Project No.04 : “Saigon Once Again”
Please watch this video before reading the information below to gain a comprehensive understanding of the project.
ROLE
Designer
TIME
2023-2024
SECTOR
Personal Project
PROJECT OVERVIEW
“Saigon Once Again” is a project that redesigned and donates signage to Saigon’s street vendors.
OBJECTIVE
Saigon’s Vibrant Identity: A Project to Capture the City’s Essence
Saigon, to me, has always been a city with a unique and captivating personal brand. It’s a place of vibrant colors, handwritten fonts, and playful, youthful energy.
OBJECTIVE
Saigon is also characterized by its bustling street vendors, lively markets, and crowded sidewalk eateries.
Inspired by these two distinct sides of Saigon, I embarked on a project to bring them together. I wanted to make the hidden corners of my beloved city more distinctive and attractive, with the goal of creating a brand identity for each street vendor and, ultimately, for Saigon itself.
Some of my artworks :
#1 : CÀ PHÊ GIẢI KHÁT CÔ TÂM – BEVERAGE VENDOR
Ms. Tam was the one who invited me twice to design a sign for her. She sells soft drinks with 2 old carts, so I chose waterproof plastic decal so that the product does not need to be fussy and complicated to prepare for sale.
#2 : CÀ PHÊ GIẢI KHÁT – BEVERAGE VENDOR 2
Similar to Ms. Tam, this vendor also sells on 1 old cart. The name of the shop is simply written with a marker “Da me” (Plum Juice), and the menu board is a broken piece of wood that she wrote on with a marker. So I made her 1 main sign to stick on the iron cart, 2 menu boards hanging on 2 sides for passersby to see from many angles.
#3 : bánh mì cô vân – banh mi vendor
Ms. Van sells banh mi (Vietnamese bread) with an older cart. Because of the nature of the food, her cart needs to be cleaned every day to remove the cooking oil. Therefore, I chose waterproof Hiflex material that can be removed, so that after each day of selling, she can easily remove and fold it up. The next day, she just needs to hang it on the pre-installed hook.
#3 : HỦ TIẾU CÔ TUYẾT – NOODLE SOUP vendor
Similar to Ms. Van, I also used Hiflex material for the cart of Ms. Tuyet who sells hủ tiếu (noodle soup). In addition to the main board, I also designed 2 small table menu boards, with the words “Come here to eat, don’t skip a meal” to increase the closeness and connection to the meal.
What have I learned ?
From challenges to chances
Through this personal project series, I have learned how to cope with objective conditions, which has led me to learn how to accept and appreciate what always happens, and how to stand up after setbacks. In addition, I have learned how to communicate better with the people around me, how to start a conversation, and how to persuade a new customer. In general, the “Saigon Once Again” project has given me many lessons and experiences, not only related to art or creativity, but mostly life lessons that have helped me grow up.
This project started early (I embarked on this journey in June 2023). However, I have faced many challenges along the way, especially since I had to tackle them on my own as this is a personal project. Nevertheless, I have overcome them and am now taking steps to develop “Saigon Once Again” Season 2.
previous project : Mơ Rừng Tây Nguyên
next project : Gấp Gáp
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