Working across cultures has been part and parcel of Design Kompany’s way ever since we began in the 1990s, but never has that come into the foreground more than it has in Southeast Asia.
The cultural communication styles are so vastly different from what a North American business person would expect, that sometimes the hurdle is simply too high. But other times, you might walk into a project that changes you, because it illuminates that other perspective so crisply, and with a lot of care, over time, with progression, and building trust. It’s not for everyone, but working in Southeast Asia can, at some moments, be deeply enriching.
This project was an example of one such moment, for me.
A brand identity design for a philosophical approach to living slowly, using natural materials to create
The idea of ‘eco’ wasn’t new to me, since I was in Seattle for six years and surrounded by brands trying to do this whole ‘green’ thing. I met the brothers who lived together in an artistic studio space, making the things they make with natural materials and cooking every meal from scratch (this being Viet Nam, that’s not so unusual, but it was, for me, as a newcomer there, to witness).
Observing, I could see how some people simply embody a way of life that is slower, more stilled, more natural-focused, and more organic: without the labels. Maybe it seemed like a strange idea to put a label onto it, but that’s what I wanted to do. To create a ‘brand identity’ around the studio and its ethos.
That’s where we came up with it. Studio… Lá.