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8 Steps to Creating Compelling Design Narratives from Enderun CAD Fiesta
Enderun Colleges brought together aspiring and established architects, interior designers, and multimedia artists in its annual College of Architecture and Design (CAD) Fiesta, held on May 19 at the Enderun Tent. In partnership with BluPrint, the symposium featured three renowned creatives to highlight the theme “Behind the Scenes: The Art of Space & Storytelling.” IDr. Cyndi Fernandez-Beltran, Industrial Designer Kenneth Cobonpue, and Director Mark Meily, through their collective insights and experiences, demonstrated how design narratives meticulously form the backbone of every space and design.
Dissecting Design Narratives
The symposium commenced with an incisive discourse, expertly guided by Enderun Colleges’ CAD Dean Architect Nikki Escalona-Tayag. Together with the invited speakers, they tackled eight key points exploring the interplay of designs, spaces, and storytelling.
1. How Storytelling Shapes a Project’s Success
Tayag opened the discussion by asking the creative professionals about their specific project that used storytelling to create something impactful.
Beltran, as the current National Vice President of the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers (PIID), then recounted the organization’s collaboration with the Office of the First Lady to transform the Centro de Turismo Intramuros.
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“We mapped out the space much more like how a story of a book unfolds,” Beltran shared. The Moss Design House Principal Designer detailed how the museum’s lobby acts as the introduction while the rooms serve as its chapters and epilogue. This visual storytelling aims to have visitors “experience what it perhaps would be like living in Intramuros at that time.”
For Meily, the project that best exemplifies a successful storytelling would be his Metro Manila Film Festival Best Picture film Baler. He revealed that prior to the film’s release in 2008, a lot of Filipinos were unaware of the town’s geography. But by putting the place’s history on the big screen, the film improved Baler’s tourism and transformed the lives of its residents.
Cobonpue, on the other hand, confessed that design narrative is “very limited” and “dangerous” in product design. He described stories created through form can sometimes come out too literal. Since most of the world-renowned industrial designer’s works are “prima donnas,” successfully integrating a story into them actually tends to make them less commercial.
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2. Ensuring Design Communicates Emotion and Identity
In terms of imparting emotion while remaining consistent to design’s identity, Beltran first listens to the brand or client’s intent. As emotions make spaces memorable, one should not confine creating a compelling design narrative to a space alone. By knowing the purpose, audience, and persona, one can layer different design aspects to make the whole spatial experience.
A key part of these design aspects are furnishings, which Cobonpue regards as “the supporting actors” in a space’s story. To effectively convey emotion and identity, he advised to begin with inspiration that fits the right context.
Along with the significance of identifying the intent and inspiration, Meily underscored that the process of the creation brings out the design’s feel and distinctiveness. For him, any artist or designer could feel empowered during this process because it is the time they feel purposeful.
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3. When to Stop
Staying abreast of new demands is essential in the ever-changing architecture and design industry. But Beltran believes that knowing when to stop is a skill every creative person should adopt. She said that recognizing where to draw the line is a matter of “taste level,” which will differentiate a good designer from the rest. The interior designer further added that a clear sign to stop is when an element or item no longer serves a distinct purpose within the design.
In line with Beltran’s view, Meily iterated that growing older brings a deeper sense of self. This authenticity often translates into a discerning eye, allowing one to avoid the common pitfall of filling spaces unnecessarily.
Cobonpue agreed to this by citing a simple old quote, “You stop not when there’s something left to add, but when there’s nothing left to take away.”
4. Choosing the Elements of Design Narratives
Different from the typical, pre-determined story elements, identifying the components of design narratives offers no such fixed formulas according to Cobonpue. He sighed, “I wish it was that easy [and] linear. [Because] sometimes it starts with an inspiration. Sometimes it starts with a material, a purpose, a function, a client. It can really be anything.” The industrial designer additionally mentioned that the real challenge lies in turning an idea into a tangible final piece but still convey its initial inspiration.
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Meanwhile, Beltran considers the space as the story’s canvas. And similar to Cobonpue, the materials and objects are the characters. But apart from the physical aspects, the elements of a design narrative also involve selecting components that appeal to the olfactory and auditory senses, such as scents and music.
On a different note, Meily brought back the weight of integrating emotions in selecting the elements of a creative work. “Every person in the world will follow stories but not necessarily data. So, if you could design something na hindi siya logical, rather be emotional.”
5. Empathy in Design
The re-emphasis on the importance of emotion naturally led the conversation to discuss empathy in design. Cobonpue observed that the creative field now largely prioritizes function and practicality, where every creation is expected to solve a problem. In his defense of the designer’s role, however, he countered that they are fundamentally called to give form before function.
“As a designer, it’s not about function. Your primary responsibility to the world is form and then the function comes to you,” Cobonpue argued.
Contrarily, Beltran shows empathy in design by balancing form and function. To her, making an emotional connection from form to function to whatever creative work is a 360-degree role that every creative person should always embody.
