First Logo Vietnam exhibition takes place in Hanoi

The large-scale event, organised by the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, attracted 500 art works by 60 professional logo designers from across the country. 

Logo designs displayed at the exhibition include those of Petrolimex, Vietnam Airlines, Vietnam Railways, Ministry of Health, Vietnam Tourism 2011-2020, Vietnam Post and Telecommunications, Hue Festival 2018 and Vietnam Fine Arts University.

As part of the event, a seminar among artists and designers was held with theme aimed at helping viewers better understand the meaning of logos that artists and designers want to convey through their art works.

The seminar also discussed the information and globalisation boom.

Organisers said they would release a book about Logo Vietnam 2018 following the exhibition which runs from May 18-25.

According to Ho Trong Minh, from the event’s organisation board, preparing for the exhibition with hundreds of works to be displayed, was hard for the organisers because the number of professional designers including artists specialising in logo design was limited.

All the logos in the exhibition are designed by the Vietnamese, as a result of which most of the samples are about Vietnamese subjects or products.

Only some logos, including those for foreign companies or projects of non-government organisations, have been designed with international support, according to Minh.

Minh said Vietnamese logos were placed at a medium level compared to international ones and the designs are prolix and cumbersome.

"This can be attributed to an aesthetic trend in Vietnam, which cannot stand something too obvious, too simple or too direct,” Minh added.

Meanwhile, Bui Minh Hai, one of the designers that had about 12 logo designs displayed at the event, said she this was the first ever large-scale logo exhibition in Vietnam as it attracted a large amount of works by the most senior designers in the country such as Le Huy Van, former vice rector of the Hanoi Industrial Fine Art College (IFAC), who had been engaged in logo fine arts since it first came to Vietnam in 1980s.

Hai, a lecturer of art at the IFAC who has been working as professional logo designer since 1995, said most of Vietnamese logo designs met artistic inquiries and could definitely compete at any regional and international competition thus she expected the country’s art sector to join more world logo contests as a way to confirm Vietnamese stand in the world logo community.

“Many Vietnamese logo designs have their own style as they have ensured the maintenance of traditional culture as their key factor of their art works,” said Hai.