Buzz
What if the series of corner bookmarks were no longer printed with images of famous characters, but instead with familiar names from the Vietnamese literary scene?
Talking about a trendy pastime booming among today's Gen Z community, we can't overlook the trend of collecting corner bookmarks. For those unfamiliar, corner bookmarks are printed sheets featuring idols, sold at prices ranging from a few hundred to millions of dong per bookmark.
With demand comes supply, and numerous trading groups of this 'product' have emerged on social media platforms, raking in profits comparable to any industry. Amidst the explosion of the corner bookmark hunting trend, a group of students hasn't stood idly by. However, instead of opting for bookmarks featuring idol images as commonly seen, they've creatively reimagined them in a very distinct way, by incorporating iconic figures from the Vietnamese literary scene into the center of each bookmark.
Revitalizing the corner bookmark hunting trend in a manner unlike any other while spreading love for Vietnamese literature, this group of young friends has garnered numerous praises and encouragement from the public.
The process of reinventing corner bookmarks: Design alone took 7-8 hours
It's no coincidence that these corner-rounded cards were created and drew considerable attention. These special corner-rounded cards featuring literary characters are part of the activities of a club called Nhã tự. This club brings together dozens of high school and college students nationwide, aged 18-19, with the desire to 'preserve, conserve, and provide useful information about literature to the community, especially high school and high school students.'
As of now, the club has released 3 collections of corner-rounded cards, with themes including Modern Prose, New Poetry Movement, and Revolutionary Literature. Each collection consists of 6 corner-rounded cards, priced at 35,000 VND per collection. The individual price for 2 corner-rounded cards is 15,000 VND.
With affordable prices and unique ideas, the project has generated approximately 10 million VND in revenue from corner-rounded card sales. All of this money has been contributed by the students to charity for less fortunate lives.
It's evident that each corner-rounded card is meticulously invested in terms of image, font... creating resonance with many people. Despite the affordable price, on average, each corner-rounded card costs the group about 7-8 hours for all design stages, from selecting author information, drafting, coloring, and adding necessary information...
Among these stages, perhaps the most challenging is agreeing on the design direction regarding the color and layout of the portraits of the authors printed on the cards, as each member has different aesthetic tastes.
The 'sharp profile' of the student group refreshes the corner-rounded cards.
CLB Nhã tự brings together a plethora of young enthusiasts who love Vietnamese literature and aim to spread that passion to the community. Not only impressing with their unique corner bookmark designs, but if you knew the impressive profiles of the key members of the club, you'd be even more amazed.
Let's take a look at profiles of these young individuals:
- Trần Thượng Triều (born in 2004, Co-founder/Head of Project Organization Department of Nhã tự project): Achieved Encouragement Prize in National Literature Olympiad 2021-2022; First Prize in City Literature Olympiad 2021-2022; Silver Medal in Traditional April 30th Literature Olympiad 2020-2021; Second Prize in City Literature Olympiad 2018-2019; IELTS 8.0.
- Châu Thị Thanh Hiền (born in 2004, Co-founder/Deputy Head of Project Organization Department of Nhã tự project): Achieved First Prize in City Literature Olympiad 2021-2022; Gold Medal in Traditional April 30th Literature Olympiad 2020-2021; IELTS 7.5.
- Lê Hoàng Ngân (born in 2005, Head of Professional Department): Achieved Silver Medal in Traditional April 30th Literature Olympiad 2020-2021; member of Ho Chi Minh City team participating in National Literature Olympiad 2021-2022; Head of Fine Arts Club at Tran Dai Nghia Specialized High School.
- Hoàng Nam (born in 2005, Head of Content Department): Achieved Silver Medal in April Extended Literature Olympiad 2020-2021; Head of English Club at Tran Dai Nghia Specialized High School...
The success in revenue and media coverage of the series of corner bookmarks featuring literary characters has demonstrated the club's correct direction in bringing Vietnamese literature closer to students and young people. Although sales display has temporarily halted, this group of students still aims to continue developing this innovative type of corner bookmarks in the future.
'We plan to innovate the format of corner bookmarks with more changes and upgrades. What changes, we're still in the process of discussing and reaching a consensus to make literature more accessible to everyone,' shared a representative from the Nhã tự Club.
Photo: NVCC
