Art director + multidisciplinary designer in Toronto. I build ︎ brands, sandbox ︎ systems, and move ︎ between realms of digital & tactile design.
Currently Art Director @ Endy and Casper Canada.
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Ngoặm
Ngoặm began as a cult-favourite online business. Their house specialty is burger made gourmet with traditional Vietnamese ingredients and cooking techniques, elevating an otherwise comfort food to a fine-dining level dish. As Ngoặm made its brick-and-mortar debut, a unique visual identity was essential to the brand's new chapter.
Year
2021Scope
Brand Positioning, Identity System, Packaging Design, Art DirectionClient
NgoặmTeam
Design: Dakota Nguyen, Hoang Hiep, Colin TranShowcase Photography: Bao Khanh Photography
Stylist & Art Director: Dakota Nguyen
Concept
At Ngoặm, cuisine from all corners meet, greet and fuse. I created a cohesive brand narrative and visual identity for Ngoặm that highlights its cultural diversity.
Using ransom letters as a motif, the visual identity aims to position Ngoặm as the place for experimental cuisine—where each taste reflects its cultural DNA, and where diversity becomes unity.
Using ransom letters as a motif, the visual identity aims to position Ngoặm as the place for experimental cuisine—where each taste reflects its cultural DNA, and where diversity becomes unity.
Logo
The logotype features a selection of eclectic typefaces, including a custom letter "Ặ" that visually represents a bite mark, alluding to the name's meaning in Vietnamese (to bite/devour). The letter "G" is also designed to resemble the original Ngoặm logo, honouring the homegrown legacy.
I took it further with the ransom treatment by turning “Ngoặm” into an anagram. Each word in the brand’s slogan “Ăn Ngon Ngoặm No” is a reconstruction from the anagram, along with mmmmany other words in the Vietnamese vernacular.
Colour Palette
One of Ngoặm’s key visuals is the cờ hội (five-color flag), a cultural staple in Vietnamese traditional festivals. To Ngoặm, every burger is a celebration. Naturally, I integrated the flag’s vibrant tones into the colour palette.
Graphic System
Ngoặm recycles food scraps into new ingredients. This practice inspired the pattern design which recycles the negative space cut-outs of the icon. There are no set rules to the amalgamation, hence endless possibilities in building graphic assets. Zero-waste FTW.
Ngoặm's mission is to celebrate diversity and honour community. The brand wants to give back by offering gourmet meals at accessible price points, reusing food scraps to reduce waste, and teaching the art of food-making to those in need.
“Burger smoked with hay, served on a red lacquer plate and decorated with flowers and five-color flag.”