L’Usine, a much loved café / shop in Saigon, tasked Rice with an extensive rebrand, as the business looked to expanded into new locations in Vietnam and abroad. Through L'Usine's, deep adoration of Saigon, Rice imagined the brand as a conduit from Saigon to the world.
Materials from Saigon's past, discovered through research informed typographic choices as well as unexpected graphic forms, which the identity brought into a contemporary context.
The brand encapsulates a sort of cosmopolitan Saigon lifestyle. The identity portrays this through visual contrast—calm vs. chaos, old vs. new, of Saigon, with dynamic, yet historically charged typography, and verdant photography.
L'Usine wished to create a quarterly publication—the 'L'Usine Journal', as an 'eye on Saigon.' Rice art-directed, designed and produced early issues. Issue one covered the new visual identity, while issue two, was made with Saigon-based photographer, Tuan Fr, and covered Saigon citizens that the brand looked up to.
Online, through photography, L'Usine curates a seamless blend of people, places, and details of Saigon, in tandem with their own spaces and products.
Creative Director: Joshua Breidenbach
Project Manager: Lan Pham
Designer: Mark Bain
Production Team: Anna Dinh
Photographers: Wing Chan (for magazines and cards)
Duong Gia Hieu (L’Usine space and bag)
