The Void+ Workshop

The Metal Jellyfish

Open Face helmets have become such a trend these days, and our ladies love wearing them with styles!

Some days I feel like swimming in the so-called “traffic ocean” with these metal jellyfish floating around. So many colors and species!

LLFF2022 Poster Design

Joind the Little Wing team again this year to create the poster that celebrates the hard works, sweats and efforts behind the scenes of Little Wing community and filmmakers!

Melbourne Reminiscence - a memory lane of personal favorite coffee shops in Melbourne.

I begin this series with the lovely Aunty Peg’s in Collingwood.

I happened to pass by Aunty Peg’s while wandering on Wellington St and decided to give it a try.

It was one of the best decisions I have made. Aunty Peg’s feels like a humble workshop with great expertise in coffee beans and brewing techniques. I loved sitting at the bar watching the baristas doing the magic.

So if you love black coffee and are a fan of Proud Mary coffee beans, this is definitely the place.

𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝘁, 𝘀𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗼𝘀!
We made a poster studying the image of flamingos and how their symbolism is associated with culture, fashion and social context.
Flamingos are special animals that stands out from the crowd with their unique pale pink feathers. Their elegant physique with thin long legs and the pink colours has become such an inspiration for the fashion industry. Their images are often associated with the crown, showing elegance, and femininity. People also think of summer when looking at them. Many of their unique natural traits such as standing on one legs for a long time, eating with their heads in upside down position have given them a quirky and dynamic images.

Interestingly, back in the 1960s, flamingos are often used as a symbol of kitsch in pop culture. It all began from a plastic flamingo decoration created by Don Featherson in 1957 and those decorations unsually became popular items in the US lawn.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗪𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗪𝗘 𝗘𝗔𝗧????
Flamingos get their pink colours from eating foods that contain a pigment called beta carotene that gives them the colour. New born flamingos are actually grey and white and it takes around 3 years to fully develop the colour.
So the phrase "you are what you eat" holds true for them!

[𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦]
𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗩𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗩𝗮𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗴𝗵'𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴!
I saw this painting called “Flowering Orchard” in the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne during an exhibition showcasing Van Gogh’s works throughout his life. The painting was painted by Vicent van Gogh around April, 1888 in Southern France’s countryside. “Flowering Orchard” is an oil on canvas painting. Even though Van Gogh’s painting series were amazing, I found this particular painting catching my attention for many reasons.

Van Gogh used a technique called impasto, which means applying thick layers of paint onto the canvas, capturing clearly the direction of brush strokes and painting-kinfe’s movements. Such technique has created interesting 3-dimensional effects, making every element of the painting realistic and lively. The free movements of brush strokes give a sense of flow within the frame. By just looking at the painting, I could guess the weather at that time was quite windy, making the grass quivering and the petals falling from the orchard trees. When taking a closer look at “Flowering Orchard” in real life, I could actually see the real fragments of dried leaves and wood stuck in the oil paint. Later on, I realized that those fragments were actually stuck in the oil paint while Van Gogh was painting outdoors. Such unintentional elements have added a dramatic effect to the painting as a whole. The colour tones are refreshing and vivid with dominantly blue and a touch of red and yellow, perfectly depicting springtime.

“Flowering Orchard” is, in fact, a realistic painting that captures the spring spirits in the countryside of Southern France, where the flowers started to bloom and fresh air began to blow. In the very first moments looking at this painting, I felt a sense of freshness and tranquility, as if I was actually standing there breathing the cool spring air and smelling the orchard flowers blooming. The colour tones put me at ease, making me feel nostalgic of my hometown during springtime. However, the more I looked at it, the more my feelings started to submerge into a pool of loneliness. As peaceful as it appears, the composition of the painting with separated orchard trees in the middle of an empty field with no living things in the frame gives a sense of solitude and desertedness. It was springtime. There were supposed to be people out there enjoying the fresh air, and appreciating the orchards blooming. Sadly, the beauty seemed to be only visible to Van Gogh’s eyes. Such realization helps me reflect upon the world surrounding, whether I have noticed and appreciated all the beautiful things I walked past? Another aspect I noticed from Van Gogh’s work is that most paintings, which were painted in the later part of his life, were always vivid and lively in colours; the brush strokes were not bounded by any structure or framework. We could see a sense of freedom in his works, especially in the “Flowering Orchards”. This perhaps is a message to himself nearly at the end of life, to live freely and enjoy life to the fullest.

