Since it debuted in 2019, the creative typeface used in the popular BAEMIN food delivery app has been turning heads. It bagged Monotype’s international “Type Champions Award” in 2020. And today, BM Daniel — as the custom typeface made specifically for the Vietnamese market is known — earned a top prize in this year’s Red Dot Awards.
The Red Dot Awards recognize the best brands and creative work of the year and are considered one of the three major international design awards besides iF and IDEA Design Awards. The BAEMIN app typeface won the highest award “Best of the Best” under the Brand and Communication Design category.
The BM Daniel typeface received praise for successfully expressing the “charisma, beauty and characteristics of the Vietnamese language.” To win this award, the typeface had to fulfill rigorous criteria such as idea, form and impact. The jury comprised 24 leading independent experts in design and communication from all over the world.
According to a statement by the jury, the BM Daniel typeface has emerged as something “quite special.” Instead of adding the diacritical marks common in Vietnamese above and below otherwise uniformly designed letters, the typeface uses all capital letters and reduces their height so that the marks can all sit between the baseline and the top.
What’s more, the Red Dot judges agreed, “the fantastic idea and playful execution make the typeface look lively and the letters seem to dance.” Because of this, BAEMIN was able to capture a distinctly independent and highly versatile identity.
The typeface was developed by Rice Creative, a Vietnam-based branding and creative agency.
BAEMIN, short for Bae-dal-eh Min-jok, was founded in South Korea. BAEMIN says it’s the number 1 food delivery app in Vietnam in terms of geographical coverage. It delivers in 20 major cities across the country such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Can Tho, Hai Phong, and most recently Bac Ninh, Phan Thiet, Thai Nguyen.
One can’t simply miss BAEMIN’s billboards and branded motorbike drivers spread across the major cities of Vietnam — quite fitting to the challenge BAEMIN gave Rice Creative, “make them boldly stand out in the bustling streets of Ho Chi Minh City.”
Kiwan Ihn, the CEO of BAEMIN’s parent company Woowa Brothers of South Korea said the typeface has played a very important role in reaching Vietnamese users since its inception.
“The design and development of our own font sets have been positively welcomed in Korea,” said Ihn. “We hope with this approach we can further tell unique and wonderful stories of Vietnamese cuisine and help connect up those who participate in the food technology ecosystem.”
BAEMIN also produces familiar stationery “BAEMIN Studio” items with witty names printed in BM Daniel typeface such as Túi Ba Gang, Ly Hộp Bút, Khẩu Trang Luôn Vui Vẻ, Thẻ Quà Tặng or Áo Mưa Tí Tách.