TAYO Archipelagic Design Agency ushers in a new era through its Living Lexicon

Through the Salu-Salo Tayo event, they have reintroduced themselves as a full-service design agency that extends from branding and partnerships to event curation. Now, one of the most notable distillations of their craft has taken shape in their Living Lexicon and Archive. This research compendium establishes a shared vocabulary for Filipino design practices in the years to come. Replacing western-centric ideologies with a distinctively Filipino ecology, these terms reconnect each designer with indigenous knowledge and material cultures from all over the archipelago. 

At its foundation is TAYO's framework, The 8 Pulses of Filipino Design, which positions creativity not as a set of siloed disciplines but as a living, interconnected ecosystem. The archipelago is the metaphor that binds each term together, reminding Filipinos that meaning is found not just within a specific island but in the currents that run between them.

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The afternoon itself was structured in two parts. The first was a formal presentation of the Lexicon, delivered against fabric installations that moved in deliberate reference to water and breathable, undulating local materials. The second was the communal table co-designed with Fia's Food, using ingredients sourced directly from local fisherfolk. Ceramicist Aly of Manibalang produced the serving vessels, each one formed after the geometry of ripples. 

Guests were invited to stop at the eight installations, which drew on several artisanal collaborations. These included hand-dyed Philippine indigo tablecloths by Muni-Muni, scrap-glass lamps by Tiffany Stained Glass, and capiz installations sourced from Lumban, Laguna. All the while, a sonic programme by Bjork Calao, Miko Reyes and Jacob Mendoza shaped the afternoon’s lively atmosphere.

"It is our duty as designers and creatives," said co-founders Bella and Tasha, "to root all our systems back into the nature and culture that keeps us thriving, a way of life that reminds us to look beyond western standards and into what is true to our land, sea, and people. For us, this has never been theoretical. It comes from years of sitting with communities, learning from what already works, and asking how design can serve that rather than replace it."

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