Images taken from Google Search

𝗟𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆! - 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗮
We see typefaces and fonts in our everyday life, but we often take them for granted. Typefaces in fact reflect the social and cultural context of the time they were born, just like architecture!

In this series, we will explore different typefaces and get to know a bit about their origins by answering the questions of when, who, what, how, why.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 & 𝘄𝗵𝘆
We are traveling back to 𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟯, a period that witnessed the emergence of computer's screens and digital displays. There were increasing needs for text clarity and legibility on screens at lower resolution. And during this period, Georgia was introduced as a transitional serif font that is elegant yet eligible on digital displays.
𝗪𝗵𝗼
Georgia typeface was designed in 1993 by Matthew Carter and later released as part of the core fonts for web collection by Microsoft in 1996.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁
Georgia is a transitional serif typeface. It has vertical axis, heavy modulation compared to the old-style serif, yet brackets terminals. The typeface was influenced by the Scotch Roman model, which is evident through the horizontal top serifs of the lowercase letters b,d,h,etc. And the flat top of the lowercase letters t. However, in order to accommodate the requirements for screen display, Georgia’s x-height is increased and the ascenders rise beyond the cap height.

In terms of connotations, Georgia is a typeface that has personality. It projects a sense of fun and contemporary, yet still traditional and trustworthy. The typeface itself doesn’t feel outdated even in today’s use, appearing as an elegant and eligible typeface on computer’s screen
𝗛𝗼𝘄
Georgia is often used in screen and digital displays

𝗙𝘂𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁!!
As random as it might sound, Georgia was actually named after a tabloid title " Alien heads found in Georgia"!!

[𝟭𝟬𝟭 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽] - 𝗚𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗙𝗶𝘁𝘇𝗿𝗼𝘆 𝗯𝘆 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼

This little coffee shop called Gabriel, tucked away at the corner of Gertrude street in Fitzroy, looks somewhat ordinary on the outside, yet the interiors could blew our mind away.

Burgundy stones, beaten brass, raw steel, strips of mint green - all these seemingly random materials have been combined elegantly into a vibrant neo-expressionism-inspired cafe. Such skillful placement reflects the rich local history, capturing "many wonderful moments, meals, memories and macchiatos".

We highly recommend you to pay this special place a visit if you are in Melbourne, Australia

Images credited to YelllowTrace
For more details: https://www.yellowtrace.com.au/flack-studio-gabriel-cafe-fitzroy-melbourne/

𝗣'𝗦 𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗘

Another project's design has been approved by the client and is currently under the construction bidding process.

We're looking forward to seeing it come to life

P's House Interaction Design,Architecture,Autodesk Revit Architecture (All Versions),Lumion

𝗜𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗶𝗲̂𝗻 𝗛𝗼̀𝗮 - 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲

We are officially launching the puzzle set 𝗜𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗶𝗲̂𝗻 𝗛𝗼̀𝗮 inspired by the architecture and culture of Biên Hòa - a lovely city in Đồng Nai province.

Just like the colorful painting palette, Biên Hòa is a bustling little town know for industrial areas, factory, and endless traffic jam. There are so much going on in every little corner that has never failed to surprise us from time to time.

Words that best describe this is city are chaos, traffic, honking, and contamination. Yet, to those who were born here, there is an inexplicable love that can not be replaced by any other cities.

This puzzle set best describe those characteristics by challenging us to connect all the colourful pieces that might be confusing to the eyes. Once complete, it becomes a beautiful capture of the lives in Bien Hoa.

This particular project is an appreciation towards our hometown, looking at the city from different perspectives, perhaps more idealistic.

If you're interested in getting a puzzle set for yourself, kindly message us for pricing. The set includes a puzzle and 20 pieces of postage stamps.

𝗩&𝗛'𝘀 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

An interior design project we worked on has recently finished its construction phase.

It was a pleasure to help the clients visualize their visions and design a place they can call home.

Check out our blog for the details and process.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/112176007/V-H-HOME-RENOVATION

V&H' HOME RENOVATION Architecture,Autodesk Revit Architecture (All Versions),Lumion

𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.

If the kitchen was often referred as the heart of a house, the entrance is its face. The way guests enter the house leaves the very first impression of the owner's personality.

Also, after a long day of work, many of us want to come home to a calm and relaxing space. Imagine opening your door to a beautiful, tranquil painting right at the entrance. It perhaps helps wash away all the burdened thoughts and feelings, putting a little smile on your face. You probably take a minute or two simply to appreciate the beauty before heading to the kitchen to cook your favourite beefsteak.

For us, we feel the need to meticulously design the entrance that helps its owners take off the mask of life responsibilities and be truly present at home.

This particular artwork by Vanessa Palmer has complemented the tranquillity and calmness of the entrance design below.

Link to Vanessa's beautiful works: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/6aOKdw

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐝 𝐀𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬
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When the colour of green is client’s favourite. We decided to go a bit bold with our wall lining patterns and the mix-and-match between the texture of oak, shiny brass and emerald.

Brewing 70%

𝗞𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻 - 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲

Some refer the kitchen as the soul of the house. The burning fire in the traditional stove is believed to be a signal of the continuous happiness of the family. Many Asian households have the tradition of sending offerings to the Kitchen god ( who is believed to oversee the household's affairs), hoping for peace and happiness.

Kitchen is also a place where families gather after a long day. It's often filled with laughters, chitchat and endless conversations.

Needless to say, it is one of the interesting areas that we'd love to work on every time. There are no two exactly identical kitchens because each family has its own definition of this place.

𝗣𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝘂𝘀𝗵?

Are there times when you tell yourself “ Stupid me. I should have pulled instead of pushing!”?

When performing a task or operating an object, if some unexpected event happens, we tend to put our actions to blame and consequently repeat the action with only more FORCE. In this case, we are likely to push the door harder, hoping it would open.

However, we are blaming the wrong things. In fact, there is a high possibility of a design failure. The product has failed to indicate what action needed to be taken. A good design should allow users to easily perform the tasks using natural mappings without having to look for additional signifiers.

In the image below, since the handle design has failed to inform us whether we should pull or push, extra efforts have been made to create a “pull” sign. The truth is that there are numbers of us would open this door without even lookign at the “pull” sign. The consequence in this case is trivial, but in the situation of opening a fire door to escape an active fire in our apartments, it can be catastrophic.

I quite like this particular statement “ Good design is invisible”. How come?

Because we only notice things when they go wrong.

(Thoughts inspired from The design of Everyday Things - Don Norman)

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 - 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀

A conceptual logo study for local coffee roaster and consultant brand. The vision is to deliver high-quality organic coffee beans and products to Vietnamese markets. The beans are hand-picked from the farm and processed to the highest grade before being served to customers. The owner wants customers to feel like home when they enjoy a cup of coffee from the Medley Beans.

Capturing the production of coffee beans, the logo aims to celebrate the beauty of coffee processing and deliver the message of love and passion of the owner for the coffee industry.

The most enjoyable part of every design process is listening to client's personal journey and stories behind their brands. We can definitely tell the true passion from the sparkling eyes every time our clients start talking about their business.

A sneak peek of our current project.

The clients were looking to renovate their room into a more compacted and functional space.

Warmth and a sense of belonging are two of the core requirements.

Most of their activities are also within this 4x5 meters space. The challenge is to be able to accommodate all the activities and needs while still maintaining the aesthetic and simplicity of the room.

𝗠𝘆 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲

Our new personal project explores the art and crafting techniques, revisiting the powerful tool so-called physical model making.

In the age of technology, the powerful 3D digital modeling software has slowly outperformed the traditional physical model making. However, it's always a good practice to create a physical model from time to time just to understand how space works and the relationships between architectural elements.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/112189401/My-Mini-Sunshine

My Mini Sunshine 3D Modeling,3D Art,Physical Materials

𝗔𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺 - 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
[ The Sharing Workshop]

In human anatomy, atrium is the upper chamber through which blood enters the ventricles of the heart, acting as ventilation for blood circulation.

Similarly in architecture, atrium is an open space in the building that provides natural lighting and ventilation to the interior. Some of which are considered the heart of many modern buildings, serving as a central plaza that allows human interactions and discussions.

The definition of the atrium has a rich history of 2000 years, tracing back to small skylights in Ancient Roman dwellings to several-story-high glazing foyers in the commercial buildings.

The cost of construction and occasionally uneven-distributed air problems are the typical disadvantages of the design of atria, but why they are still the popular options for many modern commercial buildings?

In the next post, we will look at the role of atriums in architecture.


Image:
Study of different interaction levels within atrium space in an education building

Ref:
Atrium Buildings development and design, Richard Saxon, The Architectural Press Ltd London, 1983

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘀𝘁
" Some stories begin when the day is about to end"

A conceptual design of a two-story residential home in Sai Gon, Vietnam.

Our client was a young professional couple. The wife is an accountant that loves art and sculptures. She wants her home to be a little artsy studio that soothes her artistic soul after a long day of dealing with numbers. Her husband,, on the other hand, is an engineer that enjoys simple yet functional space.

