Jikka Defiño
Writer. Designer. Strategist. Occasionally on-screen.
Scroll for words, visuals, personas.
Jikka Defiño writes, designs, and presents.
I am a multidisciplinary communicator: a conceptual creative, writer, and strategist. Over the past six years, I have been joining the dots between culture, visual arts, social issues, and current affairs.
My experience spans management and creative roles in advertising and publishing—coordinating contracts and the production of ad campaigns, and writing and editing articles for some of the Philippines' top lifestyle publishers. I also work as a TV and events host and a commercial model.
Outside my brand-driven and client-facing jobs, I also do community organization and solutions-based journalism, amplifying positive change through profiling stories and community features.
WRITING & EDITING
A compilation of nouns, verbs, and the stories they become.
I've written and edited for Meg, Candy, MEGA, Esquire, Preview, and Cosmo.ph.
BYLINES & EDITED PUBLICATIONS
Features & Listicles
My strongest assignments are about social issues, lifestyle tips, and profile features. I can also write about pop culture, fashion, relationships, and technology when given a thorough brief. I pitch stories that aim to inform, shake the table, and empower. Links to full articles will be available soon.
Why So Offended?
A millennial decoding the curious case of the "offended" millennial.
Written during the peak of DDS versus dilawan debacle in 2016, this piece examines why millennials are being blamed for the proliferation of propaganda, word wars, and offendedness on social media.
Self-Limiting Thoughts to Avoid
When I'm not feeling my best, I ask myself, 'What are you gonna do about it?'
Cosmopolitan wanted to test the readership of short quotes in listicles, so a collection of empowerment quotes from female celebrities seemed like the best way to try it.
Frankie Speaking
With a strong spirit and a penchant for the profound, she will surely be heard.
A play on "frankly speaking," this is Frankie Pangilinan's first magazine cover. Written in 2017, my editor initially wanted to go for a rising star angle, but that course changed after this article revealed Frankie's truth.
Recipe: The Self-Love Potion
Potions that make others fall in love? Pass! Drink to self-love with this chocolatey treat.
We wanted to empower single people by overtaking our elders' stories of gayuma and finding last minute Valentine's dates through a self-love themed chocolate martini recipe.
Misadventure Time
Travels aren't always smooth-sailing and these people know it.
This is a collection of real people's travel anecdotes—specifically their most memorable travel challenges and how these were solved. Travel tips (in the title's tone) are provided to give the readers some takeaway lessons.
American Dream on Lockdown
Land of opportunity? Not when racist laws prevent you from arriving in the first place.
This article questions the outdated concepts of "the American Dream" and "USA, the land of the free" by highlighting Trump's racist travel bans on Muslim countries.
Native Advertising
Also called advertorials, native ads are client-sponsored articles that, unlike easily-ignored display ads, blend in with the publication which they appear on. These stories are created by matching the brand or product with a publication's top-performing topics found through Google Analytics. As a native editor, I created slants, assigned topics to writers, copyedited submissions, and published articles.
Native
Advertising
9 IG-Worthy, Not-Your-Usual, Must-Try Tokyo Experiences: A 3-Day Itinerary
This battle plan maximizes your precious time—and #feedgoals content.
Native
Advertising
McDonald's Just Released The Cutest Pillows!
Embrace the nostalgia with these
Hello Kitty collectibles.
Native
Advertising
How To Shorten Your Nighttime Skincare Routine To 10 Minutes
Sometimes, you just need to make shortcuts when the bed calls.
Native
Advertising
6 Tips to a Follow-Worthy Feed, Based on Laureen's IG
She knows how to work any kind of
lighting—even a lack thereof.
Native
Advertising
The Surprising Benefits of Living Alone If You're Single in Your 30s
These might just be what you need to be convinced to make the big leap.
Native
Advertising
What To Do, Buy, and Eat at Solaire This Month
Make this month the most festive
one yet.
DESIGN & STRATEGY
Sometimes I make artworks that go with the stories.
I've designed websites and created collaterals for both print and digital consumption.
INFORMATION DESIGN
Web Design
I design websites for desktop viewing and optimize them for mobile use. I prefer beginning with a single scrollable page to make adjusting for mobile responsiveness easier.
I currently implement designs using HTML and CSS on Wix and WordPress. I am currently working to improve my skills in JavaScript and PHP.
Featured: STAIL.PH's prototype (on desktop) and My Pope Philippines (on mobile)
Recruitment Brochure
This brochure was designed to be given away to our organization's prospective members during Recruitment Week in 2014 as an introductory guide to our org structure and projects.
Instead of giving away booklet primers, I designed a one-page foldable primer printed back-to-back with bright colors, icons (with corresponding departments and a legend), and quizzes. If you look closely, you'll notice that parts of this brochure are upside down.
I imagined it's more interactive this way, and at the same time, cost-efficient.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Advertising Campaigns
One of my first stints in the media industry was in advertising—managing creative communications for FMCG brands. Together with a team of creatives, we pitched stories and strategies to clients. Here are some of our most memorable projects:
Beautiful Stories
Pond's overhauls its branding by featuring stories of self-care and determination from the country's most popular women. Some of the faces fronting the campaign are Heart Evangelista, Toni Gonzaga, Kelly Misa, and Nadine Lustre.
The intended message is to encourage everyone to take time to care for themselves to bring out their most beautiful selves.
By leveraging on the featured celebrities' fanbases, Pond's Philippines became the fastest-growing Pond's business
in the world in 2015.
Sinabon Mo Ngunit Kulang
Building on the success of the original TVC with Julia Montes, our team made an initiative pitch to Eskinol to create an online campaign that involves audience participation to encourage brand recall.
Dubsmash was an app that rose to popularity in 2015. Our team decided to upload a soundbite of the popular line "Sinabon Ko Naman! Ayaw Kuminis!" on Dubsmash, which users can dub to. When people started doing the "walling" action in videos, we held a weekly Dubsmash contest. The winning dub videos were included in an audience cut version of the TVC uploaded on Facebook.
Mendoza Christmas Reunion
The brand messaging is to make reunions special with a Lady's Choice macaroni salad. Yearly, the campaign peaks during Christmas, which is reunion season for many Filipino families. In 2015, the brand wanted to up the ante by creating a heartwarming campaign for everyday Filipino families: a reunion gets a surprise visit from someone special and familiar.
Maine Mendoza is one of the most sought-after personalities in 2015. So we looked for a Mendoza family whose members were planning a Christmas reunion, and had Maine Mendoza join in their festivities.
ACTING & HOSTING
Others write the story, I bring them to life with my emotions and gift of gab.
I've appeared in commercials, musicals, and emceed for Shopee, Jollibee Virtual Party, and Shop TV.
SHOWREEL
Height: 5'4"
Eye color: Brown
Hair color: Black
BWH (inches): 36-26-36
Shoes: US 6
RTW: S
Dress: US 2-6
Build: Average
COMMERCIAL SETCARD
COMMERCIALS
FILM & TV
HOSTING
