Frequently Asked Questions
Mostly individuals and organisations in cultural and research contexts, such as researchers, artists, designers, architects, curators, as well as universities, galleries, museums, publishers, foundations, cultural initiatives, and similar.
Occasionally, we take on selected projects beyond these fields when they call for contextual sensitivity, conceptual depth, and typographic precision.
For custom typefaces, we usually work with international organisations and creative agencies.
Books:
We design publications of all types, from small brochures within larger projects to exhibition catalogues, artists’ books, specialist publications, and monographs.
Visual Identities:
We design visual identities for organisations (including logos, visual assets, and guidelines for continued use) and for events (including posters, printed matter, and digital graphics). Depending on the project, we also design websites, animations, and merchandise.
Typefaces:
We design and engineer retail typefaces and custom typefaces on commission.
For enquiries that seem like a good fit, we typically start with an initial meeting to better understand the project, followed by a quote outlining scope and process in detail for that specific case. Projects then typically move through four phases:
- Preparation
- Development
- Implementation
- Finalisation
We don’t try to persuade anyone toward a particular design. Instead, we aim to develop something that genuinely fits the situation through close consultation, research, and typographic precision, rather than gut feeling or moodboards.
This varies as much as the projects themselves. Shorter engagements can take as little as 2 weeks, while larger projects may span 4 months or more, usually spread out rather than continuous work.
A more precise timeline for your project will be included in the quote.
Most of our projects are between €8,000 and €25,000. Larger engagements can significantly exceed this, while in certain cases we’re also open to projects with much smaller budgets.
Every project we take on is tailored, and so are the fees. We’re happy to discuss your enquiry and prepare a precise quote if there’s a good fit.
Under Austrian copyright law, which applies to our contracts, copyright can’t be transferred or sold. It always remains with the designers of the work. What you acquire are rights of use, which are granted non-exclusively or exclusively and are calculated by type, duration, and scope.
Experience in Culture and Research:
Cultural and research contexts have always been the focus of our practice. Many collaborations continue across multiple projects and over several years, giving us a nuanced understanding of these fields.
Expertise in Graphic Design and Typography:
As both a graphic design practice and type foundry, we bring deep typographic knowledge into all projects, from books and visual identities to typefaces and font production.
Thoughtful and Tailored Approach:
We create custom work through research, exploration, and our own methods and tools, such as our conceptual metaphors system for ideation or Type Tinker (beta) for font exploration.
Direct Collaboration:
Every project is developed closely with Hoang Nguyen and David Gobber and not delegated to others. Trusted partners are only involved where needed and remain under our direction.
Recognition and Trust:
Our work is recognised by The Most Beautiful Swiss Books, Swiss Design Awards, 100 Best Posters, International Poster Competition, and others, featured in various exhibitions and publications, and consistently met with positive feedback from collaborators.
Range Across Scales:
Projects we design hold up across various scales, from individual artists such as Russell Perkins to universities like the Vienna University of Technology and international organisations such as Nike.
Directly with us, Hoang Nguyen and David Gobber, the founders of Nguyen Gobber.
For specific needs like advanced web development, we bring in trusted partners, but we’ll always be transparent about who’s involved in the project.
Yes. While we’re based in Vienna and much of our work happens in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany, we also take on projects across Europe and beyond when the context calls for it.
We speak both English and German.
Since our projects are also international, we often work in English. However, German is our mother tongue, so we’re happy to switch to German whenever that makes sense.
We work best when involved early, ideally before key decisions are made.
Getting in touch with us at an early stage also means you’re more likely to secure our availability in the required time frame.
Yes, of course. We’re happy to meet you over a coffee at our studio in Vienna or online.
Send us a short outline of your project to mail[at]nguyengobber.com.
It’s helpful to include a few words about you or your organisation, the project’s context and motivation, and, if available, a timeline and an approximate budget range.
We’ll respond within a few business days. If there’s a good fit, we usually schedule a meeting to learn more about you and the project, followed by a quote outlining the suggested approach, scope, timeline, and fees. We remain available for any questions throughout the process.