Ivy Nguyen

Hi! I’m Ivy, and I’m exploring this little life with design and art, focusing on packaging, publication, and illustration. My process blends artistic experimentation with structured design, and I’m always on the lookout for new forms of expression. I’m drawn to the balance between opposites—whether in design or life, I navigate between structure and fluidity, certainty and uncertainty, logic and imagination—and I enjoy weaving these contrasts into my work. I’m constantly driven to improve my skills and creations, not just for myself but also for the people I get to collaborate with along the way.

Nautica Seafood

Nautica canned fish offers the finest tinned seafood from the pristine waters of the Mediterranean sea. The packaging takes on a playful aesthetic, with charming illustrations inspired by vintage tinned fish designs—blending nostalgic charm with a modern twist.

Aftelier Perfume

A rebrand for Aftelier Perfume captures the essence of nature and passion woven into each fragrance, unveiling a rich and elegant visual identity.

Allure of the Unknown

A publication based on a selected thesis, requiring visual experimentation, grid system, and style development. The theme explores the ‘blur between the known and the unknown’, capturing the idea of being in a perpetual paradox of uncertainty created by those in political spheres.

Cocteau Twins Vinyl

The special edition design offers a reimagined interpretation of Cocteau Twins’ Four-Calendar Café, capturing the emotional depth of the album’s unique sounds and evocative lyrics. Cyanolumen and lumen printing resulted in an unpredictable yet organic aesthetic. The natural and slow process of these print techniques makes it unstable, with the risk of fading over time unless fixed—symbolising the fleeting moments of Fraser’s (vocalist) vulnerability.

Mid-Autumn Festival

A promotional poster for a beloved cultural festival, exploring typographical form as a primary communcation device. It is complemented by a simple yet evocative illustration of mooncakes, featuring intricate floral patterns that capture the essence of tradition in a modern touch.

Acknowledgement of Country

The School of Design and Architecture respectfully acknowledges the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and knowledge-keepers of the lands, waters and sky that surround us, where we work, learn, create, communicate and make place. We recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded and this always was and will always be Wurundjeri Country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who continue to make a better world through design.

We extend our acknowledgement to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students, alumni, real-life clients, and knowledge keepers, who have contributed to our own education diversity and growth. We will continue to ensure that staff and students respectfully honour ancestral connection to Country and Place in everything that they do.

We are dedicated to the notion of design to make a better world and we acknowledge that making tools, shaping place, sharing stories, making meaning, wayfinding and collaborating have long been and continue to be both central and integral to First Peoples' cultures. We recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultural contributions have continued relevance to design practice and commit to: reconciling ancestries of design and contemporary practice as well as pursuing culturally and professionally appropriate ways to engage with a diverse population of colleagues, industries and clients. In a time of treaty-making and voice we understand that there are overlaps between caring for Country and the sustainable production of goods, services, experiences, products and buildings.

Guided by the principles of respect, reconciliation, and reciprocity we undertake to indigenising and decolonising design practice by dismantling colonial structures and challenging biases that have marginalised Indigenous voices and design.

As students of SoDA you will be given opportunities to both engage with and educate yourself in Indigenous creative practices and cultural protocols through a lens of inclusivity, diversity, respect, mutual understanding, inter-cultural dialogue in all aspects of design practice. Indigenous people have been telling stories, making tools, and connecting to Country through visual media, placemaking and place marking for more than 60,000 years and these practices are part of an ongoing, evolving and live tradition.