Please view this project on Behance.net.


The Ateneo de Davao University Fiesta is an annual event celebrating the Feast of the Assumption of Mother Mary, the patron saint of the University. In 2016, the Palarong Atenista College Intramural Games was incorporated into the annual festivities, christening a unified event that was christened Hugyaw!”


In Filipino, Hugyaw means to make noise, especially in joyous celebration. To complement this intention, and to integrate the identities of Ateneo de Davao and Davao City in general, a brand that is equally as loud and vibrant was conceptualized. 

Custom illustrations of the university buildings at Ateneo de Davao's Jacinto campus, the iconic San Pedro Cathedral of Davao City and various symbolisms of Mother Mary as interpreted in local tribal tradition were commissioned as part of the project.

Through extensive use of drone photography and intensive ocular inspections, these illustrations are almost accurate as their real-world counterparts. For example, the exact number of panes per floor were noted, and used to draw to scale. For stylistic purposes however, these are not completely drawn to scale, and some details deviate from the actual structures.


The design is loud, attention-grabbing, sometimes messy, more often out of focus—but it works much better when from afar. It takes stepping back, taking in the whole picture, and making sense of the whole: just as wide-ranging and different and diverse the students in the University are, just as competitive and specially skilled each department can get—Ateneo is best viewed as a whole rather than simply the sum of its parts.

In that strange rationalization, and in a very quirky, amateur-y sense, it feels good; it feels right. Hugyaw, after all is to make noise, and this one's making a point.

Thank you. - John
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