Story Story

STORY

All Great Ideas Start
With a Doodle

All Great Ideas
Start With a
Doodle

Our story might sound familiar. The two co-founding members left their jobs and travelled around the world in search of a new challenge. But why Doodle?

Well, actually, it didn’t start out as Doodle. One morning, while sitting on top of a mountain in Argentina, we talked about Carl Sagan’s book inspired by Pale Blue Dot, a beautiful photograph of Earth taken 6 billion kilometres away. It is a fundamental image that represents us all, human beings.

“What about calling our company Blue Dot?” Nhu asked. “It embodies the principle of putting people at the heart of our work.” “Human-Centered Design, in a nutshell,” Chris added.

We were inspired, and we created Blue Dot Design as soon as we got back to Vietnam in 2018.

But here’s the catch.

It didn’t work. After a few months of testing, Blue Dot failed. And that turned out to be a win. We had started ‘doodling’ to make sense of our failure, and that was a defining moment for who we are today.

Aha! Doodle! “Let’s call it Doodle!”

And that’s how Doodle was reborn – out of the desire for change, to make a bigger impact beyond the ordinary, to embrace the spirit of F.A.I.L. (First Attempts In Learning) to succeed.

Today, Doodle is a passionate team of Strategic, Experience Designers and Design Thinking Instructors & Facilitators who help like-minded clients make great ideas together.

The journey of doodling continues...

Our Founders

Chris Elkin

Founder
Strategy / Brand / Experience Designer
Design Thinking Trainer & Facilitator

Originally from a small town in Northern Ireland, I have honed my professional skills in the world’s most dynamic cities: London, New York, Singapore and currently, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Getting to the essence of a brand, product, or experience and bringing it to life is my speciality. A UK Chartered Marketer and LUMA Institute, Lead Design Thinking Instructor, I work with multidisciplinary teams across a variety of sectors from Finance Services, E-Commerce, FinTech, Healthcare, Education, Real Estate, and more, to design innovative brands, experience, products, and services. I also train leading organizations worldwide to use Human-Centered Design mindsets, methods and toolkits to be better collaborators, problem-solvers and innovators.

Nhu Vo Elkin

Co-Founder
Strategic / Experience / Brand Designer
Design Thinking Facilitator

Born and bred in Saigon, I am a curious-minded soul with a great passion for helping brands and businesses solve their challenges using Human-Centered Design. A LUMA Design Thinking Certified Facilitator, I bring 18 years of customer experience, knowledge, and perspective to design winning strategies, desirable customer experiences, and distinctive brands. My diverse clients range across many sectors such as Finance, Insurance, FinTech, Education, Healthcare, Aviation, and E-commerce. My strength? I speak the many languages of Customer, Business, and Technology. I use this strength to translate challenges into clarity and ideas for my clients. My daily motto: Stay curious.

What We Celebrate

“When you change the way you see things, the things you see change.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

We believe inspiration sparks when you least expect it and are genuinely curious and open-minded.

“Fail fast. Fail cheap. Succeed sooner.”

We don’t believe in comfort zones. F.A.I.L. is the best and fastest way to succeed.

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” – Pablo Picasso

We believe everyone can design. Design thinking is the magic that helps unlock our inner creative self.

“Innovation is interdisciplinary jumps.” – Malcolm Gladwell.

We believe in the power of co-creation and engaging multi-faceted people in the making of things.

“Think like there is no box.”

We love to think in alternative ways for fresh and different ideas.

Dive into the details of the Reimagined Automotive & Mobility

Dive into the details of the Reimagining Healthcare V3.0 Case Study.

Dive into the details of the Bright Futures Case Study.

Why Design Thinking?

Ready to redefine how you think, communicate and collaborate in service of customers?