The Joyful Dough
Crowbar Awards 2012 - Bronze in Editorial Design
The brief
Using design to help record and preserve a culture subject.
Tò he
Tò he is a traditional Vietnamese toy. It is made from sticky rice dough - size of a thumb.
Tò he
Tò he is a traditional Vietnamese toy. It is made from sticky rice dough - size of a thumb.
Outcome: the Pop-up Book
Generations after generations, this colorful, edible figurine have soared up many children's imagination. However, with the recent flood of mass-produced toys and gadgets, Tò he is standing at the edge.
Made for children by a sincerely childlike mind, The Joyful Dough hopes to pay homage to one of the best-loved childhood memories. Sit back and gently flip the pages, let these pleasant little pop-ups do the time travel trick for you.
Process:
Since Tò he is a rather personal experience, I took this chance to create something more sincere rather than mere eye-candy visuals. Fortunately, the inputs I received from online survey were overwhelmingly positive. Participants had shared many suggestions and memoirs that I decided to put a whole page for their contribution. I went back to Hanoi for a week, trying to get my hands on anything available: records, interviews, field trip, mini To he stall at a local flea market fair....
After setting up my book by content and deciding on pop-up mechanism, I hand-drew everything and experiment with a range of finishing: digital processed, cloth printing, pastels... everything was trial-and-error.
