Our design for this campaign evokes fast food, festivals, and fun.

Bakes Lunar New Year (Tet) Collection 2021

Peace and Prosperity. Expressed in silver and gold 3D calligraphy.

Gift box design inspired by firecrackers.

Individual boxes “An” & “Phúc” stand for peace & prosperity.

“Peace” & “Prosperity” please(!) after a disastrous 2020

We sent a message to some friends, who sent it out to others, to document their isolated lives around windows, the gateway between their homes and the world outside.

Below are some unused footages. No stock videos.

We followed the film with a social media initiative, in collaboration with @boonchoon, an artist at Instagram NY.

6A is an architecture firm with a personal, but indistinctive name. (It's a reference to the street address of their first office.) We
 designed the identity to embody a bigger meaning for the firm, and 
highlight the founders’ lighthearted personality into an otherwise 
serious field.

Beyond form and function, architecture has the power to bring joy, surprise and wonder. To make you go “Aaaaaa”.

The
 word mark system is modular by design, mirroring the 6A's 
multidisciplinary approach. The same system translates to layout ratios 
in printed collateral.

Before launching his next nightlife venue, our client commissioned a strategic

research into how hip hop in Vietnam has evolved and where it might go next.

Here's our 94-page footnote in a never-ending story.

.zip refers to how hip hop came to Vietnam, in bootleg compressed files,

During the COVID-19 lockdown in Vietnam, Suboi jumped on 88 Rising's freestyle challenge and rapped about her baby and diapers. A few months prior, Datmaniac, a fellow artist from Vietnam, came on Yo MTV Raps and spit bars about his cats. (By cats we mean the domesticated animals and not the slang.)

This is what's refreshing about Vietnamese hip hop. When you're not expected to rap about gangs and bling, you can rap about anything.

A movie loosely based on rapper Wowy's life was banned.

He wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister of Vietnam to reverse the decision.

Shortly after we went to print, the movie received a public release date.

If you're interested in the full research that informed the narrative of this book,

: Symbol Matte Plus Premium White 350 gsm, glossy laminate

Ka$ho is a nightclub inspired by a neon Tokyo from a distant future. We deconstructed every element in the space to a grid, then we glitched the grid. We also worked with multimedia specialists to create immersive lighting installations on the dance floor, walls, ceiling, and even bathrooms.

A new brand system to embrace the contrast at our core: the sober, often unseen business strategy that grounds our work versus the experimentation and collaborations we’re known for. With a simplified logo and stationery set, we explored multiple expressions of our iconography and unofficial mascot: the (lab) rat.

We invited every creative in our team and collaborated with outside artists to interpret our lab rat iconography. This is how we work day to day. And that says more about us than anything else we could write on these pages.

A simplified wordmark, using an open Google Font. The idea is to be able to type the wordmark on cloud-based collaborative software. No need to insert images into presentation files or email attachments, which allows us to work faster, better, together.

Rat-inspired color scheme. Rats are resourceful, industrious, and communal creatures.

Loose-leaf notes. Not great for carrying around in your bag. Better for sharing ideas, pinning them on boards, scanning, and documenting your design process.

New year envelopes for the year of the rat. We shifted the position of the slit slightly to reference a rat hole.

Calendar with only company holidays and weekends highlighted. You know, the important dates.

Custom bottle opener, because we like to party. Work-life balance, baby.

A real sterling silver signet ring with three secrets, gifted to team members who display extraordinary commitment or contribution to the pack. (Hint: first secret is a computer mouse.)

Custom paper clips aren’t at all useful, but they’re cute, so here they are.

We redesigned the entire website to better focus on our work and our team. Simple, considered typography contrasts big imagery of our diverse work.

A lounge design project 100 years in the making.

Once owned by Hứa Bổn Hòa, a Chinese-Vietnamese businessman and philanthropist in the 1900s, this historical villa is the perfect setting to tell the brand story of Madame Kew, a Shanghainese who fled to Vietnam during WWII and chose this place to establish her namesake cocktail lounge.

Early on, we decided to preserve the brickwork and ceiling structure of this storied villa. Madame Kew wouldn't have it any other way.

The interior design is an exercise in details and storytelling. Each item is meticulously designed and crafted to evoke the taste of the times.

Three massive bespoke lanterns framed by tension strings invite curious eyes to the mezzanine, where Madame Kew may or may not reside.

We insisted on hand-selecting green-tinted seashells to create a bespoke nacre

("mother of pearl") side panel for the bar.

