1. Keep the logo intact, with a subtle Tet touch
For many consecutive years, numerous major brands have adopted a familiar approach: keeping the original logo unchanged while adding apricot blossoms, peach blossoms, metallic accents, or small seasonal decorative details in the form of frames. Beyond serving as an avatar, this approach also allows brands to easily create a shared Tet frame for internal teams to use consistently.
Typical example: Nova Group: Over the years, NovaGroup has consistently maintained its original logo and signature blue–white color palette, combined with a simple flat design concept. At the same time, the brand flexibly incorporates Tet elements such as apricot blossoms, red envelopes, mascots, and spring patterns.
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This consistency helps brands preserve the Tet spirit while maintaining clear brand recognition across digital platforms, especially at small display sizes, and reduces the risk of over-designing. This Tet avatar style has appeared repeatedly over the years, particularly among large-scale brands in finance, telecommunications, real estate, pharmaceuticals, and similar industries.
2. Tet avatars in the form of New Year greeting seals
This is another popular Tet avatar style seen across multiple years. Some brands choose to design their avatar as a Tet seal, featuring a framed layout with greetings such as “Happy Lunar New Year” or “Season’s Greetings.”
Typical example: Long Châu Pharmacy and its modern seal-style Tet avatars
This format conveys a sense of formality and credibility, enables quick delivery of New Year messages, and is easy to align with a unified Tet branding system across multiple platforms.
3. Brand mascots appearing more frequently
While Tet avatars previously focused mainly on logos, in recent years brand mascots have appeared more frequently. These mascots embody brand characteristics while being combined with Tet symbols.
Typical example: Be, the ride-hailing brand, featuring its stylized driver mascot
This trend is particularly evident among brands aiming to build closer connections with younger audiences. The avatar is no longer just a recognition tool, but a storytelling device. Each year, the same mascot is retained while being reinterpreted through different Tet concepts.
4. More restrained Tet color palettes
Red and yellow remain popular choices for Tet; however, their usage has become more restrained. Many brands now prioritize their brand colors, adding Tet-inspired textures such as metallic accents or spring motifs as subtle highlights.
Typical example: TpBank: Maintaining its signature purple and orange palette, TpBank subtly integrates modernized Tet elements into the logo, minimizing the traditional red–yellow scheme.
This reflects a branding strategy focused on long-term consistency, where Tet avatars are no longer decorative add-ons but serve enduring brand recognition goals.
5. Limited-edition Tet avatars by campaign phase
Many brands design Tet avatars that incorporate zodiac or yearly themes. Each phase introduces a slight avatar variation, creating a sense of continuity and dynamic interaction throughout the Tet season.
Typical example: Giao Hàng Nhanh with zodiac-themed avatar variations for each year
This approach adds cultural depth and is particularly suitable for Vietnamese brands or those closely tied to local identity.
6. Flat illustration Tet avatars with East Asian patterns
This style features flat design, minimal shading, and clear shapes optimized for small-size visibility. It incorporates familiar Tet symbols such as lanterns, sticky rice cakes, watermelons, and apricot blossoms, making it suitable for brands whose core visual identity aligns with flat illustration.
Typical example: CGV Vietnam with youthful, vibrant flat illustrations that reflect the entertainment-driven nature of a cinema brand
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7. No fixed style for Tet avatars
This approach is commonly used by brands running large-scale marketing campaigns during Tet. The avatar is no longer just a branding asset, but an integral communication tool supporting campaign narratives.
Typical example: Biti’s and its Tet campaign-driven avatars
Summary: Branding and design inspiration for Tet avatar marketing in 2026
Reviewing how leading brands have designed Tet avatars over the years reveals a shared principle: effective design is not about being “visibly Tet,” but about staying true to brand direction. Here are several key inspirations for brands in Tet 2026:
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First, Tet avatars should be part of the brand identity system, not standalone decorative visuals. Whether using flowers, lanterns, or mascots, logo structure and brand colors must remain central to ensure instant recognition, especially on mobile.
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Second, prioritize clarity over complexity. Brands are increasingly reducing excessive illustration in favor of concise visuals that convey the intended New Year message: growth, renewal, or connection.
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Third, long-term consistency matters more than short-term novelty. A strong Tet avatar evolves subtly year after year, balancing familiarity with freshness.
At a broader level, these principles also apply to branding and marketing campaigns overall. Visuals should tell a brand story while remaining flexible across channels and aligned with business objectives. To move branding beyond awareness, brands can combine creative inspiration with SmartAds brandformance solutions. Through native ad formats, contextual distribution, and transparent performance measurement, SmartAds helps brands integrate seamlessly into user journeys and transform attention into engagement, traffic, and real conversions. With the right tools and data support, even a small Tet touch like an avatar can become the starting point for sustainable growth in 2026.
