Each new cohort brings a fresh wave of energy, and Dan Khanh Nguyen entered our latest Graphic Design Circle with a quiet yet compelling force—thoughtful, versatile, and driven by a passion for creative exploration. Throughout the six-week sprint, where members collaborate and push each other’s boundaries, Dan’s approach has been one of continuous curiosity, technical skill, and an eagerness to challenge conventions.
A Design Marketing student at Kingston University, Dan’s creative journey is deeply intertwined with her cultural roots. Raised in Vietnam, she weaves personal and cultural narratives into her work, using design as a medium for storytelling and emotional expression. “For me, design is more than just the visual—it’s about creating connections, exploring new possibilities, and reflecting on the world around me,” she explains.
Part 1
Hi Dan! Introduce yourself: Hi, I’m Dan, currently a Design Marketing student at Kingston University. I consider myself a generalist, as I enjoy exploring different aspects of design and creativity, whether it’s graphics, motion, 2D or 3D.
What was your pathway into Graphic Design? My passion for the arts started when I was a kid. I’ve always loved creating. I started taking classes in Fine Art from primary school up until my A Levels. Along the way, I found myself curious about digital arts, and the shift between disciplines felt natural. There wasn’t a single turning point, but rather a process of reflecting on what I’m interested in, then exploring through hands-on experimentation. It then led me to discover opportunities abroad, and now I’m studying Design Marketing, which has allowed me to discover different creative media, technologies, creative campaigns and strategy.
How would you describe your creative DNA? As an international student from Vietnam, I found myself reflecting a lot on my culture for inspiration. It’s a part of me and that’s how I tell my story through visual arts, whether through vibrant colours or specific elements that I choose to include in my work. I love working across disciplines, so my projects can be a mix of 2D and 3D, static and motion, or traditional and digital.
I often incorporate storytelling in my work, developed from observation of what’s happening, cultural textures and emotional layers with research and experience. Some themes I have explored are women’s representation in the media, cultural identity and emotional complexity.
What is your “making process”? I think it all starts with research, but with different projects I will have different approaches. For example, with university work or client projects, I’ll carry out a process of secondary, then primary research to collect insights and connect information. For self-led projects, the process is more intuitive, often begins with scattered notes and sketches, then I’ll spend time mapping them out then finding connections.
After having some first few initial ideas, I’ll refine them by identifying the elements that I like and don’t like from each, experiment, iterate and see which direction’s most fitting. I also try to step away or ask for feedback to view my work from different perspectives.
I often set myself deadlines, even for personal projects, because without them, it’s easy for me to get trapped in an endless loop of re-editing, and it keeps me more focused instead of working on too many then having nothing finished.
Looking ahead, where do you see yourself in the future? With only 1 year left of university, my goal is to reflect more deeply on my strengths, weaknesses and interests, and discover different opportunities within the industry, all while continuing to nurture my passion for learning and creative exploration.
Over the past year, my focus has been on refining my crafts. But starting this summer, alongside improving my skills, I’ve also made it a goal to connect more with other creatives, seek mentorship and build meaningful conversations that can help guide the next part of my journey.
Part 2
A few weeks ago, Dan turned a quiet, considered presentation into a striking portfolio tour of experimentation, technical agility and emerging focus in her graphic design circle. A design marketing student at Kingston, she showcased work that spans illustration, 3D visualisation, branding, motion graphics and marketing strategy—each project shaped by instinct, research, and an appetite for challenge. Her JDO competition entry reimagined bar snacks as luxe, mood-led commodities; her podcast sequences and animated mascots spoke to creative play as serious process. What followed was a generous, reflective Q&A about skills, direction and the pressure of liking too many things at once.
Key take-aways from Simone’s presentation:
3D fluency as visual anchor. From mockup menus to animated mascots, Dan’s intuitive grasp of space and composition gives her branding work a physicality beyond the screen—proof that Blender isn’t just a tool, but a storytelling partner.
JD project as marketing litmus test. Rebranding bar snacks as “bougie” for JD’s 2025 brief let her test-drive the full funnel—from Illustrator packaging to activation concepts—making the case for design that sells and seduces.
Self-led briefs as sandbox. A podcast title sequence, a film opener, and passion projects made just for fun—all show Dan’s belief that creative play is serious practice, helping her stretch without the pressure of assessment rubrics.
Colour as mood-setter, not afterthought. Rather than default palettes, she storyboards first, letting colour emerge from narrative logic. The result? Work that feels cohesive because it’s rooted in emotional intention.
Motion as frontier, not forte (yet). She’s upfront about her skill gaps—especially in kinetic type—but reframes them as growth areas, actively seeking tutorials and inspiration that align with her style and future ambitions.
Jack-of-many, master-in-progress. With a year left to go, Dan’s biggest challenge is curation. Her curiosity is a strength, but she’s learning that saying “yes” to everything can blur the path forward. The goal? Focus without losing range.
Design school as sandbox for the real world. She credits Kingston’s client-facing modules and international setting for pushing her practice beyond aesthetics, into negotiation, teamwork, and real-time feedback loops.
Confusion as creative compost. Whether it’s 3D, experiential design, or motion, Dan doesn’t see indecision as weakness. Instead, it’s raw material—a signal that more exploration is needed before the niche reveals itself.
You can reach Dan Nguyen at [email protected] and on Linkedin here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-khanh-nguyen