Each wooden baluster is adorned with custom abacus detailing; each is unique.

Mooncake packaging design for Bakes, a boutique pastry brand in Vietnam, whose clients include MGallery, Gucci, and L'Oréal.

We took inspiration of the moon's reflection on a lake, a reference to Bakes' flagship store

in the historic Turtle Lake neighborhood.

Bespoke illustrations reimagine the story of each flavor, wrapping around the cylinder

(you can spin the box and see a stop motion retelling of the story.)

The graphic patterns are taken directly from the historical

The ripple pattern adorns the top of the cylinder box, and the mooncake itself,

created from a custom 3D-printed cake mold.

We started the process by researching their current factory and office. Their issues fall into 3 categories: unplanned storage, piecemeal solutions for permanent requirements, functional compromises outweigh aesthetic.

To reduce visual clutter of this massive factory, we weaved 3 main materials together: concrete terrazzo, wood, and steel to craft 99% of the interior design.

Built-in storage cabinets, racks, and staircases reduce visual clutter and improve workflow.

Food, drinks, and venue were provided for free of charge after much begging. 0đ

Besides the artwork, we created merchandise and sold it at cost (all under 100.000VND)

A massive 7m x 5m grain shaped floor lamp greets you at the bar.

Stainless steel cladding arches forward to support a stained glass top and serve as a bag hook.

Staircase and mezzanine system to connect and exploit the void between floors.

Refined furniture juxtaposes raw fit out.

Terraced rice fields inspire the outdoor decks.

Clay bricks-embedded terrazzo floors remind us of simpler times.

A branding system from colors and patterns of sunrise, sunset, changing of the harvest.

Humble table settings redefine luxury at one of the highest lounges in the world.

Food, beverage, photography take cues from our design language.

Block illustrations use a gradient system to emphasize height and space.

The larger characters on the end create an implied ribbon, a nod to road sign designs.

Plate and pan t-shirts for service staff and kitchen staff, respectively.

Shapes, colors, textures of a sunny excursions inform the interior.

Glass basin + pinhole light = pool reflections.

The posters were created by synchronizing a cultural texture (e.g., flower petals for Japan, rice grains for Vietnam, coconut flakes for the Philippines) over the representative artist's music.

Everything you touch feels like something.

Textures and colors inspired by nature. Vivid to the touch, soothing to the eyes.

Haberman stores employ angles and elevations. Cocosin shops have curves and hidden compartments.

Leather paper jacket wrinkles with age and develops a contrasting character to the stark cover.

Our extended team crafted scenes with a hint of time: lived-in spaces, long shadows, a pulled out chair in an arranged table setting, blurred movements, a drawer left ajar, to name a few.

The graphic are created from custom fruit-shaped halftones to represent the idea of imperfection. The gap between each “pixel” renders the shape imperfect. Our choice of risograph printing are also in line with our goals for each print came out slightly different from all others. 

Also, each poster has an intentional typo. Did you spot them?

The social event brought together art prints, environmental and motion graphics, live DJ music and visuals, and old school interactive games from the 80s like claw machines and twister, all delivered through psychedelic fruit-inspired graphic design. The spatial design conjures a supermarket-gallery using colorful fruit delivery crates, and carton boxes.

Fruit stickers and mesh bag-inspired uniform.

Attendees are given an ugly fruit to eat and plant. We contact them when their seed germinates.

Shot on top of Landmark 81, the tallest tower in South East Asia (as of 2019).

Featuring real troll comments from the band's YouTube page.

We build a room in the historical tiger cage in Saigon's Botanical Garden and Zoo.

A forest of wacky waving inflatable flailing arm mans.

After the apocalypse, this is where survivors go to forget and rebuild.

We completed the design in 2019, with monoliths as tables and bars.

As luck would have it, the Utah Monoliths become a viral sensation in 2020.

VIP tables are on an elevated stadium, to provide the best view on the dance floor and performances.

Oxidized metal, monumental steel volumes convey a sense of scale and decay.

The entire design's lighting scheme can be adapted to different moods and performances.

(In collaboration with SLA Lighting Designers)

Yes. That is Soobin Hoang Son, one of the biggest artists in Vietnam, performing under our elevated pool.

Answer by turning one of three knobs, corresponding to your level of happiness.

Not everyone is happy. And that's okay. Because it means we have work to do!

Take a thread. Wrap it around 5 values. The values with the most connections are also the most important.

