DUCUSIN - my family name and its geography.
I recently moved into a new place. As with any change of this scale, it feels like a new chapter.
New bed, new desk, new dresser. It was time to decorate my room, and I decided that designing a piece instead of buying one would add an irreplicable personalized touch.
So I said, "Whatever, I'll try something different." I had seen a friend create his own isometric grid not too long ago. Initially, I tried unproductively to form an abstract design like he did, but it felt unnatural to my style.
I reverted to my comfortable creative headspace -- involving order, minimalism, and most importantly, storytelling.
In all honesty, the technical things are straightforward. 3-D shapes using darker shades for that "shadow" effect. The paint bucket tool was my best friend. Helvetica text -- kerning reduced to -55 mostly.
On the other hand, each layer is a pillar of my family name and its history:
Manila and Quezon City. Summers in either San Quentin in Pangasinan or San Fernando in La Union. This layer is gray. It's the foundation that both paved the way and set the stage.
This turned into high school in Alameda, pickup basketball in Oakland, and new beginnings in Hayward (including my birth). San Leandro even became the place we'll always call "home." This layer is green. It's the period that witnessed growth regardless of adversity.
Though visible, the blue layer is far from complete. I'd like to think of it as my story. Blue is the path of opportunity that I get to forge -- honoring those before -- while planting my own roots.
It's been over 4 decades now since my great grandparents migrated from the Philippines to the US. The world -- let alone the human experience -- isn't quite the same.
Notice though, that one thing hasn't changed: Ducusin -- my family name. It’s the microcosm of previous generations and the moniker of the next. It's just nice to appreciate the past sometimes. At least for me, it makes me appreciative of the present and optimistic for the future.
