Miggie Bacungan's graphic design challenges the artificial flavoring of pop culture imagery. With a unique style cultivated across several projects, this up-and-comer is using graphic design to more than merely represent our visual culture, but challenge it. His work, 'Artificial Flavouring', draws from sign posters and street food vendors, Jeepney decals with Catholic imagery collaged across different pop culture references, and bootleg images you can find at palengkes (local street markets) and ukay-ukays (secondhand clothing markets). The end product looks like a model city made out of vibrant instant noodle packets!
Bacungan's project 'Kain Tayo' explores the rising inflation rates of the Filipino economy and the harsh reality of humans resorting to eating inedible objects due to inhumane food costs. This work is not merely a nostalgic glance at the endearing kitsch of the 2000s, but an exposure of corruption and a dark poverty that lies beneath low-grade advertisements in poor economies. Using unconventional typefaces and cluttered compositions, Bacungan challenges the artificial flavoring of pop culture imagery, offering a unique perspective on the visual culture we are surrounded by.
What makes Bacungan's work particularly fascinating is his ability to simulate real-life scenarios through design, creating a type of organized chaos, an ordered maximalism contoured by 2000's nostalgia and hyper-saturated colors. This approach not only challenges the artificial flavoring of pop culture imagery but also raises a deeper question about the relationship between design, storytelling, and the representation of reality. In my opinion, Bacungan's work is a powerful commentary on the impact of economic hardship on human behavior and the role of design in reflecting and challenging societal issues.
As a designer, Bacungan's work is a testament to the potential of graphic design to go beyond mere representation and to challenge the status quo. His unique style and approach to design make him a designer to watch, and his ability to simulate real-life scenarios through design is a powerful tool that can be used to create impactful and thought-provoking work. From my perspective, Bacungan's work is a reminder that design can be a powerful tool for social commentary and that it can be used to challenge the artificial flavoring of pop culture imagery.
