Nguyên Lâm (Anya)
Part speakeasy, part jazz lounge, Almost Blue is a sanctuary for those seeking a quiet escape—whether drinking solo or sharing company. Our identity draws inspiration from the melancholic trumpet of jazz prodigy Chet Baker and the surreal, nocturnal worlds of Japanese author Haruki Murakami.
Explore the visual spirit of Almost Blue below, featuring our custom-designed business cards, signage, menus, and promotional posters.
View Almost Blue case study here & check out Almost Blue website here.
hymns makes up of four members: Hailey Blair, Myrlyn Duong, Nguyen Lam and Stephanie Williams. Our mantra is to create inclusive, human-centered design that spark connections and balance.
Over 14 weeks, we built hymns from the ground up—from initial studio branding and market research to product design. Our journey culminated in debuting a physical prototype at the UIC 2025 Year End Show.
Designed in collaboration with Saja Abuammer and Stephanie Williams.
AlgaeChum is an app created for environmentally conscious young adults. Featuring a friendly and intuitive UX design, the app addresses harmful algal blooms in water bodies by leveraging buoy reports and contributions from community scientists. The app was creeated under Auto-X initiatives, a result of a collaboration between UIC senior design students and researchers at Ostfalia, Germany.
See AlgaeChum case study here.
Best in Show for Contemporary Practice, Year End Show
University of Illinois Chicago, 2025
“In Vietnamese, the word for missing someone and remembering them is the same: nhớ. Sometimes, when you ask me over the phone, Có nhớ mẹ không? I flinch, thinking you meant, Do you remember me?
I miss you more than I remember you.”
Internship
For my internship, as a Graphic Designer at the University of Illinois Chicago’s Business Career Center (College of Business), I worked under guidance of senior designers Marisa Bueno and Emma Lazowski to fulfill diverse marketing requests.
My work included creating digital and print-ready graphics, as well as designing holiday animations, supporting UIC Business’s visual communication needs across platforms.
A collection of graphic explorations spanning personal branding, music-inspired graphic interpretation and motion design practice.
2021–Present
Away from my design desk, I spend my time exploring Chicago's nooks and crannies with a film camera in hand.