Accidentally showing off their final coursework, a group of senior students received an order worth 3,500 USD (nearly 90 million VND) from an American company.
Luong Anh Nhi, a senior student majoring in Graphic Design at Van Lang University, said that when she received an email ordering a brand identity design from a beverage company in California (USA) in November 2022, the whole group did not believe it was real.
The proposal originated from the group posting the final assignment of the Brand Identity course on a popular website for people in the Graphic Design industry. In it, the group designed a re-branding package for Phuc Long, including many items such as logo, color palette, packaging for tea bags, cups, paper bags, and website.
"This is the first time we have designed a complete brand identity product. We are so satisfied with the product that we posted it to show off," Nhi shared.
The cup design for the US unit was done by a group of students. Photo: Provided by the character
Nhi said the American partner wanted to change the brand identity, said he liked the group's design style so he placed the order.
At first, the group ignored it, suspecting it was spam or a scam. Only when the partner texted three members in succession and sent an email did the group discuss and calculate the feasibility and risks.
Previously, the members had worked part-time as graphic designers, but only in small jobs, without any experience working with foreign companies. On the other hand, the group was concerned about working online, the geographical distance was far, and if there was a delay or non-payment, it would be difficult to get the money back. However, the 5 members "risked" accepting the job because they thought it was an attractive opportunity.
Nhi said that the company initially offered a price of $3,000 for all design items from logo, color palette, packaging, cups, website design, name cards, and brand stickers. The group discussed, consulted, and finally settled on a price of $3,500.
To ensure progress and facilitate the exchange process, the group found another member, Truong Quan, an international student at Highline College, USA. Final year students including Luong Anh Nhi, Do Phu Dat, Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Xuan, Phan Tran Le Vy are in charge of the main design. Truong Quan is responsible for communicating and negotiating with customers.
A group of 5 exchange students while designing products for a company in the US. Photo: Provided by the character
In addition, the group consulted with seniors and lecturers in the department on how to negotiate contracts, divide payment stages, set milestones for completing each item, and calculate design and printing efficiency.
However, there were many times when the group had heated debates because the members were randomly assembled when doing homework, without prior understanding or resonance. According to Nhi, this was a disadvantage, but at the same time, it helped the students learn how to connect and reconcile their views when working in groups.
The group also often felt "stressed" by customer requests. Nhi said there was a time when she did exactly what the customer wanted, but then they changed their mind and asked for further revisions. The whole group had to discuss, reach a consensus, then hold an online meeting with the customer, firmly asking them to pay more if they wanted to make revisions.
Or once, the partner asked the whole team to use the popular Pantone color chart in the US. To meet the requirement, the members had to explore and learn how to use it because they had previously mastered a different color chart. After that, the team advised the partner to change the entire color chart, font, and logo compared to the original request they had made for aesthetic reasons and effectiveness in actual printing and use.
According to Nhi, luckily, the partners are all young people, so both sides can easily communicate and understand each other. The working process is quite comfortable, except for the times when we have to wait too long for customers to respond. This is also an experience, if we could do it again, the team would set a time limit for customers to give their opinions on the design.
"The working process required countless changes, edits, and feedback. During that period, studying was also rushed, studying while working made the project take half a year longer than expected, and it was not completed until August this year," Nhi said.
Ms. Hoang Thi Anh Nghi, a lecturer in Graphic Design and also the group’s instructor, said that for Fine Arts students in general, doing projects or working freelance from the second year onwards is quite common. But this is the first time a group of students from the school has received an order from the US with a relatively large value. This is also rare for Graphic Design students in general.
"In practice, negotiating everything with customers helps students learn many skills such as consulting, presenting, persuading, and knowing how to balance personal style with customers' commercial requirements," said Master Nghi.
Anh Nhi said that when the final version was sent, the whole group was satisfied. More importantly, the members all knew their own capabilities and had a lot of practical experience with foreign partners. This was an advantage for future work when the whole group was on the threshold of graduating from university.
Le Nguyen
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