Designing a Typeface for Vietnamese Culture

Owing to the long history of being colonized by China and France, the Vietnamese language has been exposed to the cultural conception of other nations. It has been separated by great gulfs in time, geography, different social and political systems, and language divides. Within Vietnam’s typographic landscape, such influences have evidently been carved into both the visual and identity of every letter created. Informed by this context, this research applies the current Vietnamese written language as a rudiment to develop a platform for conversations and insights of Vietnamese visual culture. Through secondary research and practice-based research located in the studio, this thesis document presents the process of developing Tre Việt (Vietnamese bamboo), a cultural-specific typeface that draws on characteristics from Vietnamese language and traditions. By reflecting on the intrinsic nature of the letterforms and informed by the Vietnamese cultural symbol, the research seeks to enhance the beauty of the country’s culture. At the intersection between communication design and Vietnamese conventional visual elements, the body of work described has sought to reflect the Vietnamese culture. Study and consideration of the intrinsic nature of Vietnamese letterforms and cultural symbols has informed the work. The result is a character set consisting of upper case, lower case and diacritic marks. A cultural book and visual samples provide a general look at the final outcomes and scenarios where this typeface is applicable. Finally, there are the discussions about future developments of Tre Việt typeface and the research question: How do I use typography as a means to support and reflect the Vietnamese cultural identity?