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SEMESTA AKADEMI

Type of Work
Branding & Identity

Type of Client
Academia & Education, Technology

Role
Lead Graphic Designer

Team – Collaborators
* IMG - Maika Collective Studio (Agency)
John Carlo, Phelia Amadea, Shannon Joycelyn
* MMP - Maika Collective Studio

Project Status
Completed

Project Length - Year
4 Months - 2020

Press
The Finery Report

Semesta Akademi is an online learning plaftorm initiated by Samara, Maika Collective and other collaborators; the platform focuses on the Jakarta & Indonesia’s creative industry. It aims to be a forum or platform that brings together creative talents and industry experts so that they can exchange experience and in-depth knowledge through interactive teaching and learning sessions in order to grow a sustainable creative industry ecosystem. Semesta Akademi collaborates with many notable industry icons such as Maudy Ayunda, Gina S. Noer, Thinking Room, Desy Bachir, Agung Hapsah and INFIA.

It offers interactive creative education programs through collaboration with industry professionals and institutions. The goal is to develop quality talents that bring solution and innovation to the creative industry, especially in Indonesia. Semesta provides an engaging and practical curriculum using: Interactive Storytelling Video Technology, Combination of Cohort-Based & Self-Paced Learning, Growth Mindset & Creativity. The platform has launched sometime in late 2021.

A FRESH IDENTITY INSPIRED BY THE INNER WORKINGS OF THE UNIVERSE

Semesta Akademi as a learning hub must have a way of communicating its visual identity — to a new audience; as a new entity that operates in education. The philosophy & naming of Semesta Akademi is inspired by the philosophy of the universe. The identites based off a grotesk sans-serif styled design; the idea is to emphasize the state of modernity within the intersection of academia & technology. The relationship between the primary & secondary type of logo is to portray the cyclical nature of a universe; the components turn in an orbit and rotating on its on axis, signifying a loop.

The Semesta color identity are inspired by the 7-spectrum color of the rainbow; a set of colors embedded in nature.  The colors themselves are re-coordinated from the rich visual history of 1900s Indonesian textbook covers. Infusing the 7-color coordination with the vintage screenprinted tone from the gallery of the textbook covers. The colors selected are meant to push the boundaries of its look as a learning platform — therefore the name is adapted from the famous Javanese term ‘Handayani’ from ‘Tut Wuri Handayani’ (the slogan of Indonesian education) which means ‘pushing’ or ‘to push’. Therefore, paired with ‘Pelangi’ which means ‘Rainbow’ creates a wordplay meaning ‘pushing rainbow’. 

Finding the colors that portrays Semesta Akademi was a laborious yet rewarding process. We dug a little deeper and tried to capture the essence of the visuals found in Indonesian vernacular academic textbooks used in the 1980s & mid 90’s, back when screenprints & risographs were common practice in the early days of Indonesia’s modern graphic design.

The colors were brave & disruptive; some are out of place, some are humorous, some are way ahead of its time. Coinciding with the concept we were developing for Semesta; an inclusive learning platform, trying to disrupt the current online learning scene with deep appreciation towards the learning process; where time isn’t quite linear. With Semesta, everyone with different learning abilities could actually be comfortable growing at their own paces

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