DES/INYO 2025: UP Cebu design students launch year-end exhibit

Design isn’t just about what you see in the end, but about the hundred decisions that shape it.

That’s the message behind this year’s DES/INYO exhibit, launched last May 23, 2025 at Jose T. Joya Gallery of the University of the Philippines Cebu. Organized by the UP Cebu Product Design students, this year’s show invites the public to look beyond the final product and into its process. With the theme Pulso sa Desinyo, the exhibit captures the rhythm of human connection that drive each creation.

“The main vision of the students was to show the process of design,” said Program Coordinator, Assistant Professor Jay Nathan Jore. “Because often, we see design as the finished product, but we want to showcase the process behind it.”

The Pulse Behind The Pieces

One thing that makes DES/INYO special is how it came together. The entire exhibit was student-led—from the initial brainstorming to the curation of the pieces. Indeed, the students weren’t just showing their work but instead, they were showing how they work.

“The creation and ideation of the design week or program was student-led. So, it really took a life of its own through the leadership of the students,” Jore revealed. “And they were really curious about how the process in itself can be presented to the public. How design in itself is a collaboration between the artist and the user.”

One of the student designers, Ethaniel Daro, brought that vision to life with a piece from his Metamorphosis fashion collection. His work, The Nymph, draws inspiration from Franz Kafka’s novella and reflects on how bodies transform in response to politics and pressure.

“I’m using fashion as the vessel to investigate how our bodies change—whether strung up or blown apart,” Daro said. “For Pulso sa Desinyo, I really leaned into the unfinished and imperfect to highlight human-centered design. We’re pulling away from the polished and turning toward the flawed.”

Program Updates and Admissions

This year also marks a turning point for the program. For the first time, Product Design stands on its own as a separate course, no longer under the general Fine Arts umbrella. 

As the program nears its 20th year in Cebu, it is set to undergo important changes including a revised curriculum and the introduction of new specialization in fashion and apparel technology, furniture design, and experiential systems. 

Thinking of joining the program? Aspiring designers can now apply through the Talent Aptitude Test (TAT), a portfolio-based exam, instead of the traditional UPCAT.

The TAT is open until June 30. For more details, visit the UP Cebu Design Program Facebook page.

Catch DES/INYO and More

If you missed the opening, there’s still plenty to see. All events are open to the public:

• SINATI: Experiencing Design, Designing Experiences at Cebu Exchange Tower – May 30 to June 1
• DES/INYO 2025: Pulso sa Desinyo at Jose Joya Gallery – May 23 to 31
• DES/INYO 2025: Pulso sa Desinyo at Ayala Central Bloc – June 6 to 8

DES/INYO is more than an exhibit—it’s a glimpse into the future of design in Cebu. A future that’s human and purposeful. And it all starts with listening to the pulse.