Hey, I’m Huy and it’s an incredible honor to be featured here on Codrops! I run MONOLOG, a design studio that helps founder-led brands build digital experiences that move people and transform how they are perceived.
I also share what I’ve learned building a studio with 50,000+ designers and freelancers on my socials across YouTube and LinkedIn. And if you came from any of the platforms to read this article, you’re an OG 🫡
If not, no worries! I’d love to introduce you to my world and show you more about who I am and what I do.
My Story
My story starts the way a lot of stories start for kids in Asian households. You study hard. You go to university. You get the safe job. That was the script my parents worked endlessly to carve out for me, and it came from a place of real love and sacrifice.
But I got lucky with timing. I had a 6-month gap before university gave me just enough space to start exploring on my own. I picked up Udemy courses in digital marketing, video editing, and frontend development. Funnily enough, I chose them because I heard you could make bank with those skills.
Out of the three, frontend development was the one that stuck. Surprisingly not because of the money but it genuinely felt good building something cool from scratch by yourself.
Then one evening I stumbled on the Prometheus Fuels site by Active Theory. I remember just sitting there, scrolling through this fully immersive, WebGL-driven story experience and thinking: wait, you can build this on the web?
It didn’t feel like a website. It felt like stepping into a world someone had crafted frame by frame and it gave me a feeling I couldn’t explain. A whole new dimension of what was possible just unlocked in my head. I started diving deeper into creative development, interactive design, motion, all of it.
Everything I was learning, I was teaching myself through YouTube tutorials, documentation, and just breaking things until they worked. That curiosity never stopped and I was HOOKED.
Once I got to university, I started sharing my learning journey on YouTube and also explored designing websites further.
I’d always been inspired by creators on YouTube who documented their process and struggles openly. I thought, I want to put my story through a camera too and I want to tell my story through the things I’m making.
What started as a hobby turned into something I didn’t expect. Clients started reaching out and every hour I spent in a lecture, I felt more disconnected from the traditional 9-5 path I was supposed to be on.
So in my final year of uni, I dropped out, packed my bags and booked a one-way flight back to Vietnam.
I went all in on the one thing I couldn’t stop doing and it was the best decision of my life.
Today I run MONOLOG from Vietnam, working with ambitious brands who care deeply about story and craft. And I get to share everything I’ve learned with a community of creators who are on the same path I was on not that long ago.
This article is a look inside the work, the process, and the thinking behind it. Let’s get into it.
Featured work
OH architecture
One of my all-time favorites. This project was deeply personal for me because I’ve always had a keen interest in architecture, so being able to help OH Architecture refresh their identity and redesign their website felt like an incredible opportunity.
A lot of local architecture websites in Brisbane feel almost interchangeable, so we pushed for something much more distinct and in line with the high-end work the firm actually produces. Through intentional transitions and animations, we crafted an experience that feels calming, smooth, and premium.
The best part is that the site helped them close $2M+ in projects within 3 months of launching, saved them 20 hours a month filtering leads, and won multiple Site of the Day awards on Awwwards, The FWA, and CSSDA.
Supersolid
I love collaborating with creative agencies, so helping the Supersolid team bring their digital experience to life was a genuine joy.
The brief was specific and fun: visually translate the “supersolid” quantum state through shaders, chromatic aberration, and flowmap distortion.
But the other half of the challenge was making it feel digital analog. We spent a lot of time in the small details, from design through to development, communicating that tension through CMYK colors, intentional transitions, blurs, and grain.
Mammoth Murals
Mammoth Murals is a local legend in Alabama, known for their outstanding large-scale murals across the area. Their digital presence didn’t match the energy of their work, so we rebuilt their entire visual identity and website from scratch to carry that same “mammoth” weight.
We leaned heavily into playful details on this one. The contrast between massive typography and spray-paint stop motion sets the tone, and from there it’s layered with small interactive moments throughout that reward curiosity.
Some other projects that I’m proud of recently
Creative Web Manual — an awesome project in collaboration with Ivor. We had 2 weeks for the Contra x Webflow challenge so we went all out as fast as we could.
Backhouse — A recent small launch we’ve completed in four days with very neat details and shader work.
A little bit more about me
Tech stack that I use for my work
I try to keep my tools and tech stack as lean as possible so I can maximize the creative output without friction:
- Figma (for designing)
- Webflow (for frontend)
- Slater/Cursor.ai (for custom code)
- Claude (for everything)
Inspiration
My inspiration is scattered everywhere. I try to stay observant of everything around me whether that’s nature, physical mediums like books, posters, and vinyl covers, or the work of other designers, creatives, and agencies who are constantly pushing boundaries and sharing their craft online.
Inspiration usually strikes when you least expect it so I try to keep myself surrounded by great work at all times. That way when a moment of clarity hits for an ongoing project, the references are already there on my feed or in my environment.
Future Goals
There are a few things I’m looking forward to.
One is doing more work that feels deeply fulfilling. I want to be selective with the projects I take on and go deeper with brands that genuinely care about craft, story, and making something that moves people. The kind of projects where I walk away feeling proud of what we built together, not just relieved it’s done.
The other part is expanding beyond the web. I’m constantly fascinated by how brands are built from the bigger picture. Not just websites, but the full ecosystem of how a brand feels and communicates across every touchpoint. That pull between strategy and emotion is where I want to spend more of my time on in the future.
And honestly, even if web design isn’t a thing in 20 years, I know I’ll still be creating. Whether that’s through VR, spatial design, or something that doesn’t exist yet. My life mission is to never stop making things. Even when I’m 80, I want to be building something.
I also want to keep sharing what I’ve learned along the way with other self-taught creatives who are on the same path I was on a few years ago. If my journey can give someone the confidence to bet on themselves, that’s worth all of the effort.
Final Thoughts
Never stop creating. Love it. Breathe it. And when you need to, rest.
There’s a Japanese saying I carry with me: 一生懸命 (Isshoukenmei). It means to give yourself fully to something with all your might. That’s how I try to approach my craft and my life, and I hope you can too : )
Cheers,
Huy
