{"id":3442,"date":"2024-04-09T05:06:11","date_gmt":"2024-04-09T05:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/battrang.museum\/journal\/m-n-associates-the-best-way-to-learn-is-to-learn-from-those-who-came-before\/"},"modified":"2025-06-10T15:14:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T08:14:08","slug":"m-n-associates-the-best-way-to-learn-is-to-learn-from-those-who-came-before","status":"publish","type":"journal","link":"https:\/\/battrang.museum\/en\/journal\/m-n-associates-the-best-way-to-learn-is-to-learn-from-those-who-came-before\/","title":{"rendered":"M \u2014 N Associates: The best way to learn is to learn from those who came before"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” css=”.vc_custom_1703746218661{background-image: url(http:\/\/battrang.museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/MN_BT_24.jpg?id=2424) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”20rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][vc_empty_space height=”48rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”3rem”][vc_empty_space height=”3rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]\r\n

\u201cThe best way to learn is to learn from those who came before <\/strong>\u201d<\/h3>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”1rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][vc_empty_space height=”3rem”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-md-5 vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]\r\n

M\u00a0\u2014 N Associates<\/h4>\r\nNguyen Bao Anh Duy and Mai Ngoc Que Lan co-founded M – N Associates Studio in 2014. Their projects all left prominent marks, even receiving numerous international awards in the field of branding design. What are their secrets? \u201cEvery one of the designs we integrate into a brand has its own significance. They intimately connect one another, resonating with one another to create a whole that is a brand\u201d. This spirit was carried on into the cultural project conducted alongside with a ceramic museum in Bat Trang, which took inspiration from the works of the late National Artist Vu Duc Thang, in honor of the traditional values as well as the creative legacy he has left behind.\r\n\r\n \r\n

Just before embarking on this project, the world of ceramics was still something alien to Duy and Lan. Their research has brought them both fresh knowledge, as well as a new sense of gratitude for the legacy of their predecessors.<\/p>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]\r\n

Words: V\u00e2n Anh \u2013 Nhi Nguy\u1ec5n<\/strong><\/h5>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″ offset=”vc_col-md-offset-1 vc_col-md-2 vc_col-sm-offset-1 vc_col-xs-offset-4 vc_col-xs-4″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm”][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_single_image image=”892″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”6rem”][vc_empty_space height=”6rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle”][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-md-offset-2 vc_col-md-3 vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner offset=”vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”10rem”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text el_class=”no-indent”]M \u2014 Lan and Duy \u2014 N\r\nCo-founders of M \u2014 N Associates<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-md-offset-1 vc_col-md-6 vc_col-sm-offset-2 vc_col-xs-offset-1 vc_col-xs-10″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md”][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-md-6 vc_col-xs-8″][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_empty_space height=”4rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][vc_single_image image=”1290″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/4″ offset=”vc_col-md-2 vc_col-sm-offset-1 vc_col-xs-offset-1 vc_col-xs-3″][vc_single_image image=”1292″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”14rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm”][vc_empty_space height=”8rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]\r\n

How does your approach to a cultural project – especially one of significant cultural heritage like Bat Trang Pottery – differ from your past commercial works?<\/h4>\r\nWhen doing any projects related to cultures, we have to be cautious and selective of what we could use, and we must approach the subject from multiple angles. We tried our best to be accurate, as in, retaining as much of the original materials of the culture as possible, without introducing any of our personal opinions or views. Specifically, with the B\u1ea3o t\u00e0ng Ngh\u1ec7 thu\u1eadt H\u1ed3n \u0110\u1ea5t Vi\u1ec7t B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng project, we had to find a method to preserve the soul within Mr.Thang\u2019s works; the design system is merely the framework, with which we use to better interact with the newer, younger demographics, for them to deeper understand the olden values. For instance, Mr.Thang once had his own logo, so we also designed a new logo, one based off of the spirit of the original.\r\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_single_image image=”2396″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”8rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n

