DucStudio
Where fashion meets feeling - a brand identity for my closest friend built on stories, not trends.
Creative Direction
Duc Studio is one of the most personal projects I’ve ever worked on. It was created with my closest friend during our university years, when all we had were ideas, curiosity, and a shared belief in doing things differently.
Duc didn’t want to build a fashion brand that focused only on aesthetics. His vision was rooted in storytelling, emotion, and everyday moments. Fashion, to him, wasn’t just about how you look, but about how you feel, how you remember, and how your personal history lives in what you wear. That mindset shaped how I approached the brand.
The logo concept started with something small: a smile. We took the name "Duc" and added a colon before the "D"—creating ":D", a familiar emoticon from early internet days. It was a subtle nod to joy, nostalgia, and internet-native identity, but also a symbolic expression of what the brand stands for. A smile is the most beautiful thing you can wear, and that line became our brand’s core message.
I didn’t want the identity to be overly styled or trend-driven. Instead, I kept it clean, minimal, and confident, allowing the storytelling to shine through. The goal was to create something that felt both personal and open - something that didn’t just represent Duc, but invited others to find meaning in it too.
Project Type
Branding
Time
Oct 2019 (3 weeks)
Role
Logo Design, Concept Development
Credit
Minh Duc Nguyen - Creative Director & Founder at DucStudio
DucStudio is a local fashion brand based in Sai Gon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam, created by my closest friend Đức - a talented fashion designer with a special sense of style. He approached me during our university years to collaborate on the logo design, when we were both young, idealistic, and full of creative ambition. His vision for DucStudio was never just about fashion as surface beauty, but about emotional connection, cultural storytelling, and local roots.
The brand’s slogan, 'A smile is the prettiest thing you can wear everyday', became the foundation of the visual identity. This identity is more than a logo - it’s a signature of youth, a portal into local storytelling, and a reminder that the best thing to wear is always a smile.
Project Summary
This project reminded me that branding can come from friendship, intention, and shared memory. And sometimes, the strongest identities are the ones that make you smile quietly, not shout loudly.
More than a logo, this was a memory captured. A reminder of where we started, and the joy of creating something that still makes us smile.
Thank you for scrolling to the end. If you have any questions or are interested in collaborating on a similar project, feel free to reach out at hello.quinnspire@gmail.com.