Total gross floor area = 120sqm

https://vimeo.com/425424694

The Nest A short flythrough showing a residential project for a professional couple who seek peace and nature in their own little house.

𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒅?

The joy of sliding the postcards into the post office's mailbox and waiting for them to be received is inexplicable yet irresistable.

Postcards not only capture our handwritten message, but also hold the culture and emotions of the senders.

We're adding to that experience a touch of culture by depicting the artist's hometown through the postal stamps. What is better than sending a postcard with your hometown stamps on it?

Illustrations by Quang Thịnh
Stamp design by The Void Workshop

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗮 𝘃𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀?
Either answer is correct! This is the infamous 𝑹𝒖𝒃𝒊𝒏 𝑽𝒂𝒔𝒆 image by Edgar John Rubin (1886-1951) - a Danish psychologist philosopher. It belongs to the class of visual illusions in which we will see two distinctive objects in the same image (not simultaneously) depending on how our brains interpret and define the figure and ground.

Applying the field of design, especially the concept of voids, it is evident that a shift of our perspectives could greatly alter our perceptual understanding of the objects and their surrounding environment. Effective design sometimes comes from simply flipping our ideas upside down!

The figure-ground theory is one of seven Gestalt principles of design that is significantly important to UX/UI design. We will learn about it in the upcoming posts.
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Bạn đang thấy một chiếc bình hay hai khuôn mặt?
Đáp án nào cũng đúng cả! Đây là tấm hình nổi tiếng 𝑹𝒖𝒃𝒊𝒏 𝑽𝒂𝒔𝒆 được sáng tạo bởi nhà tâm lý học Đan Mạch Edgar John Rubin (1886-1951). Rubin Vase thuộc lớp ảo ảnh thị giác, cụ thể ở đây chúng ta có thể thấy hai vật thể hoàn toàn khác biệt trong cùng một tấm hình nhưng không đồng thời, tùy vào cách bộ não của từng người nhận định đâu là hình-nền.

Áp dụng vào thiết kế, đặc biệt trong concept không gian (void), việc thay đổi góc nhìn có thể thay đổi cách chúng ta nhìn nhận một vật thể và môi trường xung quanh chúng. Một thiết kế hiệu quả đôi khi lại đến từ việc đơn giản đảo chiều ý tưởng mình đang sẵn có.

Nguyên lí hình-nền (figure-ground) là một trong bảy nguyên tắc Gestalt cực kì quan trọng đối trong UX/UI design. Tụi mình sẽ tìm hiểu nguyên tắc này trong những bài tiếp theo nhé.

Image source: Google
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𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑽𝒐𝒊𝒅+ 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑
E: [email protected]

𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗮, 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗱+ 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽!
We are design enthusiasts and realistic dreamers who love to explore the world through the lenses of design. You might have wondered why we picked 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑽𝒐𝒊𝒅+ 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑 as the name of our studio. The concept of void has been appearing in various fields, from science, fine art to architecture. Each field has its own definition of the void. Generally, void is associated with nothingness, nullity and non-existence. Many of us pay more attention to form and objects, taking the gaps (or void) in between them for granted.

We look at void at a different angle. It plays a fundamental role in defining boundaries, shaping forms and enhancing the quality of space. Without it, we’re looking at the world without contrast. The question now is “ do we really know what does void look like?” - Depends on your perspective!

𝗦𝗼, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲?
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑽𝒐𝒊𝒅+ 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑 is a design studio that is committed to enhance your living quality through reconsidering and reconstructing the voids around your space. 𝑾𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚

𝗗𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁?
Yes! We’re based in Hochiminh city, Vietnam - an energetic hub for design and interior design.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲?
You will be one of us! This page is a platform to learn and share our knowledge about all-design-stuffs. We are hoping to share with you exciting explorations we have encountered during our working process!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲?
We are providing graphic design, architectural visualisation and architecture consultant service.
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We would like to conclude this welcome post with a photo of the Church of Light by Tadao Ando. The gap on the wall represents the Christian cross. Depending on the time of the day, the cross has different shapes and reflections. This is an evident example of how voids can have a powerful impact visually and perceptually.

Image soure: Google
Stay tuned for our upcoming post!
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𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑽𝒐𝒊𝒅+ 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑
E: [email protected]

The Void+ Workshop updated their website address.

It's now easier to email The Void+ Workshop

The Void+ Workshop updated their business hours.