A mirrored cabin for reflection and relaxation. Open, close. Think about where you've been, where you are, and where you want to go.

An interactive social graph of worker connections. How many people got the chance to know each other, to collaborate?

After collating the data, we found out that the average staff knows 69 other colleagues out of 175.

Our campaign film, exhibited at Ethical Fashion Show Berlin 2018 / NEONYT

NAMBENTô is a reinterpretation of traditional Vietnamese food, in a fast feast (we made this word up) setting. Here, a simple bowl of rice is given color with a variety of toppings. Similarly, the understated wooden interior is brought to life with a flexible, festive ceiling system.

Visual motif inspired by Vietnamese folk games, and the menu.

The ceiling system adapts to different occasions. For example, red and gold for Lunar New Year.

We developed a special rattan texture, a traditional Vietnamese material, on the cement wall.

Nhau Nhau is a modern take on traditional and casual Vietnamese drinking culture, with a touch of pre-war romanticism (think vinyls, jazz, hotel lounge singers).

Inspired by late night memories (or lack there of), we designed the identity with "drunken" typography that reads in multiple orientations, and blurred motifs for those nights we can't forget, but can't quite remember either.

Graphic Design: Ngoc Vo, Giang Ong, Flora Michalon

Welcome to Vietcetera's newsroom. Inspired by colors, textures, intrigues of films like Scent of Green Papaya and The Quiet American. Streamlined for a modern workspace.

Colors like sage green walls and dark wood.

Intrigues like this hidden bookcase door.

Terrazzo bench keeps it cool. Protruding stilt room provides cover and conversation possibilities.

Summer campaign for one of the world's highest lounges.

Graphic Design

Spatial Design

Photography

Peace and Prosperity. Expressed in silver and gold 3D calligraphy.

Production

A social film created in isolation during the pandemic in Vietnam.

Advertising

Film

A spring-summer campaign for one of the highest lounges in Southeast Asia.

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Communications

A nightclub inspired by a neon Tokyo from a distant future

Multiple expressions of our iconography and unofficial mascot: the (lab) rat.

The interior design is an exercise in details and storytelling.

We took inspiration of the moon's reflection on a lake, a reference to Bakes' flagship store in the historic Turtle Lake neighborhood.

Our 9000m² factory office design for a global streetwear manufacturer of Palace, Saturdays, Stüssy, to namedrop a few.

UnAvailable-Factory-Interior-Architecture

Exhibition Design

Our branding and interior design for the highest lounge in Southeast Asia is inspired by a grain of rice. Sky high ambitions. Humble beginnings.

Blank-The-Highest-Lounge-in-Southeast-Asia

Blank | The Highest Lounge in Southeast Asia

We took a mental road trip from the City of Lights to the countryside for inspiration to design the branding and interior of Café Marcel, a casual all-day French restaurant.

Cloud-Room-Experimental-Pop-Electronic-Music-Festival

Material and spatial design system for independent fashion brand Cocosin and sibling Haberman.

Time will tell whether the catalog we designed for furniture firm District 8 is any good. And that's the point.

Fruit Punch is a social project by creative studio The Lab Saigon that reinterprets these ugly fruits through a graphic design exhibition and social gathering.

An unflinching look at the reality and romance of serodiscordant couples and the hope that science can restore their love, lives

The road to a good life isn't paved. A music video.

Rage Against The Paved Road | Music Video

Product Design

Experiment

From-Fair-Wear-to-Love-Affair-Social-Experiments

Our office design for Vietcetera is inspired by stories past.

Archive

Blank Summer Fair 2022

Bakes Tet 2021

From My Window Film

6A Architecture

Bloom

HIV+LIFE | Communication Campaign

Homegrown-hiphop.zip

Kasho Club

Lab Reborn

Madam Kew

Mooncakes by the Lake

UnAvailable Factory

0 → 100.000 | Art Exhibition

Blank | The Highest Lounge in Southeast Asia

Cafe Marcel

Cloud Room

Cocosin & Haberman | Material System

District Eight | Issue 01

Fruit Punch | Exhibition Design

HIV | A Love Story

Rage Against The Paved Road | Music Video

Zion Lounge

From Fair Wear to Love Affair

Label Concept Store

NAMBENTô Restaurant

Nest Saigon 2.0

NhauNhau

Reclub App

Vietcetera Newsroom

ănăn - Kitchen and Bar

AIA Head Office

Bunker Bed Breakfast Bar