A Designer’s Guide to Top 13 Cafés to Check Out in Saigon

Posted on January 22, 2020
in Cafe, Events, party

Saigon is famous for its rich and flavourful coffee, and many locals and tourists often visit cafés and coffee shops to enjoy the popular beverage. In Saigon, great importance is placed on the environment and ambiance of their cafés. In addition, all the cafés and coffee shops have free Wi-Fi available for customers. We have rounded up a list of cafés and coffee shops that are perfect for designers to work on their computers and sketches. Read on to find out more!

1. Snob Coffee

Located conveniently near Bui Vien Walking Street in District 1, this coffee shop has a cozy and youthful vibe and is popular among youngsters in Saigon. There is a great selection of cakes and drinks to choose from. Main dishes such as spaghetti, kimchi fried rice, and Tokidoki are also available. If you decide to visit this place, be sure to try their Vietnamese milk iced coffee! It has the perfect combination of coffee, ice, and milk.

Image may contain: coffee and coffee cup

Address: 147A Đường Trần Hưng Đạo, Phường Cầu Ông Lãnh, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh 700000

2. M2C+ Café

This Scandinavian style café has mastered the art of combining modern tastes and trends to provide an ideal space. With an elegant interior and look, it is no surprise that it is popular among locals and tourists who pop by the café for a relaxing break.

Address: 44B Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1 and 230 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, District 3

3. The Coffee House

With more than 60 outlets in Saigon, it is a favorite among locals. In fact, many designers frequent this café. It is a homegrown brand that offers an authentic Vietnamese taste. In addition, it provides an open and conducive space for work and conversation. What’s special about this café is that is designed to fit the personality of its neighborhood and its residents. You should definitely take some time to explore the different outlets!

Address: Multiple outlets

4. Caztus Ice Blended

If you are looking for a fresh and open space café, this is it! There is a rooftop garden where you can enjoy the scenery while sipping on your iced coffee or indulging in some desserts. You can also work on your computers and sketches here. What’s great is that it is situated in an alley, away from the blaring traffic noises, allowing you to enjoy peace and quiet.

Fun fact: This café is a favorite with one of our designers at Mindsparkz!

Image result for cactus ice blended

Address: 153/11A Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh

5. THREE O’CLOCK

Best known for their lotus tea, this café has multiple outlets located in Saigon. Teas are made in a healthy and balanced style and taste amazing. In addition, the café has a spacious layout that provides ample space for designers to work on their projects.

Image result for three o clock cafe

Address: Multiple outlets

6. Cheese Coffee

A modern European-inspired coffee shop chain offering drinks and pastries. It has added a twist to the famous scone- Vietnamese style scones. Furthermore, the minimalist style of the place is popular among designers who are looking for a quiet space to work and be inspired.

Image result for cheese coffee cafe

Address: Multiple outlets

7. Vietgangz Brotherhood Coffee

The style of this restaurant is very unique and bold and offers an interesting space for visitors. One of the main decorations inside the restaurant is a garage of motorbikes, which is definitely something you don’t see in your usual restaurant!

Image result for vietgangz brotherhood coffee

Address: 2/45 Cao Thang, District 3

8. OZ Coffee House

This is a space that has a cute and romantic concept. It is beautifully decorated and is suitable for gatherings and meetings. However, do note that it may be difficult to find as it is located in a narrow alley so it is advised to do your research before visiting.

Image result for oz coffee house

Address: Hẻm 207 Lê Văn Sỹ, Phường 13, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh

9. The Open Space

Tucked away in a hidden space, this nice and small café is a great working space due to the peaceful music and diverse seating options available. Perfect for working, hanging out or simply relaxing next to a quaint garden in the café.

Address: 13 Võ Thị Sáu, Đa Kao, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh

10. Camellia Tea & Coffee

If you are looking for a tranquil and serene environment, this is the perfect place for you. Customers can expect to enjoy a wide range of tea sets in a space decorated with lush greenery and flowers. In addition, the café has a lovely vintage vibe.