What have the two of you learned, from this project in general, as well as the late National Artist Vu Duc Thang in particular?<\/h4>\r\nWe adopted the values that the generations of past artists have contributed to the creative field of Vietnam, by which we were deeply inspired.\r\n\r\nThe creative style of Mr.Thang was relatively contemporary – very innovative, but his creativity still took deep roots in ceramics making traditions. His techniques of embossing and glaze color shifting were unique to him and him alone. The hues of his ceramics were also very distinctive, which delicately shifted after the firing process so that every angle of a ceramic gives off a unique sensory experience. For that, as old as his potteries may be, their glazes remain modern nonetheless.\r\n\r\nYou only really need to hold the ceramic to see what kind of glazes that he used, each one of the embossed details could easily blow your mind away. He had two pots made for the 1000 years anniversary of Thang Long. At first, I thought the two of them had to be similarly adorned, or symmetrically designed, or aligned with each other. But against all expectations, the two pots were very intentionally two worlds apart. Another piece of his were the twelve planters, some were absolutely massive, others were more or less meager, in between were pots of varying sizes, and spanning on the surface of every one of them was a drawing of the nation, but each was drawn slightly differently, all required acute observations to be accurately discerned for none was alike. In short, all of them were one of a kind.\r\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-xs-6″][vc_single_image image=”2402″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-xs-6″][vc_single_image image=”2404″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”8rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm”][vc_empty_space height=”6rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_section el_class=”.grid-collection”][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle”][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-md-4 vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]\r\n

So it is said that you had dedicated much of your time in Bat Trang in order to formulate ideas for this project. How exactly would one even visualise a private ceramics museum?<\/h4>\r\nIt\u2019s like walking into the living room of a ceramics collector. Every corner of the room could be seen with potteries, so many to a point that you wouldn\u2019t have anywhere to rest your feet. Or like when you\u2019re visiting the storage of a ceramics craftsman, where the art pieces are positioned all over the place, and you wouldn\u2019t want to keep your eyes off the floor since you could be missing out on something. In other countries, artworks in a museum would be put on gorgeous displays with detailed descriptions, but in this kind of museums here in Vietnam, they\u2019re just beautiful in a pure, unadulterated way. Since they are already brilliant by nature, the art pieces would shine regardless of where they are placed. Such a confine is where all the quintessence and intricacy of an artist resonate. Such is the physicality of the museum. In short, you could imagine it to be an artist\u2019s personal collection, a composite of all of his magnum opuses. Some of them were created on a whim, yet they became one-of-a-kind masterpieces nevertheless.\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-md-offset-1 vc_col-md-3 vc_col-sm-offset-2 vc_col-xs-offset-1 vc_col-xs-10″][vc_single_image image=”2406″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm”][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”8rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n

Are the likes of private museums popular in Vietnam?<\/h4>\r\nIn actuality, Vietnam has an abundance of creative heritage, they simply aren\u2019t widely popularized. We have gone to many museums around the world and we hope that Vietnam one day could have such private museums to house and preserve all of the artworks of our predecessors. We\u2019re very happy to do this project since we were fortunate enough to be accompanied by Mr.Thang to continue building from what he had made.\r\n\r\nAs I have said, the creative process of Mr.Thang was very modern. He had made a canvas of ceramic and he had created the most distinctive of boots. Although we have been to countless museums, never have we witnessed a piece of their likes. […] In his time, life was nothing but difficult, not to mention the limits in creative resources, and yet, stars like Mr.Thang still shone through, in spite of all that hardship.\r\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n

“<\/span>I believe, to best study innovation in creativity, it\u2019s best to study from those who came before\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”8rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”5\/6″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1 vc_col-xs-12″ css=”.vc_custom_1640777591152{padding-right: 2rem !important;padding-left: 2rem !important;}” el_class=”no-indent”][vc_single_image image=”2408″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”0.5rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]\r\n

In your opinion, how could the creative works of past generations be better known by the masses?<\/h4>\r\nThe B\u1ea3o t\u00e0ng Ngh\u1ec7 thu\u1eadt H\u1ed3n \u0110\u1ea5t Vi\u1ec7t B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng (B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng Museum) project was carried out in a neutral direction, just as any major museums of the world. We solely utilized two hues of black and white, so that the colourful ceramic art pieces would have their places to shine. This perhaps is THE way for the cultural heritages to reach the young and\/or foreign demographics.\r\n\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”8rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm”][vc_empty_space height=”6rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row content_placement=”bottom”][vc_column width=”5\/12″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_single_image image=”2410″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/12″][vc_single_image image=”2412″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”2rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]\r\n

We have also designed a font of our own called \u201cMN Vu Thang\u201d. Scattered in every nook and cranny of the characters is the imagery of pottery, a lot like the museum. Back in the days, Mr.Thang had a habit of signing his name on the bottom of his works, so as a result, each of his art pieces have both the folk element and the uniqueness of an artist. For the face of the museum\u2019s brand, we didn\u2019t want to be extravagant. Instead, we chose to capture that \u201cuniqueness\u201d, and designed a font set that is both clever and suitable, but not overshadowing at the same time. The design system, as a whole, then became a stage for all the artworks to be coherently displayed, with information better visualised and all the breathing space for visitors to enjoy.<\/p>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_single_image image=”2416″ img_size=”full”][vc_single_image image=”2414″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm”][vc_empty_space height=”6rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”8rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row content_placement=”bottom”][vc_column width=”5\/12″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_single_image image=”2421″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/12″][vc_single_image image=”2419″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]\r\n

