| Q | |||
|
www.halfproject.com: 100% PHILIPPINE MADE! a Meet the web's hottest rockstars from the Philippines! a Published in Youngstar Magazine May 2003
Who would have thought that a portfolio-site-turned-news-portal would gain both local & global recognition? Not design whores Rex Advincula & Drew Europeo, founders of the award-winning site, www.halfproject.com. But rare talent, as they say, never goes unnoticed.
In July 2000, when Web artists joined in, Rex & Drew started to set challenges that allowed collaborations among artists, leading Halfproject to become an art site that gathers & collaborates with creative people to inspire the local & international design community to create quality works out of random ideas. 100% Philippine made, it will always be crafted by creative, happy Filipinos.
In its three years of existence, Halfproject has gained recognition among respected artists & designers from all over the world. Awards Halfproject garnered include Winner for Best Site in the Art Category at the 4th Philippine Web Awards – for which they were featured on Studio 23’s Digital Tour – and Finalist in the same category in 5th & 3rd Philippine Web Awards. Winner for the 5inch CD-R Design Contest, they also won Best Design for "Design Masters Section."
Halfproject has also been featured in Cre@te Online Design Magazine and in an upcoming international design book from publishers Dixonbaxi.
Internationally distributed merchandise include Halfproject Action Figure t-shirts sold globally via Threadless & CD-R design also sold globally via 5inch.com (a Carlos Segura Firm).
Recognized as one of the top design portals in the world, Halfproject is linked on more than 600 sites globally, has judged numerous design competitions & became media sponsors for it (i.e. Semipermanent.com) & made it to the list of the top 50 Pinoy Websites. Receiving an average of 1500 unique visitors globally, Halfproject has reached its 1,000,000th mark (based on page counter) & continues to be visited by surfers daily.
Presently composing Halfproject’s “main cast” are Rex Edward “Zylonzoo” Advincula, 25 (of zoorex.com) Arnida “Drew” Europeo, 26 (of grafikas.com), and Niccolo “Baloney” Balce, 22 (of the-null.com), all of whom match up to the uniqueness, even surpass the coolness of their popular site.
Described by Rex to be a “hot mama & corporate whore,” whom Nicc says “…everyone should meet!” Drew is all that & more. The personified version of Halfproject’s kick-ass chicks, she takes care of the site’s technical interfacing which gets the site working for all surfers’ viewing pleasure.
Rex gets things working. According to Nicc, “Moral (oral!) support si Rex!” “Mabait si Rex,” says Drew. “Ever loving!” to which Rex retorts laughingly, “Ever…lust?” The guy behind the site’s fancy backgrounds, Rex describes himself as the guy who “starts the stuff,” as he transfers those out-of-this-world ideas from the innermost niches of his brain to the drawing board & gets the team to work on them.
A site set apart from others by the team’s combined effort & unique combination of design & content, Halfproject’s sections include Duel, where two designers collaborate & decide on the rules; Disaster, where readers are given images for them to distort & create a new one; Dephrase, where one interprets a phrase using images; Dialogue where ‘underexposed’ artists & designers are featured; Dissect, where artists show the process of creating something; Showcase, where works of designers & artists are displayed, and Bar Talk, where rants are put into writing.
So to those who haven’t viewed the site & are missing out on the world of coolness that Halfproject has to offer, don’t be left behind. As Nicc would say, “Support local!” “And be merry!” adds Drew. So log-on to www.halfproject.com, where one would, in the words of Rex, “Experience sexiness inside & out…Expect heavy graphics and all fun…one cup at a time.”
© Valerie V. Mayuga, 2005
|
|||
|
S |
|||
Rex laughingly
refers to Nicc as the Halfproject mascot & Boy Abunda of the group. “Intregero
si Nicc! Daming tanong na walang sagot!” But while Nicc may seem like he’s a
load of baloney, he’s the guy behind all the sexy chic drawings that have now
become a trademark of the site & the all the other illustrations that provide
surfers with the addicting eye-candy.