How award-winning product designer Andre Magracia brought Filipino talent to the US

One of Andre Magracia's projects aims to help sneakerheads through an app.

File photo Sneakpeak

Bringing Filipino talent and culture to bigger markets

Even at a young age, Andre Magracia has already shown interest in how things work. This led him to De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, where he graduated with a degree in industrial design.

How award-winning product designer Andre Magracia brought Filipino talent to the US

His passion for basketball led him to focus his thesis on footwear specifically for street basketball in the Philippines.

He then pivoted to digital product design during the pandemic, but his industrial design background still shapes his work today. He later completed his Master's degree at the Parsons School of Design in New York.

Now based in Brooklyn, Magracia is leading product design at JUICE Creative Group, working on online learning platforms for one of the largest US universities, to crypto gaming platforms, AI-driven tools, and restaurant websites.

His independent project Sneakpeak, an app that helps sneakerheads track exclusive drops, has won multiple international awards for app design. These recognitions include Gold at the MUSE Design Awards and Online Design Award, Silver at the NY Product Design Awards, Bronze at the A' Design Award and Competition, and was named App of the Month by DesignRush.

I hope Sneakpeak can help more sneakerheads everywhere find the perfect pair for their next pickup game, Magracia said.

His approach to visual design carries echoes from home. Jeepneys are covered in hand-painted art: religious symbols, pop culture, personal tributes.

Magracia tries to improve what exists without stripping away those stories.

Taco Guy

That philosophy is evident throughout his work. For Taco Guy, a casual Mexican restaurant, he redesigned the website to capture the brand's unconventional personality through organic shapes, hand-drawn fonts, and playful illustration. The site redesign won Gold at the W3 Awards and saw over three times more visitors compared to the previous version.

Beyond this work, Magracia also co-founded Liit Creative, an initiative with a fellow Filipina designer. Together, they offer free workshops, toolkits, and mentorship to early-career creatives.

Reconnecting with my own interests, culture, and storytelling has led to much stronger work, and that mindset now shapes both my design practice and how I mentor others, said Magracia.

He also mentors through Project Alpaca, a nonprofit supporting students from underrepresented backgrounds in tech.