TanTamTrang
Monster WithinExperience design Posters9 works Typography5 sets Photography34 frames
Intro

Dao Trong Tan (TTT) is a Communication Design student from Vietnam, studying at RMIT University in Melbourne. I came to Australia not only to study design, but to learn from the art, culture and histories that shape this place — through posters, typography, photography, 3D and video and experience design.

Journey
School photo as a child

Where it
started

I can’t remember exactly when my love for art began. Perhaps it was never something I consciously chose.

As a child, I simply loved drawing. I would ask adults to draw something for me, then spend hours trying to recreate it. I taught myself through YouTube tutorials, drawing anime characters again and again.

Even when playing with Lego, I rarely followed the instructions. I preferred building things that existed only in my imagination. Back then, creativity wasn’t something I understood. It was simply something I enjoyed.

As a child

Rules and
doubts

As I grew older, that curiosity slowly became an ambition. In high school, I began taking drawing classes to prepare for university entrance exams.

For the first time, drawing was no longer just about imagination. It came with rules, techniques and expectations.

I struggled, questioned my abilities and wondered why something I once loved could suddenly feel so difficult. What used to bring me freedom sometimes became a source of pressure.

In high school

Drawing class with plaster busts
Walking on a university campus

A new
direction

When the opportunity to study abroad came, I chose Communication Design instead of architecture or interior design, the fields I had previously considered.

I knew little about colour theory or visual communication, but I wanted to challenge myself.

It was a decision I never regretted.

Choosing to study abroad

Making it
mean

Over time, my understanding of art began to change. I realised that creating something visually beautiful does not necessarily mean creating something meaningful.

A design can be technically impressive yet fail to communicate anything.

I started to see design not simply as a way of expressing myself, but as a responsibility to communicate, connect and make others feel or understand something.

Over time

Design studio with easels
Selfie with an RMIT lanyard

Not only
beautiful

Today, I no longer believe that art has to be beautiful to be valuable. What matters is the thought, emotion and intention behind it, and whether those ideas can reach someone else.

My perspective continues to evolve with every new experience. Perhaps that is why I have never grown tired of creating.

There is always something new to discover, something to question and something to become.

Today

Still
searching

I am still searching for the kind of artist and designer I want to be.

And perhaps, for now, that search is the most important part of my journey.

For now

Sitting inside a 3D shark mural

Since I was young, my curiosity about art has inspired me to pursue graphic design — not simply as a way to create visually appealing work, but as a way to understand culture, memory and people more deeply.

Before, Reservoir was simply the place where I lived and travelled through every day. Now I understand that this place carries layers of history and culture connected to the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people. The spaces that once felt ordinary now hold deeper meaning for me.

Dao Trong Tan
@tantamtrang
Story

Learning from First Nations artists such as Lisa Waup and Maree Clarke changed the way I think about design. Design is not only visual form; it can also carry memory, culture, history and continuity.

01 Journey
  • 2022 – 2023
  • Digiart Academy
  • 2D, 3D Graphic Design
  • 2023
  • Vietnam → Melbourne
  • 2023 – 2027
  • RMIT University
  • Bachelor of Communication Design
02 I do
  • Graphic design
  • Poster
  • Typography
  • Photography
  • 3D & motion
  • Video
  • Experience design
  • Branding
  • Web design
03 Values
  • Individuality
  • Respect
  • Freedom
04 Tools
  • Photoshop
  • Illustrator
  • InDesign
  • Figma
  • Premiere Pro
  • After Effects