For this project, I created a system of language based on the idea of the Braille language system and the English alphabet. My inspiration came mostly from the “chữ triện” (sealed letters) system, in which the letters are sealed inside a certain shape (mainly square, rectangle, or circle). I started my process ưith sketching all the letters on paper. Each letter fits in its own circle, and all letters are created only by perfect circles (even the cut parts were created using circles). I then digitized them in Adobe Illustrator and added colors to the letters’ outlines.

I based this project completely on my experience as an international student who has to spend my time in the US without my Vietnamese friends or family. Living in a new environment alone, I forced myself to adapt to it and put my mind into a shell, which means “vỏ bọc” in Vietnamese (the reason for its appearance in the title), in which I hide things that were supposed to be parts of me. I restrained myself to adapt to new things and sometimes forgot what makes me who I am. This is why I chose to use circles instead of other shapes. This shape has the perfect curve, which evokes a sense of suppression. The letters are extremely curved and distorted to fit perfectly into the circles (the outlines), which shows the force more clearly than cornered shapes like squares or rectangles do (the letters are just folded, which feels easier and more convenient). “The ‘vỏ bọc’ system” is a way for me to express the suppression of my original characters when exposed to a completely new life. I was suppressed by myself.

I chose red and white for this project also for a reason. The red usually represents rage or intense emotion. This is related directly to the experience I mentioned earlier, which consists of a lot of emotions being restrained inside the shell. The white can be interpreted in two ways, which are representing unfamiliarity or simply emptiness. Having a completely new experience in a different country, many things can easily be strange to me. This side of the meaning is shown through the white of the background, representing all the unfamiliar things I had to encounter as an international student. On the other hand, the white inside the letters can refer to the sense of emptiness, which will possibly be the consequence of my ignorance toward “the real me” (there will be nothing left besides a mere emptiness).

Unlike the previous project, I will not include an additional Vietnamese version. This system was created based on my experience in the US, so adding Vietnamese letters to it seems inconsistent and unsuitable to what I explained above.