Does Sinh Vũ take on small projects?

Sinh Vũ serves individuals, SMBs, and enterprises. Each tier has a suitable scope and approach. Small project clients often start with a 30-minute Coffee chat (free) or a Workshop/Audit to get the right direction before investing.

Self-brief, or do you need Sinh Vũ to assist with the brief?

Both are fine. Door 01 Detailed form for you if the scope is clear. Door 02 Chat with Sinh Vũ (5 minutes, AI asks the right questions) for you if the scope is unclear and needs consultation first.

How long from brief to the first deliverable?

Sinh Vũ responds within 24 hours. Detailed proposals within 48–72 hours. The first deliverable depends on the scope, typically 2–6 weeks from contract signing and deposit receipt.

What industries does Sinh Vũ work in?

300+ projects across 16 major sectors: F&B, Cosmetics, Fashion, Real Estate, Technology and SaaS, Manufacturing, Education, Healthcare, Finance, Travel, Agriculture, B2B professional services, and other sectors.

Is there a contract and confidentiality?

Yes. Every project signs a standard service contract from Sinh Vũ Studio, including clear confidentiality (NDA) and intellectual property terms. Briefs are stored separately, accessible only to the responsible team.

If you only have the budget to produce one version, which ratio should you choose?

Choose 1:1. A square ratio works well on Facebook, Instagram, and many other placements without severe cropping. This is a practical backup option when the production budget is limited, although it is not as optimal as using the correct ratio for each placement.

Do you need to export separate ratios for each platform, or will the platform cut them for itself?

The platform can cut automatically, but the results are often unsatisfactory: logos may be obscured, text may be cut off, and products may lose their framing. Sinh Vũ recommends exporting the correct ratios for each main position in the campaign. Three versions in 9:16, 4:5, and 1:1 cover most social media needs without excessive production effort.

Choose the aspect ratio for each advertising position

Quick summary

There is no optimal coverage ratio for all placements. The concise principle is: 9:16 for Reels and Stories, 4:5 for feeds, 1:1 as a backup for multiple placements, and 16:9 when uploading to YouTube or horizontal screens. More important than choosing the ratio is creating the key visual that has already considered the safe area so that all cuts are readable and still recognize the brand.

Quick comparison

You should choose this direction when

9:16 when the campaign is live on Reels Stories TikTok
4:5 when in a square is the Facebook Instagram feed occupying more space than 1:1
1:1 when you only have a limited budget for a single output but need to cover multiple positions.
16:9 when published on YouTube, websites, or horizontal screens.

Not needed when.

Use a horizontal cutout to highlight characters or products that are cropped.
place the logo and text on the edge to create a layered interface effect

A question about aspect ratio that seems technical, but is actually about where customers will see your images. Each position has its own frame, and each frame sets specific limits on layout, font size, and areas obscured by interfaces. Understanding the principle once helps you make decisions faster without needing to ask again for each campaign.

The three core ratios you need to know.

According to the specifications from the Meta Business Help Center, the following three ratios cover most popular social media advertising positions today:

9:16, vertical full screen: for Reels and Stories on Instagram and Facebook, and TikTok. This ratio occupies the entire phone screen, creating the largest presence.
4:5, medium vertical: for Facebook and Instagram feeds. Takes up more vertical space than square images but is not cropped by the platform.
1:1, square: multi-position backup version. Can run in many places without severe cropping, suitable when only one version is produced.

Add 16:9, full screen when the campaign is broadcast on YouTube, websites, or presentation screens.

When to choose which ratio

Using 9:16 as the base when the campaign primarily lives on Reels, Stories, or TikTok. Creating vertical first and then cropping to 4:5 and 1:1 is easier than the reverse, as the vertical frame contains more information than the horizontal frame, making it less lossful to shrink the display area than to stretch it.

Using 4:5 as the base when the campaign focus is on Facebook and Instagram feeds, and the budget is insufficient to create an additional 9:16 version, or the content is not suitable for full-screen vertical video format.

Safe zone: a factor that is often overlooked

The safe zone is the layout area where important information should not be placed, as platform interface elements like account name bars, call-to-action buttons, and ad labels will overlap. The Meta Business Help Center specifies: leave space at the top and bottom for these interface elements.

The simple principle: the logo, product name, price, and main message must be within the core area of the frame. Placing them too close to the edge results in lost information, not a fault of the platform.

Creating the key visual correctly.

The issue is not about how many ratios are produced, but whether the original key visual was created with a multi-ratio mindset from the start. If the original layout only considers one frame, all subsequent cuts will be patchwork.

Sinh Vũ's approach: design the original key visual that defines the core area containing visual highlights and main text, with the area extending to the edges being a space that can be cut or left open. According to the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science, regardless of the changing proportions, distinctive brand assets must remain intact so that every cut is still recognized as the same brand. This is a minimum requirement, not an option.

Different ratios do not mean different brands. Every cut must recognize each other immediately.
Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science, research on distinctive brand identity signals.

Common errors when addressing ratios

Create a horizontal version and then cut it into vertical, resulting in characters or products with missing heads or feet.
Position the logo and text too close to the edge, getting obscured by the platform's interface when displayed.
Transferring the original print design or billboard to social media without recalculating the proportions and font size on mobile screens.
Exporting too many duplicate ratios just to have them, while the actual platform only uses two or three versions.

Sinh Vũ's viewpoint

Sinh Vũ delivers the original key visual along with a set of variants that are correctly scaled for Meta and TikTok, along with adaptation guidelines specifying which scale to use for which position. The goal is for your internal team to create additional variants later without deviating from the brand.

One thing Sinh Vũ needs to clarify: Sinh Vũ does not place or buy ads. The final decision on the ratio for each specific campaign is made by your media team based on where the budget is allocated. Sinh Vũ provides the right asset framework, and the media team uses that to implement. These are two different tasks that need to be clearly assigned from the start so that no one is waiting on anyone else.

The tool brings back.

Decision checklist

Topic: Choose the aspect ratio for each display position. Sinh Vũ guide, sinhvu.com

0 more than 7 items

Select each item you find appropriate, then print or save as PDF to take with you.

Sign indicating that you should take action

9:16 when the campaign is live on Reels Stories TikTok
4:5 when in a square is the Facebook Instagram feed occupying more space than 1:1
1:1 when you only have a limited budget for a single output but need to cover multiple positions.
16:9 when published on YouTube, websites, or horizontal screens.

Questions to answer before deciding

Where will your upcoming campaign primarily run, on Reels or in the feed?
If there is only a budget to produce one version, which ratio should be chosen?
Do you need to export separate ratios for each platform, or can the platforms crop them themselves?

If you have marked most of the signs above, this is the time to discuss in more detail. Sinh Vũ can help you review and propose a direction.

References

Meta Business Help Center, ad specifications by location. Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science, research on distinctive brand assets. Practical experience from Sinh Vũ Studio.

Frequently asked questions

If there is only a budget to produce one version, which ratio should be chosen?

Choose 1:1. The square ratio works well on Facebook, Instagram, and many other placements without severe cropping. This is a practical backup option when production budgets are limited, even though it is not as optimal as using the correct ratio for each placement.

Do you need to export separate ratios for each platform, or can the platforms crop them themselves?

Platforms can cut themselves, but the results are often unsatisfactory: logos get obscured, text gets cut off, products lose their framing. Sinh Vũ recommends pre-exporting the correct ratios for each key position in the campaign. Three versions in 9:16, 4:5, and 1:1 cover most social media needs without excessive production effort.