaining experience thing and learn from those who have been doing this for years. However, do not lose your student mindset. It's when you were a student that you were at your boldest and most expressive. Anyone can answer briefs but if you can do that while truly making it yours, then you might be on to something that's well beyond average daily work and simply meeting expectations.

Trends do not really matter for me, nor does it for my company and brand. We stick to our own personal styles and launch things that we feel Makina needs to launch. Nonetheless, I do stay informed with trends. Being part of a few international design and creative organizations help me keep up to date.

Good design is one that looks good, answers the brief, adapts to users and fits in this day and age.
Great design is one that has a defining personal touch, goes beyond the brief, one that users are willing to adapt to and is timeless.

When it triggers the exact emotional response I intended from people I show it to.

Antoni Gaudi

I was born in the Philippines but my lifestyle and culture is pretty difficult to define having lived in different parts of the world since an early age. I think city life has played a huge role in defining who I am. I have only really lived in mega cities like Manila, Hong Kong, Beijing, Dubai, Los Angeles and, now, New York. One of the things the advantages in living in some the cities mentioned is that it has helped me stay informed with the absolute latest in trends and innovation.

People who work directly for Makina work remotely and work from at least 5 different cities across the globe at different time zones. We've been doing this since before the pandemic and have fully embraced this non-traditional but connected way of working. It helps keep things happy and balance out the stress that comes with the work. I am quite demanding when it comes to everything about our company but people have the freedom to choose when and where to do the work so long as they get things done well and on time.

We donate to animal charity regularly.

Having submitted to A'Design Award this year has all been a positive experience from us as it helped us reaffirm that principles like ours work: being true to ourselves, not having the need to follow trends, not having the need for sales to dictate what our products look like. I think the existence of award organizations like A'Design Award is critical in keeping design and quality standards high and in giving people ambition, direction and something to to strive for.

Design is a path I took because it's what I excelled in the most. I excelled in it because I was passionate about it. I realized this at an early age, all the way back in high school and probably earlier.

I chose to become a designer.

Product design. Not long from now, I would like dive into architecture and interior design.

Go to school. 4 years of that helped shape who I am today. Because in those 4 years, designing was all that I was doing non-stop everyday. I can't say the same thing was possible during my early or current design career. It's really the best time to hone in on your primary skill. Once you have that, work on your people skills as early as in your first job.

A good designer answers the brief, makes beautiful things that adapt to users.
A great designer goes beyond the brief, makes beautiful things that users adapt to.

Besides determining whether a design aligns with the brief, is aesthetically pleasing and is functional, I rely on first impressions. How a certain piece of design makes me feel at first glance, is important to me. First impressions are usually governed by how new and how bold what it is that I am looking at. It either excites me or it doesn’t. This, from my point of view, is what normally separates great design from good design

My son's future car.

Designing my family's home.

"Perfectly imperfect" is an ingredient I try to inject on all our work. It makes things feel newer and less predictable. Perfect is boring. Perfectly imperfect reflects humanity and daily life.

Antoni Gaudi and Frank Lloyd Wright

Cartier's Santos Dumont timepiece which is the first pilot watch ever created. It was bold when it first came out for more than a century now. And it's timeless icon.

Be more observant. Take inspiration from real experiences and physical objects more. Travel more. Get inspired by things outside the industry you're designing for.

The second thing I was good at was coding. So probably something in Computer Science.

To me, design is when idea, beauty and function come together to evoke an emotional response from its users.

Practice.

Like a skilled salesman. Don't "Let the work speak for itself". It sounds nice but please don't do it because it's not real. Be a skilled sales person. Know who you're selling to. Know what they want to hear and use it to sell your work.

More watches with different personalities.

We're currently bringing back a new iteration of one of our first designs after 7 years. It's a model people have been asking us about since it being sold out. We're also designing another piece that is more eclectic in terms of design style and rougher in persona but premium at the same time. They both come out this year.

More sustainable ideas. But beyond that, I would like the industry to be able to provide more education as to how designers can inject more sustainable aspects to whatever it is they are designing.

The entire design phase can either take as quick as 1 month to 12 months. The best ones, I find, were done in 1 month.

Whatever it is you make, make it human.

Unfortunately it is more of the latter. But sometimes you see a product launch with a design that would set trends for many years. Those are the ones worth talking about.

It's just a tool that makes making things go faster. All it does is simply put down on paper what you already have in your brain.

Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, Fusion 360

How do I come up with something better?

My personal opinion is no. I don't believe in co-design. I'm not looking at design from the point of view of a design firm but more from the point of view of my own brand/company. As much as possible, we look at a design as an art piece and therefore belongs to only one artist.

My brother who is also a designer. My wife who's is not a designer.

It's an advertising book called "Hey Whipple, Squeeze this" by Luke Sullivan.

Practice. And take inspiration away from the industry you are designing for.

I can't decide between Rachmaninoff or Beethoven.

I feel grateful for the awards and recognition. I don't think I am famous. I don't mind being famous of course. But it's not why I do what I do or the reason as to why we get awards.