From the resources you collected over the course of the project, could it be said that the image of the craftsman deeply resonated within you?<\/h4>\r\nPrecisely. We appreciate the excellence of the Bat Trang pottery crafts as well as the uniqueness of the craftsman. The integrating of these elements into the design will help to preserve and convey them for a longer time and on a wider scale. In a way, this is also an opportunity for us to learn and inherit these precious values: It could be a way of the trade, or it could be a way of creative thinking that would bring many inspirations and was sure to never be outdated.\r\n\r\nMr.Thang was never a craftsman of ceramics in Bat Trang in origin. Before embarking on the ceramics creating career that spanned for 40 years, he graduated from Hanoi College of Industrial Fine Art in 1980, majoring in Graphic Designs. We always joked that he was one of the very first graphic designers that we all need to learn from. A craftsman can breathe life into a pot, and for that to happen, the craftsman must have a flexible and complex soul. We also commonly joked that he was quite the \u201cwhimsy\u201d man, and a whimsy man he was indeed. In the old studio where he once worked lay not just the pieces that he \u201cwhimsically\u201d completed, but also the ones that were just \u201cwhimsically\u201d sprawling in the place. I believe when he was alive, he most definitely must not have wanted his museum to look old nor stiff, so over the course of the project, we tried our best to both honor his spirit and be innovative and interferential.\r\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][vc_column_text]\r\nThank you for sharing!<\/strong>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-4″][vc_column_text]\r\n

Ho Chi Minh City\r\nFeature\u00a0Grateful Heart\r\n<\/strong>of T\u1ea1p ch\u00ed \u0110\u1eb9p<\/strong>, issue 281, December 2023\r\nEnglish Translation:\u00a0T\u1ed1ng M\u1ea1nh\r\n<\/strong>Photo: L\u00ea Lai<\/strong> & M \u2014 N Associates<\/strong><\/p>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”4rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_separator][vc_empty_space height=”4rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text el_class=”no-indent”]M \u2014 N Associates <\/strong><\/a>is a creative design company specializing in branding, based in Saigon. They have \u00a0collaborated with many brands such as Guta, Gaiet\u00e9, Leman, GHTK, Beck\u2019s Ice, PetChoy, HiRaw, Malto, Labels\u2026 M-N Associate has won a series of design awards and is increasingly asserting its position in the creative community as the whole and in branding in Vietnam market in particular.\r\n\r\nAwards<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text el_class=”no-indent”]2023\r\nTrasform Asia Awards, Best Brand Evolution (Gold)\r\nTrasform Asia Awards, Best Visual Identity FMCG Sector (Silver)\r\nTrasform Asia Awards, Typography (Bronze)\r\nCommunication Arts Annual, Typography 13 (Winner)\r\n\r\n2022\r\nPentawards, Packaging (Silver)\r\nDieline Awards, Packaging (First Place)\r\nArt Directors Club, Packaging (Bronze Cube)\r\n3 x Type Director Club 68th (Winner)\r\n2 x World Brand Design Awards 2021\/22 (Silver)\r\nCommunication Arts Annual, Typography 13 (Winner)\r\n\r\n2021\r\nDieline Awards, Branding (First Place)\r\nGraphis Annual, Branding (Gold)\r\nCommunication Arts Annual, Typography 11 (Winner)[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text el_class=”no-indent”]2020\r\nA’ Design Awards, Graphic (Silver)\r\nThe One Show, Branding (Merit)\r\nArt Directors Club, Typography (Bronze Cube)\r\nGraphis Annual, Branding (Silver)\r\nGraphis Annual, Typography (Silver)\r\nIndigo Design Awards, Logo (Silver)\r\nIndigo Design Awards, Branding (Silver)\r\nInternational Design Awards, Rebranding (Silver)\r\n\r\n2019\r\nInternational Design Awards, Collateral (Gold)\r\nInternational Design Awards, Branding (Silver)\r\nThe One Show, Logo (Shortlist)\r\n\r\n2018\r\nGerman Design Awards, Branding (Excellent)\r\nGerman Design Awards, Packaging (Excellent)\r\nGraphis, Branding (Gold)\r\n2 x Graphis, Branding (Silver)[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”6rem”][vc_empty_space height=”6rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

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Four Women Designers in Dialogue with Ceramic Heritage<\/h4>\n \n\t
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