(VOVworld) - Designers from across Vietnam gathered at Hanoi Creative City, an art, creativity and entertainment complex, for a festival called Behance Portfolio Reviews- Vietnam Halography 2016. VOV reports:

 

 Behance is familiar to people working in creative industries. It’s a leading online platform for showcasing and discovering creative work. The creative world updates their work in one place, broadcasts it widely and efficiently, and businesses can explore the work and access talent on a global scale.

Twice annually, Behance presents Portfolio Review Week, an unprecedented series of volunteer-organized events that has spread to hundreds of cities all over the world. And in Vietnam, Portfolio Review was co-organized for the second time by Behance Vietnam and Rio Vietnam Creative and Media Joint Stock Company, bringing the thriving online community into offline spaces. 53 outstanding art works selected by Behance Vietnam were on display. Each work represented its designer’s creativity and personality. Some mesmerized viewers with their talent for blending colors. Others showcased their meticulous attention to detail. No two designs looked alike. Each left a distinct impression. Viewers walked around, some discussed chatted groups, some stood in front of a work in silent appreciation, some voted for their favorites. Nguyễn Thành Trang, who works for the Tourism and Scientific Services Company, visited the exhibit:: "As a marketer, I’m very interested in design. I’m most impressed by the work of the Australian travel agency over there: a kangaroo made up of hundreds of circles. It sounds simple but, believe me, it’s quite an impressive way to promote Australian tourism. Nowadays, people often use apps. We might see hundreds of advertisements every day but how many do we remember? We spend less than a second glancing at these those advertisements, so if the design is not creative and impressive enough, the companies fail to promote their products"

Designers across the country gathered at the event to socialize with other members of the creative community and present their own creative work. Guest speakers, leading experts in the creative industry, gave presenters feedback on their work and answered their questions. Nguyễn Quốc Trung is a passionate freelance designer from Ho Chi Minh city:  "I’ve studied graphic design for more than 3 years. I think every graphic designer has an artist’s feel. I want to express my own feeling, what I’m thinking, and hopefully draw an audience. I think the importance of graphic design and illustration is obvious because it’s everywhere in your life, on the street, on the way to school, and it appears in everything you read everyday such as books, magazines,..."

Apart from the exhibit and series of workshops, this year designers had a chance to challenge themselves through a contest called the “Vietnam Halography Race” in which 530 designers received an exercise at the same time and had to complete it within 24 hours. Organizers challenged the contestants to create a brand new design inspired by a Đông Hồ folk painting called corpulent pig with suckling piglets. 73 submitted pieces of artwork took the judges 5 hours to evaluate and grade. Leo Đinh, founder and Creative Director at Red Cat Motion, was one of the judges: "I was amazed by this year’s entries. Most designers are young and not trained in any professional course. They’ve got really good insights about world trends. Their use of technology also impressed me a lot. I think they are much better than I was at their age"

The winning artwork of Vietnam Halography 2016

The 2-day event concluded with a gala to announce the contest winners and honor individuals and organizations who have made great contributions to Vietnam’s creative industry. Hundreds of designers and art fans cheered the ceremony and enjoyed music performances. Trần Quang Tùng, Creative Director of Rio Creative and head of the organizers, said: "According to the latest data, the creative community in Vietnam has as many as 70,000 people but they lack a strong voice. I’ve been working in the creative industries for 8 years and I’m aware of its vital role in business, social, and cultural activities. I believe this event was a bridge to connect the creative community. Designers had an opportunity to promote themselves and employers found new candidates for their company."

Some of the outstanding work: