Creative Minds: Cons Reyes knew design was his destiny from a young age

Name: Cons Reyes

 

Origin: Manila, Philippines

 

Places lived/worked: Manila, Philippines and Davao City, Philippines

 

Pronouns: He/him

 

CV:

 

Art Director, Hylink Group, Philippines (2020-2023)

Art Director, Aspac Creative Communications, Philippines (2016-2020)

Art Director, D5 Studio, Philippines (2014-2016)

Senior Graphic Designer, TV5 Network Inc., Philippines (2012-2014)

Graphic Designer, Convey Advertising Inc., Philippines (2010-2012)

Graphic Designer, TechFactors Inc., Philippines (2009-2010)

 

1. How did you end up being a creative?

 

It started when I was just a kid. From when I was little, I knew that I wanted to be drawing or designing something in the future. I drew a lot. That was my first form of expression and experience in doing something fun for myself. I drew a lot of cartoons and anything else that would spike my interest. So, I can't say I started being creative when I got my first job. I started feeling creative very early on in my life.

 

2. What's your favourite piece of work in your portfolio?

 

It goes back to when I was working in Manila. I had some free time because our team only had a little client work. In that free time, I did some illustrations on my computer inspired by things I looked up online. I was exploring a creative style or art style I hadn't done before, but I liked it when I saw other artists' work. I started developing a retro-looking aesthetic that gave me direction for future work. 

 

 

For Hylink, my favourite has been our Bosch ad, which we won a Marketing Effectiveness award for in 2022. The art has an astronaut with a reflection on the face of a Bosch tool working, another astronaut is on top of a mountain, and the other one is in the desert, reflections on their Goggles or masks. That's the most memorable. 

 

 

3. What's your favourite piece of work created by someone else?

 

Ansel Kiefer is a German painter whose work is massive in size and volume. He's been around since the 70s making art. He had an impact on me because his motivation is just expressing himself, but his work means a lot to everyone because it's very impactful.

 

 

4. What kind of student were you?

 

I wouldn't say I liked school much, mostly the teachers; I was a creative kid and not too fond of one person telling me what to do. When I was a student, there was a subject in high school named military reserve training, and I would skip and go to a classmate's house to hang out. Because of my interests, I disliked feeling forced into some subjects I wouldn't use later on. On the flip side, it helped me realise that there are more important things for me that I truly enjoyed, and it allowed me to focus on the things I truly liked, leading me to do more creative work.

 

5. Who’s on your dream dinner guest list (alive or dead)?

 

Anthony Bourdain. Because I really like how he told stories, his voice, and the way he crafted his scripts.

 

6. What career did you think you'd have when you were a kid?

 

As a kid, I thought I could be a firefighter.

 

7. What advice would you give to 10-year-old you, if you could?

 

Keep the good drawings safe. I have some good drawings from when I was a kid that I wish I could still look at now.

 

8. What's your favourite GIF/meme, and why?

 

This is my favorite meme because I can imagine myself doing this. 

 

 

9. What's your guilty pleasure?

 

I buy sneakers that I barely use and I can't get enough of it.

 

10. Tell us about your tattoo(s).

 

My first tattoo is of my parents' house here in Davao. It's a place where I grew up until I was, like, 10 or 11 years old. There were many good memories when I was a kid playing around in that house. The second tattoo I got was inspired by a dragon boat and includes the head and tail of the boat. I've been doing dragon boat racing since 2009; it's a big part of my life.

 

11. Early riser or night owl?

 

Both. I have trouble sleeping at night, but I still wake up around 5 am. Nighttime is my free time, and I can do things I couldn't get to during the day. I feel the same way in the early morning.