Planning an event—especially for an international conference—takes time, research, creativity, and a whole lot of teamwork.

For WordCamp Asia 2025, we wanted our presence to be about more than just networking. As our second official WordCamp appearance, we aimed to create a meaningful experience by collaborating with local Filipino artists. This gave attendees a chance to take a piece of the host country home with them while also supporting local small businesses.

Noam Almosnino, Senior Product Designer and Design Project Lead for Automattic for Agencies, and Tino Barreiro, Creative Director at Automattic, describes how the team brought the vision to life. Specifically, about the talented artists we collaborated with, the care we took to accurately and respectfully weave culturally-relevant symbolism into all of our designs, and how it all came together as part of Automattic’s larger presence at the event.

Inspiration from the Philippines

WordCamp Asia 2025 took place February 20-22, 2025 in Manila at the Philippine International Convention Center, but for us, the planning started months in advance.

Automattic for Agencies—launched in June 2024—helps agencies get more from every project. With discounts on top WordPress plugins, commissions on product referrals, and access to exclusive site management tools and support, agencies can deliver better service to clients while improving their own long-term financial stability. 

Our team first made our mark at WordCamp U.S. 2024 in Portland, Oregon, where Noam and the team noticed something interesting, “One of the big takeaways from WordCamp U.S. was that the more popular swag items were the ones that engaged with the local culture of the host location.”

With that in mind, we set out to infuse the spirit of the Philippines into our designs—from swag items to flyers and even online forms. 

Bringing this vision to life had to start somewhere, so we began with an enamel pin.

The National Flower of the Philippines: Sampaguita

Sampaguita (Jasminum sambac) has held the title of the Philippines’ national flower since 1934. Despite its foreign origins, this fragrant jasmine flower has become a beloved part of Filipino culture, appearing in songs, stories, and cherished traditions. Commonly strung into garland or used in perfume, it carries deep symbolism—representing purity, hope, strength, and humility.

Inspired by its beauty and meaning, we designed an enamel pin that highlights the Sampaguita flower against a deep royal blue background. The colors reflect elements of the Philippine flag—white for liberty and equality, blue for peace and justice, and yellow for unity and democracy.

While the WordPress and Automattic logos are present, we intentionally kept the focus on the flower.

“We didn’t want to be too blatant with the design,” Noam said. “We didn’t want to take the flag and just put all the colors on it. It was a more subtle approach, so hopefully people appreciate the little gestures and have fun with it.” 

Working with Filipino Artists

The Sampaguita design appeared on more than just one item. We also showcased the flower on stickers and a leather coaster, extending its visibility beyond the enamel pin.

To celebrate the skill of Filipino artisans, we partnered with The Leather Studio Manila to bring the design to life. The studio’s mission is to sustainably promote Filipino artisanship by empowering marginalized communities—such as women and senior citizens—through the creation of their minimalist, hand-crafted leather goods.

For event navigation, we designed directional signage with a fun twist: a happy hour in a local speakeasy, Ruby Wong’s Godown. We placed signs along the path to guide guests, providing just enough direction to keep them on track, while maintaining the mystery of the speakeasy.

The signage paid tribute to the Philippines by incorporating symbols from the national flag. Three stars symbolize Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, the country’s three main regions. The sun represents independence from Spain and the eight provinces that led the fight for liberty.

As an event management tactic, we printed arrows pointing in different directions. This would allow us to swap out directional signage at will based on unexpected changes or real-world challenges that simply can’t be anticipated.

To give the text a unique touch, we turned to type63.ph, an archive of fonts created by Filipino artists. After exploring our options, they chose TD Pinoy, designed by Inu Catapusan of Tribox Design, a Cebu-based branding agency.

Noam shared what drew the design team to this particular typeface:

“Just the general expression of the typography was very exciting,” he said. “The font is full of richness and expression. It’s fun, and has an energetic aspect, almost like it’s hand-drawn, but it’s also so modern and illustrative.”

With our designs finalized and every detail in place, we felt ready for Manila. Before moving forward, however, we took one last step—ensuring that our choices were culturally respectful by asking Filipino Automattic employees to review them.

Focusing on genuine connection, the Automattic way

At WordCamp Asia, we aimed to honor the host location, while highlighting the importance of meaningful connections. To shed light on our design choices, Tino explained the significance of connection for a distributed company like Automattic.

“In-person experiences are really important to us and we value face-to-face interactions with our clients, so we wanted to create something truly special. The booth reflects our culture as a distributed company—a close-knit, approachable team. We all work from cozy spaces—whether that’s our homes, cafes, or offices—fostering warm, welcoming, and collaborative environments.”

The Automattic booth became a reflection of this, physically manifested by the use of wood accents, warm lighting, and plenty of plants. 

Rather than isolating each brand in separate booths, we designed the spaces to be interconnected, visually reinforcing collaboration between Automattic’s various teams. Each brand maintained its own distinct style and identity through unique swag and assets while still contributing to the larger, unified presence.

This collection of booths formed what Noam referred to as a “mega booth,” a playful title that perfectly captured the vision we were aiming for. When asked about the process of creating and executing this large project, Tino shared:

“When it comes to WordCamps, it’s all about preparation—working with the right vendors, focusing on every detail, and considering everything from materials and lighting to flow and the overall vibe. We think through every angle to make sure the experience is unforgettable.”

The layout of the booths were designed to be open. WooCommerce, Jetpack, WordPress.com, and VIP were seamlessly linked, with Automattic for Agencies positioned centrally. This physically illustrated the connections between teams on both an organizational and on the conference level.

Noam also shared his thoughts on the decision to place their booth in the center.

“It’s actually a really nice metaphor that we are in the middle of that main Automattic booth, because that’s the kind of connection we want with clients,” he said. “We want to be partners with you and have an actual connection or a relationship. We want to be the connection point for all you do with WordPress.”

Looking forward to the future

As the weekend wrapped up, Tino shared some final thoughts on Automattic’s presence at WordCamp Asia, reflecting on how our approach aligns with our broader goal of fostering stronger connections across the WordPress community:

“Automattic is refining our approach to WordCamps, aiming to elevate everything we do. We truly love WordCamps and we want that passion to shine through in our booth. Our goal is to create spaces where people can have a great time and build long-term success—just like we do with our products.”

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