Dany Vo

What country are you from and where do you reside?

I am originally from Vietnam, I moved to Montreal, Canada when I was 14 years old then moved to the USA for work right after I finished school. I am currently living in NYC. 

Education background (school, salons, self-taught)

I did an undergrad in illustration at Dawson College and then went for graphic design at UQAM University.

What is the first creative project that you remember?

The first project that created a mark for me was a short fashion film for Jaspal X Karl Lagerfeld, I was a part of a big team at Design Army, my first job. It was a big project that we worked on for eight months from start to finish. I was in charge of the art direction animation of Choupette, Karl’s infamous pet. We shot the film in Paris in 2018 just before he passed away. There was a lot of hard work, we did the ad campaign from digital to print and in-store experience. It was a success, our client, Jaspal, made a huge sale from the collection.  We were very happy that the mission was accomplished. 

What is your signature style/artistic expression of your work?

As a designer, I am a 360 multidisciplinary artist. I don’t tend to lean toward one specific skill since you need to create a holistic experience for your client to achieve success. As an artist, I am leaning toward digital fashion editorial art. I tend to merge fashion with the beauty of nature to create a poetic expression. I am obsessed with plants and flowers and high fashion of course.

I am thinking ahead of time when physical paper fashion magazines will be replaced by digital fashion magazines where the cover magazine can be a short video or an animation, the spreads can be moving images just like in the Harry Potter newspaper in the film.

What is the most fulfilling job you’ve worked on or a person you have worked with?

I think at my full-time job as a graphic designer I try my best to please my clients but still create good work. I feel like I forget about myself sometimes. As an artist, I have the freedom to show off my tomorrow ideas and let the public enjoy them. This fulfillment makes me happy and it seems like it’s working because every time I wake up, there is at least one person who shares my creation on their feed!

This motivated me to keep going, and people are reaching out to me to create stuff for them within my style.

Do you have a career turning point, big break, or person who has helped your career?

I would say Pum Lefebure, owner of Designer Army who picked me up straight from school and brought me to the US. I remember I applied everywhere and no one hired me because my style did not fit in with Montreal’s design point of view. At Design Army, I had the opportunity to work with well-known clients such as Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Adobe, Pepsico, Disney, etc. She also let me set my craziness and ideas free. Later on, I moved to San Francisco and worked for Nicole Flores at Hatch. She helped me to open my mind to see a different point of view. We worked on varied projects, from conventional to high-end. I started to be more flexible with my thinking and my more versatile design style. I am who I am today because of them, I feel lucky! 

What was the scariest and proudest moment in your career?

I do not think I ever had a moment that I’ve ever been scared of in my career, I like to think that be my best self and I can do it all. I tend to believe in my heart, have faith and, not be scared of failure. The moment that I am proud of the most is when the projects are ready to launch and everyone is enjoying the show. I appreciate many moments in my career and will continue to do so.

What is next for your career goals?

I like to continue being an artist/designer and one day run my design boutique with my sister. I enjoy the fashion and entertainment industries and collaborating with fashion brands to produce big-scale projects such as runway shows, theatrical shows, and experiential exhibitions. I love to create art for the public to enjoy the show.  

Instagram: www.instagram.com/dany_vo_arts

Website: www.danyvo.com