Des Feliciano is creative team head at Leo Burnett Blackpencil in Manila and a member of the agency’s all-female Team Amazon. Since 2013, she has also been using her talents as an illustrator and art director to encourage young Pinoys to become financially literate. By day, Des Feliciano creates impactful work such as McDonald’s Classroom, a campaign that supported teachers and students during COVID lockdowns across the Philippines.
After hours and despite hectic work deadlines, she makes time to illustrate comic books and diaries that demystify complex financial concepts, and make them approachable, for young Filipinos. Hers really is an inspiring story. Barb Messer interviewed Feliciano for The Stable.
Why is financial literacy a topic that’s so close to your heart?
Des Feliciano: I’ve always been curious about money growing up since my dad is a civilian employee and my mom is a housewife. To make ends meet, our relatives who worked abroad sponsored me and my siblings’ education. And I’m one of the lucky ones who have relatives who were able to help.
How did you get the idea to launch comics and the annual, Payaman Planners?
Des Feliciano: I’m a volunteer of the Angat Pilipinas Coalition for Financial Literacy founded by Burn Guttierez. We do a lot of talks for artists and young adults, but they are intimidated by the jargon, and copy-heavy books. It’s too much for them to absorb in one sitting. Most young people in the Philippines read a lot of graphic novels or comics, so we thought it would be a good idea to make one too.
The Payaman Planner is a collaboration with Krissy Domingo. We started in 2016 with just 500 copies, and now we are at 1000 copies per year. I design/illustrate the pages bringing Krissy’s ideas to life. So far, we have released 5 planners.
Have you always loved drawing? How would you describe your style?
Des Feliciano: Ever since I was small, I knew I wanted to become an artist. But in the Philippines, some people think that artists don’t make much money.
I come from a family of engineers, accountants, and teachers. My art teacher wanted me to take up architecture, my grandma wanted me to take up nursing (many Filipinos work abroad as nurses because it pays well). Even my best friend’s dad, a Fine Arts graduate, did not want me to take up Fine Arts. But thankfully, my parents were very supportive. My art style has change with my life stage. I started with anime and shifted to realistic illustrations with dark undertones. After college, I gravitated towards a children’s book style of illustrations. I fell in love with watercolor for a time, since it’s the easiest medium to clean, and since I work in advertising, I can finish my watercolor in 30 minutes before going to work. Nowadays, I draw using my iPad.
You also work full-time at Leo Burnett Blackpencil. How do you make time for your financial literacy projects?
Des Feliciano: Before, I would do it in the morning and during breaks in the office. I would make sketches for a comic strip before my shift started, then do inking during lunch break, then scan and add the text at night. But now that I am married and have a 1 year-old baby, I usually do it on weekends. I also took on fewer passion projects than I did before, but I believe that doing something is always better than nothing.
International Women’s Day is always celebrated in March. What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?
Des Feliciano: I’m so grateful to be born here in the Philippines, where we have a lot of female bosses. Being a woman at work gives us a lot of empathy and insight. My advice for my 20-year-old self? I would tell her to not be too strict with herself! Go out with friends more and have fun. And yes, there is money in art, and you won’t be a starving artist.
Can you tell us about your role as creative team head at Blackpencil? What is the culture like there?
Des Feliciano: At Blackpencil, I’m part of an elite all-female group called Team Amazon under Kat Gomez-Limchoc. As a creative team head, I collaborate and ideate with our Associate Creative Director Karen, along with our eco-warrior and senior copywriter Dawn, and our art directors Sam and Justine.
My favourite projects are usually the ones where we have a lot of fun with a purpose. For example, we created Juan Effect for Cebu Pacific, which is about tourism and sustainability. Another project helped our teachers shift to online classes, which we started during the pandemic under the leadership of the vice president of the Philippines, Madame Leni Robredo. And of course, there are passion projects too, one of which is helping launch an online store in Lazada (it’s like your Amazon) for a small soap business that employs underserved women.