Image result for camellia tea and coffee

Address: 120/4B Trần Quốc Thảo, Phường 14, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh

11. Xôm Café

This café is a great spot for friends and families to hang out and enjoy a nice tea break. They offer drinks with creative and unique names, appealing to customers. However, it can get quite noisy at times as groups of friends can sometimes be seen playing cards and games.

Image result for xom cafe

Address: 103 Cao Thắng, Phường 3, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh

12. Things Cafe

For all vintage lovers, this café is a peaceful place for you to work and relax. Slow and chill music is played here, adding to the shop’s ambiance. The café is decorated in a 90s Saigon style, which is a throwback to the olden days. A hidden gem which you should definitely visit for a relaxing afternoon.

Address: Chung cư, 14 Tôn Thất Đạm, Phường Nguyễn Thái Bình, Quận 1, Quận 1 Hồ Chí Minh

13. Thức Coffee

An ideal place for customers who love pure coffee, it is one of the first ice blended coffee chains in Saigon. It is also open for 24 hours, good news for freelance designers as they can work on their projects there anytime.

Address: Multiple outlets

To Conclude…

We hope you have found this guide useful for your next café visit! Here at Mindsparkz, we are passionate about the work we do, creating high-quality designs that are consistent with your brand and promotional needs. Our dedicated and talented team of in-house designers offer professional design and creative services to cater to your needs and requirements. We specialize in several design aspects such as product design, graphic design, web design, illustration, brainstorming and we also offer a retainer program. Feel free to drop us an inquiry today!

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Exploded View Drawing: What It Is, and Why You Should Be Using It

Posted on January 14, 2020
in Branding, Design, Presentations, promotion, Visuals

What is an exploded view drawing? Well, it is a diagram, picture or technical drawing of an object that shows the relationship or order of assembly of various parts. They are produced using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software. Exploded drawings are extremely useful in explaining a design or an idea as they show the relationship between different components and how they fit together to form the final product. They also reveal details and nuances that otherwise would be hidden in a superficial image of the object just showing the exterior.

 

 

Showing the relationship between different components and how they fit together helps users understand the order of assembly of the different parts. This is why exploded view drawings are commonly used in parts catalogs, assembly and maintenance manuals, and other instructional materials. For example, DIY furniture often arrives with instructions in the form of exploded views. Without this style of drawing it would be very difficult to explain how the parts go and fit together to form the final piece of furniture. By slightly separating the parts an equal distance away from their original positions, a better understanding of the finished object can be gained and parts that would normally be concealed by other parts can be seen in full.

 

The exploded view is represented as if there has been a minor controlled explosion (hence the name) emanating from the middle of the object, causing the object’s parts to be separated an equal distance away from their original locations and showing the components of an object slightly separated by distance, or suspended in the surrounding space.

 

Benefits of exploded view drawing

 

 

• They are extremely useful in explaining ideas and designs. In addition, they communicate how the different parts connect to form a single product.
• Helps in understanding how the various parts of the product are assembled together. Additionally, it also lets the user know the dimensions of each part, materials used and how many parts are used.
• Useful in explaining the orientation and position of different parts and method of assembly as it represents the order of assembly.
• Allows engineers to immediately see the pros and cons of the product from a construction and molding perspective.

 

 

Here at Mindsparkz, we prepare many visuals of exploded views to better explain our ideas to clients and even to the factories when our ideas are in the production phase.

 

Take a look at this wooden POS display designed for wine. The exploded view helps the factory better understand our ideas in terms of shelf disposition, doors, and dimensions. This will ensure that the factory meets the expectations and requirements of the final product.

 

 

 

The exploded view can also be used for smaller or different objects. In this example, we have an exploded view of a box, that we used to explain to a client. It helped the client to understand how the different parts of the object would be assembled inside the packaging. This was then presented to the end client for approval.

 

To Conclude…

 

 

Has your understanding of an exploding view drawing improved? We sure hope so! Here at Mindsparkz, we are passionate about the work we do, creating high-quality designs that are consistent with your brand and promotional needs. Our dedicated and talented team of in-house designers offer professional design and creative services to cater to your needs and requirements. We specialize in several design aspects such as product design, graphic design, web design, illustration, brainstorming and we also offer a retainer program. Feel free to drop us an inquiry today!

