Overview
Laquea is a self-initiated project built to spread awareness of Vietnamese water puppetry to students in Bangkok interested in culture — a way of introducing the tradition to a new audience rather than a commissioned client brief. The wordmark reinterprets the curved rooflines of a Thủy Đình — the pavilion stage water puppet shows are traditionally performed on — under the tagline "Vietnam's Living Heritage," a reminder that this art form is still practiced today, not just preserved behind glass.
From that identity, I built the concept out into a full brand world meant to make the heritage approachable and shareable: a collectible figure line based on Vietnamese folklore characters, a companion app and e-commerce site, retail packaging, and a touring pop-up exhibition that stopped in Bangkok to bring the story directly to students there.
Identity — Logo & Positioning
I explored the wordmark across a warm cream-and-red palette and a night-market navy-and-gold palette, then built out a supporting stationery system — letterhead, business cards, wax seal, and packaging tags.
Product — Collectible Figures
The heart of Laquea is a line of collectible figures reimagining Vietnamese folk characters — Cuội and the banyan tree, the buffalo boy, the fisherman, and more — as approachable, modern mascots for the launch campaign.
Packaging — Retail & Blind Box
Each figure ships in its own themed blind box, with artwork built around the character's story — from Cuội's moonlit banyan tree to a dragon-and-cloud motif for the mythical creature series.
Digital — App & Web
A companion mobile app handles show ticket booking and cultural storytelling, while the e-commerce site sells the figure collection online — both carrying the same red, gold and deep green palette as the identity system.
Campaign — Events & Merch
To bring the brand to life beyond the shelf: a mid-autumn festival show ticket for "The Story of Cuội," a World Tour pop-up exhibition poster for a Bangkok stop, and a set of lifestyle card skins extending the identity into everyday products.