“We’re hired to make things beautiful, essentially, and that is form. But also, a big chunk of responsibility at the end of the day is making sure that it’s actually livable and we’ve actually changed the way people live because of the beauty that we do,” Beltran stated.
In terms of multimedia arts, Meily noted how some motion pictures with strong form but minimal narrative can still convey deep emotion. He then drew a parallel to the local context, observing that most Filipino films and TV dramas often appear templated. Not wanting to limit himself to such conventions, he circled back to showcasing deep-rooted values to effectively show empathy. “You try to find something different, something unique, na hindi nakikita ng ibang tao. But still, it is inherent in your culture, in your identity.”
6. Compliance vs. Creativity
Given the increasing commercialization of architecture and design, creatives are now compelled to follow established standards and rules. The constant negotiation between creative freedom and adherence to regulations presents a significant challenge, one that Cobonpue openly admitted is “a daily struggle”, especially when manufacturing his products.
The industrial designer revealed that manufacturing costs in the Philippines are expensive. And this is compounded by the persistent stigma that locally made products are substandard. So, he continually finds himself in the position of needing to prove that Filipino quality, design, and craftsmanship are second to none.
For Beltran, working with numerous brands and clients means facing a triple effort to prove her team’s capabilities and meet diverse standards. Yet, they consistently find ways to merge their core concepts with local adaptation.
7. The Role of Collaboration in Visual Storytelling
Unlike writing a story, which can often be a solitary endeavor, crafting compelling design narratives integrated within design and space demands a collaborative effort. Meily stressed that there should be clear goals before starting a film. While disagreements are inevitable, the key is finding small strategies and creative ways to make everything coalesce and work effectively.
For Cobonpue, what is even more important than the product is the team that markets it. He emphasized that the marketing team should deeply understand and effectively convey the product’s inherent story to genuinely appeal to customers. So, a collaborative process—from initial conceptualization to its public release—makes the storytelling in design effective and impactful.
Beltran also sees collaboration as “a gift” because it’s an opportunity to absorb ideas and information. She pointed out that engaging with varied perspectives not only allows you to articulate your own vision but also to truly understand others’ viewpoints. This then enables the group to discover effective common ground and mix ideas to achieve a more successful outcome.
8. Cultural Authenticity and Global Appeal
In today’s highly competitive architecture and design industry, one common strategy for leverage is to venture into the international scene.
However, Meily cautioned that attracting the global market has become increasingly challenging due to constantly shifting tastes. He warned that if one attempts to incessantly keep pace with these trends, they risk losing their own identity and creative joy. So, his advice was simple yet profound: “Make yourself happy first.”
Echoing this sentiment, Cobonpue shared that he “wouldn’t worry too much about being a Filipino,” especially when navigating the international market. He acknowledged that while cultural identity is important, it can sometimes even become a “handicap” when selling products abroad. For him, the priority lies in being true to the product itself first then the essence of being Filipino will then naturally emerge.
Aligned with Cobonpue, Beltran also doesn’t force her designs to carry a Filipino identity. Instead, she stressed that the client’s brief acts as the “hero” of her designs, underscoring the vital importance of building a strong client relationship. However, she pointed out that Filipino identity naturally surfaces through their work ethic. It’s a distinct Filipino characteristic, she noted, “to go beyond what’s written in your contract, to take that step further, do that extra mile.”
Following the symposium, seasoned architect and urban planner Felino “Jun” Palafox shared the Philippines 2050 campaign. This long-term blueprint for the nation presents a detailed narrative about a sustainable, inclusive, and future-ready Philippines he aims to bring vibrantly to life.
A Celebration of Stories That Come to Life
Afterwards, attendees explored the interactive installations and student-led presentation that decorated the Enderun Tent. At the center of the venue was a dining area vignette, which formed the core of the immersive exhibit.
Surrounding the table were the different architectural and interior design renderings of various residential, commercial, and conceptual projects. The space also featured paintings alongside a collection of movie poster mock-ups made by architecture undergraduates.
The students also leveraged this opportunity to engage in valuable dialogues and receive mentorship from industry professionals. This allowed them to acquire practical insights into how their skills translate into real-world applications.
Tayag aimed to steer the conversation in a fresh direction and go beyond conventional themes concerning architecture and design.
“We wanted to go deeper. Something that would be relevant across all three programs,” Enderun Colleges’ CAD Dean expressed. “We really wanted to dive into how important it is to become a multidisciplinary designer. And when you become a multidisciplinary designer, it’s important for you to be able to tell a story using different angles and having different sources of inspiration. So I think that was really the root of it all. At the end of the day, whether we’re serving a client or a brand or we’re putting together a film or we’re writing a script or creating a product, there needs to be a rationale behind it. And normally or usually, that starts with a simple story.”
Photos provided by Enderun Colleges’ College of Architecture and Design
Read more: A Unique Opportunity to Ask the Experts at Enderun CAD
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