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Come Together Music Festival

Come Together Charity Festival 2019: Annual Tradition, All New Designs!

Posted on January 7, 2020
in Branding, Design, Events, flyer, party, promotion, Visuals

Come Together Music Festival – an annual charity event that takes place in Zhuhai, China. This year marked the 8th edition and took place on the 7th of December 2019.

The Come Together Charity Music Festival is South China’s premier and largest charity music festival that brings over a thousand people from all walks of life to celebrate music and raise money for local charities. It is a yearly event that is held in Zhuhai, China, and is organized and managed by the CT Community (CTC) and its partners. We here at Mindsparkz are always glad to help with their design services! In fact, we have been designing graphic material for the festival for the past several years!

Let’s take a look at the graphic material we designed for this year’s edition!

Poster

The poster acts as the base for all graphic material created for the event. Before you start designing, it is useful to identify the purpose of the poster. In this case, it is to advertise the event in the most eye-catching way as possible and attract peoples’ attention. In addition, the poster is used to inform people useful information such as the time, date, venue and headlines of the event.

Elements are used in the designing of the poster and comprise of the “Come Together” logo – the same one that has been used in other editions but with updated and revised colors. This composition is to simulate a stage and the color palette is to simulate the light and ambiance as seen and experienced at the concert. In addition, the pattern on the background adds to this vibe with musical instruments.

In previous years, we used graphic elements related to musical instruments, such as guitars. However, this year we decided to use speakers and a microphone. Furthermore, the hands-on the front of the stage foreshadows the audience having lots of fun!

One important thing to note is that all the graphic material must be bilingual since the event is taking place in China and aims at having a diverse audience. This ensures that everyone can understand the contents of the poster and lets them know that everyone is welcome!

This poster was printed and displayed in many places across the city and shared through many social media platforms, including the biggest one in China, WeChat!

Now, check out how we used the different graphic elements to create the rest of the material for the event:

Tickets

Come Together Music Festival

Come Together Music Festival

The design of your event ticket is important as it will end up in the hands of your customers and can influence how they perceive your event. It is a representation of your brand and you definitely want your customers to view your brand positively. Thus, it is essential to ensure that your ticket is visually and aesthetically appealing yet concise.

We have designed the ticket so that it includes all the required information such as date and price, location and event details. The design of the ticket also keeps to a consistent theme as seen in the poster.

Venue Map

Come Together Music Festival

The venue map is useful for allowing people to locate where the event will be held as well as the facilities located nearby. This can help them plan their transportation to the event in advance. It also gives a clear view of the event’s location and where it will be situated. The map was designed to show the event’s location and the different nearby streets and buildings.

Event map

Come Together Music Festival

The event map features a simple and straightforward design for easy understanding and navigation. Different numbers are assigned to different locations and are neatly displayed on the map’s layout. In addition, the map only contains the minimum essential information and details for the participants’ reference. This also prevents the map from being too cluttered. Important facilities such as the First-Aid station and toilets are also listed on the map.

Tokens

Come Together Music Festival

The tokens act as coupons which participants can use at the event. Note how the design of the tokens keeps to a consistent theme which can be observed throughout the other event material.

Entrance Banner

Come Together Music Festival

The entrance banner is designed with a consistent theme in mind and looks similar to the event poster. Grab the attention of participants by having a visually appealing and eye-catching banner! A well-designed poster will also help to increase your brand’s visibility and awareness. It will also generate positive publicity for your event.

Balcony Banner

Come Together Music Festival

Come Together Music Festival

The design of the balcony banner is simple and easy to understand. It includes the name of the event in both English and Mandarin to accommodate participants of different nationalities. It also shows many hands holding the sides of the banner to illustrate and reinforce the feeling of “coming together”.

Here are some pictures of the event:

Additionally, here are some of the posters we designed for previous years:

How we can help you…

Interested in event materials design and how it can impact your business? Mindsparkz is here to help! Our dedicated and talented team of in-house designers offer professional design and creative services to cater to your needs and requirements. We specialize in several design aspects such as product design, graphic design, web design, illustration, brainstorming and we also offer a retainer program. If you would like to design graphic materials for your next event, feel free to drop us an inquiry today!

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