Ana is a designer intent on building a more socially equitable world. Her work is grounded at the intersection of community-building and creative problem-solving. In her practice she straddles the lines between artist and designer, colonizer and colonized, activist and citizen, maker and consumer, educator and student, to inform her work. As a designer, she is intentional about designing products, services, experiences, and systems that are sustainably designed so that humans live a dignified life. She has a BA in Industrial Design, a post-baccalaureate in Urban Studies and an MA in Social Design.
Her background in Industrial Design served as a stepping stone for her to pursue systemic design interventions. As the chair of the DEIC of IDSA, she has spearheaded a program that invests in the careers of emerging BIPOC Designers. Because she is a product-agnostic social designer and artist, her work takes on a spectrum of forms. Her first exhibit in New York City was with Data Through Design in 2019 - a gallery during NYC’s Data Week. Before that, her products were exhibited at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle, Seattle Design Festival, and presented for the ASEAN Furniture Design Awards. She initiated and led several pop-up shows, such as Bagay at Buhay in NYC and Color Theory at Wanted/ICFF. She empowers and activates fellow designers and creatives to be an activist through her speaking engagements in the US and the Philippines.
Right now, she is building a social innovation design lab - Sinosinno Design Lab, where she aligns her philosophies to her practice by designing products, services, and experiences that aim to move the needle toward a post-capitalist world. She also consults as one of the founding partners of Ignite Design Group, a design co-op of activists, educators, and designers who bring community to the center of their practice. Before joining MICA, she has previously taught at Pratt Institute.
Master of Art in Social Design - MICA, 2023
Post Baccalaureate in Urban Studies - Columbia University, GSAPP 2018
Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design - Art Institute, 2013