Black. NYC. Nigiri. Fall. Grand Piano. Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Finally briefing in the production team to start building a prototype. I get motivated by the overwhelming feedback and support from our customers, specifically the ones from my own country.

From the moment, I started designing using legos at 4.

Makina Watches is a watch brand from the Philippines. All watches are designed, engineered and made in the Philippines with movements coming from Switzerland and some parts from Hong Kong.

Although it is a business, our intent is to maintain a passion project mindset when developing products and building our brand; we release products based on what we like and not popular trends or what sells more.

Even though Makina primarily targets the niche world of watch enthusiasts, we are comfortable in pushing watch design archetypes towards directions that may not sit comfortably well with watch purists whom Makina intends to speak to.

To me, design is when idea, beauty and function come together to evoke the right kind of response from those who experience it.

Product Design

This changes from time to time but I am currently captivated by Brutalist Design. I'm drawn to its grand beauty, raw character, and enduring modern appeal.

The first thing I've ever designed for Makina & Co is a timepiece called Mephisto.

Like most, I'm most creative when I'm at my happiest. It's just not possible to create things that you'd be content with otherwise. Also, I tend to be most creative when I'm around a little bit of chaos and busy environments, always outside like cafe's and hookah lounges.

Excitement and eagerness to get it out there for the world to experience.

I think design is most successful when it evokes the exact emotion from people as the designer intended.

When judging, I consider first impressions first and foremost which is usually guided by how surprising, how new or how bold a design piece is. You're either wowed and intrigued from the start or not. It's what separates great designs from good designs.

To me, everyone needs. to play a role in regards to environmental sustainability. Although it not a necessity, I feel that designers should take it upon themselves to set a good example and present work to clients ideas that are good for the environment especially when it's not on the brief and when they are not expecting it.

Predicting trends has become increasingly challenging in today's rapidly evolving landscape of new technologies and swiftly changing trends. However, what I want to emphasise is this: while the appearance and craftsmanship of designs will evolve, the core principles will remain constant. The significance of insight, concept, and purpose in design is timeless.

At times, these emerging technologies and trends can divert our focus from these fundamental elements. It's crucial not to lose sight of whom we're designing for, how they will interact with our designs, and the messages we wish our designs to convey to them.

As for our watch company, we've never had the need for exhibitions but very much open to holding one as soon as there is opportunity to do so.

This changes all the time for me too. One thing that doesn’t change in my process is making sure that I stay away from the computer, from the internet for several days and draw inspiration from my own brain first and mentally dig up things I’ve seen and experienced in the past. Traveling and experiencing the world is better than surfing the web for inspiration. If it is inspiration in the form of an object, design or architecture that is memorable to me, it must mean something to me and, if used effectively, it will more likely give the final design the unique personal touch that I am looking for

I will say that minimalism, personally, is not my go-to approach because minimalism strips away character. Character is important to me because it’s what gives non-living things that human-touch. I also think “perfect” is boring. When designing, I usually like to add imperfections or design cues that wouldn’t normally be considered popular design decisions. "Perfectly imperfect" is not a design style but it is a direction I inject in our work because it really is a reflection of humanity and daily life.

If you need something done well and within in a critical time frame, hire experienced designers in the exact industry you're looking for. If you're looking for something new and bold, hire experienced designers who aren't necessarily specialized in the industry you're looking for and partner them up with engineers whom are. Hire them as early as possible and give them as much time as possible. Trust your designers.

Grand Piano. Jaeger-Lecoultre Reverso. Grado G1000. Cartier Santos Dumont Carree. Lego.

Absolutely engage in award initiatives such as the A' Design Award, but avoid making winning awards the primary goal of your work. Remain faithful to your brand or unique style, and keep in touch with the reasons you originally fell in love with design. Awards should naturally arise as a result of combining effort, purpose and talent.

If you're born to be a designer, the craft will never let you down. It's the people you work with or work for that will determine a good day or a bad one. Focus on the craft at the beginning of your career and then really contemplate on building your own thing, be the boss of your own firm and maybe then, you'll have more control of your environment and the people you surround yourself with. At that point, everything is generally positive about being a designer.

Whatever it is, it has to have character.

The ability to understand a brief and deliver beyond it.
The ability and desire to create something new, no matter the brief.

Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, Fusion 360.

There's really no way around this but to make time. Design is a crucial part of our company because it is the product of the company. Without it, there is no company. And so, if launches have to be pushed and customers have to wait, then that is what needs to happen.

It really varies. But my most successful designs, I find, were the one that were quickest to conceptualize and therefore execute.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

My first role as a creative director. It's when I learned most about people.

Product Design because there is no other way to experience it fully than in person which is quite refreshing especially when living in a world of screens where most of everything is really designed for 2D experiences.

As founder and creative director, I build conceptual designs. I then hand over to team members of different expertise to help finetune and finesse, ready for mass production.

We're currently bringing back a new iteration of one of our first designs after 7 years. It's a model people have been asking us about since it being sold out. We're also designing another piece that is more eclectic in terms of design style and rougher in persona but premium at the same time. They both come out this year.

On our website. Via email or social media.