A Heart-to-Heart Talk About the Fun Behind the Key Visual Design… with ‘Aksornsanan’

The Key Visual helps build an understanding of the festival through the use of images, colors, and artistic composition to create awareness and feeling through posters, logos, and brochures, all to convey the event’s concept. It also decodes local cultural assets, transforming them into design elements—from architecture and performing arts to historical sites, traditional games, and much more.

We invite Asst. Prof. Theerawat Pojvibulsiri, a lecturer in the Department of Visual Communication Design at Silpakorn University’s Faculty of Decorative Arts and the designer behind the name ‘Aksornsanan’, to discuss the behind-the-scenes design and work process that resulted in a cool typography inspired by Arabic script, complete with hidden gimmicks in its details. Let’s take a closer look at the small details behind the work together.

The Design Work of ‘Aksornsanan’

Aksornsanan comes from a blend of ‘Aksorn’ (letters/script) and ‘Sanook Sanan’ (fun/joyful), reflecting a design concept that takes Thai letters and makes them more playful. Ajarn Poj explains that this design style began with his interest in Typography—the art of arranging and designing letters. It has become his signature, to the point that when people think of contemporary Thai graphics and Thai fonts, the name Aksornsanan inevitably comes to mind.

Aksornsanan’s work has previously been showcased to the people of the South during Pak Tai Design Week 2023 for the Baan Bon Mosque neighborhood design project. This work integrated the stories and cultural symbols of the Baan Bon community to reflect its culture at the Baan Bon Market event in 2023. He also left his mark with the ‘Mitr Bamrung Mueang’ project in the Phra Nakhon area for Bangkok Design Week 2023.

From the Theme ‘South Paradise: Ma Tai, Baai Jai Hai Thueng Wan’ to the ‘South Paradise’ Typography

With the theme “Ma Tai, Baai Jai Hai Thueng Wan” (Come South, Be at Ease, Reach for Heaven/Bliss), which intentionally speaks to abstract feelings, the goal was to translate it into a tangible Key Visual. Ajarn Poj explains his technique of turning something concrete, like his photographs, into work that evokes abstract feelings. The distribution of color pairs and the curves of the letters help to create movement and communicate more effectively with people.

The photographs were taken during his travels to various provinces, capturing people, different elements, historical sites, and architecture that Ajarn Poj collected during his trips to the South in recent years. Using photographs has its limitations, as they can appear static and lack movement. Therefore, adding graphic elements like twinkles, triangles, and circles, as well as creating motion in the layout by diversifying the direction of lines instead of just pointing up and down, helped make the work feel more dynamic and evoke more feeling in the viewer.

By pairing colors with the “baai jai” (at ease) emotional palette, four main colors emerged: orange, purple, blue, and olive green, combined with the festival’s two original colors, dark brown and light blue. Orange represents emotional release, purple signifies relaxation, blue conveys tranquility, and olive green represents peace. These colors were also used to represent each province.

A Thai Logo for the First Time, with Inspiration from Arabic Script

As a designer who loves collecting images of letters, signs, and architectural details, Ajarn Poj was reminded of ‘Arabic script,’ with its characteristic elongated tails and flourishes. He began drafting letters that captured that essence while remaining readable and hiding a few gimmicks within the logo.

Ajarn Poj explains that he hid some secrets in the work. In the “sara aa” vowel connecting the “Sor So” (ซ) and “Ror Ruea” (ร), if you look closely, you’ll see the number 3, because this is the 3rd edition of Pak Tai Design Week. The “thanthakhat” (silent mark) on the “Thor Thahan” (ท) was transformed into a ‘check-in pin’ to encourage people to check in at the festival. And the ‘twinkles’ on the “Sor So” (ซ) reflect the word “Paradise,” like a glimmering sparkle from the southern heaven.

A Designer’s New Perspective, and Lessons in the Role of a Teacher

From a designer’s perspective on the South, Ajarn Poj sees a harmonious blend of people from diverse cultures, evident in the food, lifestyle, and way of life. Even when not in a designer’s capacity, while visiting relatives in the South, he has always noticed this. This observation led to a design that reflects a deliberate intention to respect the cultures and practices of people from various ethnicities and religions. Although he is a designer with an outsider’s lens, collaborating with locals helps the design work reflect the community’s identity, respect its culture, and communicate its message most effectively.

In his role as a teacher, it’s the same. Ajarn Poj continuously gathers his experiences to share with his students: how to create designs that everyone can understand, reducing complexity while preserving the identity of cultural assets, and what to consider when working with government organizations and festivals. These experiences have shaped him as a designer and also serve as lessons for students who will step out to become the next generation of designers.

_

Website : pakktaiidesignweek.com

FB & IG : Pakk Taii Design Week

TikTok : Pakk Taii Design Week

Line OA : @pakktaiidesignweek

#PTDW2025 #PakkTaiiDesignWeek #SouthParadise #มาใต้บายใจให้ถึงหวัน