Thomas Nguyen
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“By day I am an art director in advertising where I cook up a wide variety of ideas and concepts for clients in industries ranging from retail, healthcare to non-profits.”
The main part of my day goes to sticking post-its on the wall on my quest for the next big idea for my clients but I also do a lot of digital design work, photography, and brand strategy. By night I work on personal projects to improve my graphic design skills I can use in my day-to-day work. And also because I love it too, of course. I'm especially drawn to typography and branding so a lot of my time is spent sifting through fonts (if I'm not making them myself) and testing out color combinations!
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
I definitely took the long way to get to where I am right now. I grew up with a big interest in the arts and photography but when it came time to choose my high school major I swerved and ended up studying natural sciences for 3 years. But my interest for design was always there, I just didn't know there was a way to make a living out of it. Fast forward to university where I spent the first two year bouncing between psychology, English, airport logistics (told you I took the long way), and finally international marketing. I eventually discovered advertising my final year in uni and all the stars aligned. I graduated, packed my bags, and moved to San Francisco where I studied art direction for 2 years. Sometimes I look back and wonder why it took me so long to get where I am but I look at it as a blessing in disguise as each step has given me something I've been able to use in my work as a creative.
How do you stand out in your field?
By looking at trends and thinking "How can I make that my own?". I spend a lot of my time looking at reference images and inspiration and I love the process of collecting different things and creating something new out of it. People tend to look at trends as something negative but I'm a firm believer my job as a creative is to embrace them but then put my own spin on it. I also think I put a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion not just in my work but in my relationships with my clients as well. My experience as a minority is something I carry with me in everything I do.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
Right now I'm working on a fun personal project with the help from my friends all over the world. 2020 has been a special year to say the least and it's been quite an isolating experience in many ways. I wanted to work on something that helped me connect with them. I asked ten friends what was going through their minds and to describe it in five words or less. I then used their answers as a design brief and created posters. It has been comforting to hear what my friends have been going through and to get to create something beautiful out of those emotions for them.
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
"Typography, color and a pinch of identity exploration".
As I've grown into my role as a creative I've become more interested in how identity can inform my creativity, and how creativity has allowed me to explore my identity.
My project called 'Conformity Grotesk' is an example of that. I designed a new font that embodies the experiences immigrants go through when they're expected to assimilate into their new country; loss of identity, the pressure to conform, and being reduced to a stereotype.
I wanted to explore that topic using the Swiss school of design and see what would happen if you gave a font created with the ethos to be invisible a reason to be visible.
WE ARE ALL SLASHIES WITH MULTIPLE SKILLS, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD DO MORE OFTEN?
I would love to know more about UI and UX. As someone who has the bad habit of judging an app by its UI I wish I had a deeper understanding of the nitty gritty details.
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
Something that's been extra frustrating recently has been the expectation that creatives and designers are expected to be experts in so many different areas.
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
Emails. I'm convinced the secret to Beyoncé's success (besides her out of this world talent) is that she doesn't have to write a single email.
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
"Listen to your gut and choose graphic design".
The amount of money I would pay to have chosen the graphic design major in high school instead of natural sciences would probably land close to Beyoncé's net worth. I was young and unsure of myself and if I could have a chat with myself I would just said "Trust your instincts". They were right.
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
It would be about why we haven't challenged the way we design desktop UI hasn't changed since the 90's.
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Branding projects, logo designs, art direction, content creation for social media.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
The ideal collaboration to me is when I get to create something together with my client in a dialogue. I think the best results come from dialogue and sharing of ideas and thoughts. And ultimately I prefer to have a working relationship instead of project based. I want to be able to help my clients with both short and long term projects so the key to a great collaboration is communication.
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
An email with a detailed brief is always a great introduction to me to start things off on the right foot; scope, budget, timeline, hard deadlines (if there are any), expectations, and any sort of first thoughts/inspiration!
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
Creating things is fun but allow your body and mind to rest when it needs it.
This member profile was originally published in October 2020.