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Vanessa Nguyen runs BYV.STUDIO, a Melbourne-based design practice she leads largely on her own from a home studio, designing invitations, branding and scenography that look like no one else’s. Her work sits in and around the wedding world, yet she resists the idea that a wedding should carry a recognisable ‘wedding aesthetic’ – each project instead draws from the people it is for, as well as culture, fashion and art. She designs for longevity, not passing trends, treating a beautifully made object as a keepsake rather than something consumed and forgotten, and thinks of an invitation as a guest’s first encounter with an event: a considered reveal that sets a tone before anything else. She is candid, too, about the reach and limits of working solo, and why creative fit matters to her more than volume.
TBI Hi Vanessa, it’s great to be speaking to you. How are you?
VN I’m good. It’s been a busy few weeks of travel, work, family, fun, friends and business. Excited to be chatting with you.
TBI Why did you decide to start BYV.STUDIO?
VN BYV.STUDIO began organically. I started out assisting friends in the events space and noticed there was room for design that felt more artful, fashion-led and concept-driven. What began as a side project gradually evolved into something much greater. It’s become a space where I can explore that visual language and create the kind of design practice I couldn't find at the time.
TBI You design for longevity rather than trends. In a fast-moving industry, how do you make something that still feels right years later?
VN I think longevity comes from designing with meaning. It’s natural for trends to find their way into every creative industry. Instead, I try to uncover what’s unique to the people, places or story I’m designing for and build from there. If the work feels honest, personal and beautifully crafted, it has a much better chance of lasting.
I resist the idea that weddings should have a recognisable ‘wedding aesthetic.’
TBI Your work ignores the well-trodden path of the wedding industry. Which of its conventions do you find yourself deliberately working against?
VN I don’t consciously set out to rebel against the industry, but I do resist the idea that weddings should have a recognisable ‘wedding aesthetic.’ The strongest work happens when we stop looking at other weddings for inspiration. Instead, I draw from the people I’m designing for as well as culture, fashion and art. That shift allows each project to develop its own identity.
In a world where so much is fast and fleeting, materiality holds real value. Beautifully crafted objects become keepsakes rather than things to be consumed and forgotten.
My role is to distil the personality and artistic language of each project, and translate that into something that couldn’t belong to anyone else.
I like a sense of surprise, something that shifts expectation immediately.
TBI You’ve mentioned a relationship between materiality, craftsmanship and the digital. How do the handmade and digital sides of your work inform each other?
VN Working with physicality teaches you about weight, texture and scale. It’s a beast in itself, ensuring every quality translates from the screen to the physical.
Designing digitally allows me to think about movement, interaction and accessibility. They are different tools, but part of the same process. What matters is that both begin with the same creative idea.
TBI An invitation is often a guest’s first encounter with an event. How do you design for that moment of opening?
VN I like there to be a sense of surprise, something that shifts expectation immediately. Not shock for its own sake, but a considered reveal that signals the world they’re stepping into. That could come through material choice, typography, an unexpected structure or colour. The goal is to create curiosity and set a tone before anything else.
TBI You’ve built a practice that prioritises collaboration and creative fit over volume. How do you decide which clients are the right fit?
VN I look for alignment. Both in creative direction and in how a client approaches the process. The strongest projects come from clients who see their wedding as a cohesive visual world. There needs to be trust and an openness to explore ideas collaboratively.
It’s quite instinctual. Very early on in a conversation, I can usually tell whether there’s shared language around detail, atmosphere and concept. When that’s in place, the work becomes less about execution and more about building something together.
TBI You run BYV.STUDIO largely on your own, from a home studio. What do you value about working solo, and where do you feel its limits?
VN Working solo gives me a direct connection to the work and the people I’m designing for. There’s no separation between thinking, designing and sharing. I value that a lot. I can move between ideas without having to translate them through layers of communication, which helps preserve original intent.
The limitation is, of course, capacity. There’s only so much one person can hold at once, both creatively and operationally. And there are moments where collaboration or an external perspective would open up directions I might not reach alone.
In saying that, events are produced with the brute force of many creatives. Production, styling, florals, lighting, music and food. I love to understand and distil it all and it is truly a collaboration with us all. I never feel like I’m working alone.
My ultimate goal is creative freedom, and for now, the scale of the studio suits the kind of work I want to make. It keeps things considered, intentional and closely connected.
Start by being honest about the work you actually want to make
TBI What would you say to someone trying to build a practice on their own terms?
VN Start by being honest about the work you actually want to make, not the work you think you should be making. Building a practice on your own terms requires a level of clarity that takes time to develop. For me, it came from paying attention to the kind of work I wanted to spend time on and the type of clients I wanted to collaborate with. You may not get it right the first time, but on a deeper level, it’s about gradually testing, trying and stripping things back until what remains feels completely aligned with you.
TBI You’ve said your best work happens at night, once the emails stop. What is it about that stillness that lets you go deeper?
VN It’s not that I work better at night; it’s that I can finally think without interruption. I find I can go deeper into concepts because I’m not splitting my focus. Music also sounds different at night versus in the day. Don’t you agree? The same song can feel more immersive, emotional or expansive because my mental load has shifted.
TBI Your studio talks about artistic storytelling. How do you incorporate that in your process?
VN Storytelling sits at the core of my process. I start with atmosphere and what something should feel like before anything else. Once that world is defined, every decision becomes a continuation. Typography, materiality, colour, structure.
TBI Who or what are your biggest creative influences?
VN Gosh! I love looking at the histories of different cultures when it comes to the wedding work I’ve been doing. It’s about ‘marrying’ two contrasting cultures, and I love an unexpected clash.
Art and fashion remain a core DNA trait. I always look to my favourite artists and painters like Georgia O’Keeffe, Louise Bourgeois, Magdalene Odundo and modern fashion designers like Jonathan Anderson and Dries Van Noten for their artistry in pattern and textile design.
As well, the production houses that design and produce the sets for fashion runways and events, studios like Bureau Betak (NY), Kitty Events (FR), Starkman Associates (NY), and Kat Milne (NY), who designs for retail.
TBI What are you working on at the moment?
VN I’ve been moving between a range of projects recently – international weddings, brand events, branding and scenography.
Right now, I’m excited about working on the launch of the Adidas x Simone Rocha collection with Australian retailer Incu. It’s been a project that reflects my interest in fashion-led creative work.
As things have evolved, I’ve found myself collaborating with creatives and brands I once looked up to. It’s been really rewarding seeing those relationships shift from admiration to a more reciprocal exchange.