Hanoi-inspired typography designed to celebrate creative city

Hanoi-inspired typography designed to celebrate creative city

Inspired by Hanoi’s signature identity and rich history, a distinct typeface has been designed that’s dedicated to celebrating Hanoi as a creative city.

The team behind the typeface is Behalf, a design studio led by Nguyen Hung Giang, a design lecturer of RMIT Vietnam. Behalf describes the typeface as a juxtaposition of Hanoi’s traditional culture and contemporary media and design contexts.

Founder of Behalf Studio Nguyen Hung Giang (front, left) and his team in which two are RMIT alumni work together to create the Hanoi-inspired typefaceFounder of Behalf Studio Nguyen Hung Giang (front, left) and his team in which two are RMIT alumni work together to create the Hanoi-inspired typeface

Within the font, a myriad of distinguishable Hanoian elements can be found, including collectible prints, old billboards, architectural motifs, performance art elements, traditional costumes and Dong Ho paintings.

Mr Giang said the typography was inspired by the “deep-rooted and longstanding culture of Vietnam”. “Even though Vietnam’s media and design industries are still young, the country boasts a rich pool of creative yet familiar resources,” Mr Giang said.

The typeface plays a significant role in promoting Vietnam Festival of Media & Design: Hanoi 2019.The typeface plays a significant role in promoting Vietnam Festival of Media & Design: Hanoi 2019.

During the research process, the design team spent a lot of time thoroughly researching the history and culture in Hanoi by looking through many photos and watching documentaries about the city over the ages, before coming up with the visual identity that symbolises Hanoian cultural aesthetics - ancient Oriental and French architecture, seamless patterns on paintings and textiles, performance arts like water puppets and Aulacese opera. The team hopes that the typography will inspire others and be used as a resource for many more cultural projects within Vietnam’s vibrant design community.

The typeface has been designed that’s dedicated to celebrating Hanoi as a creative cityThe typeface has been designed that’s dedicated to celebrating Hanoi as a creative city

The typeface will be used exclusively for the augural Vietnam Festival of Media & Design in Hanoi next month and planned to be released for public use after the festival. Vietnam Festival of Media & Design: Hanoi 2019 will run from 1 November 2019 until 17 November 2019 in Hanoi. It will celebrate creativity, design and culture with a series of events and activities in contemporary and traditional arts. For more information, please visit the festival website or Facebook page.

Story: Cindy Tran

29 October 2019

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