The Archipelagic Spirit in Museum MACAN's New Identity
Celebrating its 7th anniversary, Museum MACAN proudly introduces its latest visual identity, designed by its in-house design team. With a dynamic approach, this visual identity symbolizes openness, diversity, and transformation—reflecting Museum MACAN's growth over seven years in fostering interdisciplinary education and cultural exchange. The new identity is inspired by the concept of Nusantara, embodying the interconnectedness of Indonesia’s vast archipelago, where connections between islands create space for diversity. Grafis Masa Kini had the opportunity to discuss this visual identity with the Museum MACAN team.
In its 7th year, Museum MACAN aims to reflect its growth and role in the community through a refreshed visual identity. Venus Lau, Director of Museum MACAN, further explained that over the past seven years, Museum MACAN has become more than just a space for art exhibitions; it has become a platform connecting people, ideas, and cultures. “The new identity captures the transformation, emphasizing openness, inclusivity, and commitment to fostering multi-perspective dialogues,” Venus said. The birth of this new visual identity aligns the museum’s “face” with its vision and mission as a dynamic space for cultural exchange and interdisciplinary learning.
With a strong purpose, the process of designing this visual identity was thoroughly thought out. Cindy Tan, Deputy Director of Museum MACAN, explained that the project was successfully implemented through close collaboration across departments at Museum MACAN. “The project was successfully executed through close collaboration across multiple departments in Museum MACAN. This amazing collaborative project led by the Design team to carry the process, overseeing planning, research, workshops, and visual development to ensure brand consistency,” said Cindy. Input from focus group discussions, questionnaires, and cross-team workshops was also carried out to provide crucial insights for decision-making regarding brand awareness, communication tone, and values to highlight. Cindy Tan added, “This collaborative, cross-departmental approach ensured a cohesive and effective project implementation.”
Regarding the design concept, Museum MACAN's new visual identity is rooted in Nusantara, starting from the idea of the archipelago and evolving into an archipelagic mindset. Astari Wisesa, Head of the Design Department at Museum MACAN, explained that this approach views Nusantara as a way to understand unity in diversity and find connections that are not always directly visible—values also reflected in the internal design team’s process. More specifically, Sonya Putri, Senior Graphic Designer at Museum MACAN, stated that the design process began with maintaining a local perspective to highlight connections to Indonesian identity and build a sense of community among Indonesians. “Instead of seeing the archipelago as merely an object, we took the perspective of Nusantara as an ‘idea’ that connects all these thousands of islands, embodying an archipelagic perspective,” she added.
Indonesia's unique geography became a significant foundation in the Museum MACAN design team’s visual exploration. The museum's latest logo was designed with lines representing various geographical features: slashes, cuts, and square angles. According to Sonya, these cuts symbolize openness, while the square angles reflect the institution’s multi-perspective values. “As an extension of that concept, we also propose a dynamic logo concept that can be stretched and shrunk according to a specific grid. Further incorporating the idea through varied elevations drawn from Indonesia’s landscapes–from the mountains to the valleys, the coastlines to the ocean. Those elevation elements serve as the guiding framework for the dynamic logo configuration that complements the overall branding,” she added. The Museum MACAN design team also conducted independent research for the color identity, involving inspiration drawn from various objects and subjects across Indonesia. Selected colors were sourced from traditional homes, traditional clothing, and unique landscapes from Sabang to Merauke, like the green of Leuser National Park in Aceh, the pink beaches of Nusa Tenggara, the blue waters of Raja Ampat, the snow of Puncak Jaya, and the rich spectrum of colors found in the endemic flora and fauna from various regions of Nusantara. “This extensive exploration has resulted in a more expansive palette that showcases vibrant hues reflecting Indonesia's rich plurality, with color serving as a powerful symbol of diversity. Conveying deeper meanings that align with the institution’s vision to honor inclusivity and multicultural perspective,” Sonya said.
Not only drawing inspiration from the essence of Nusantara, Museum MACAN also showcases its growth and transformation through its new visual identity. In bringing this to life, the museum’s design approach emphasizes the present and future, deliberately steering away from past visual elements. Astari explained that this visual direction is rooted in research findings, particularly regarding the demographic shift of the museum's primary visitors from Millennials to Gen Z. “This shift has influenced our design choices, as Gen Z—being digital natives—leans toward bold, vibrant, and unconventional designs, drawn to striking typography, dynamic layouts, and eye-catching color,” she said. In response, throughout the process, Museum MACAN continued to develop its visual identity to create a bold and contemporary look that resonates with this audience. In practical terms, research conducted with the Visitor Services & Facilities Department revealed the need to enhance the visibility of Museum MACAN sub-brands, such as Shop at MACAN and MACAN Society. “To address this, we redesigned their logos and integrated them more seamlessly into the museum’s overall brand architecture, ensuring they are more cohesive, impactful, and aligned with the museum’s evolving identity,” added Astari. Beyond this, as a manifestation of Museum MACAN’s commitment to being more open, inclusive, and welcoming, the design team created intuitive, easily understood icons that bridge language barriers and provide clear guidance for visitors of all ages and abilities, including those with diverse cognitive and physical needs. “We hope these updates will contribute to a more engaging and accessible experience for our visitors,” Astari concluded.
The birth of Museum MACAN's new visual identity, rooted in the core values of openness and diversity, aligns with the museum’s growth as it reaches a new age. Venus Lau emphasized that these two values are vital components of every program created at Museum MACAN. For her, by collaborating with artists, communities, and curators from various backgrounds, Museum MACAN strives to bring diverse perspectives into each of its exhibitions. “We also create a variety of accessible and educational public programs that engage people from all ages, abilities, and cultural backgrounds, ensuring that everyone feels welcome in the museum,” Venus added. Furthermore, Museum MACAN openly partners with various local and international institutions to promote cultural exchange, introducing Indonesian art to global audiences while bringing international artists and dialogue to Indonesia. “Through these efforts, we ensure that openness and diversity remain core to our mission and impactful for our visitors,” Venus said.
Cindy Tan added that in the future, Museum MACAN's programs will involve more collaboration with schools, universities, and diverse community groups, encompassing various backgrounds and abilities. This approach is twofold: through sponsored school visit programs, they welcome students from public schools and underserved communities in the Greater Jakarta area to enjoy exhibitions alongside the Education team, as well as outreach programs where the Education team visits these public schools and communities. Additionally, Museum MACAN collaborates with various partners and diverse communities—including dance, music, film, culinary arts, poetry and literature, drawing and illustration, and even yoga and meditation—to deliver engaging and enjoyable programs. “We are also the first museum in Indonesia with a sign language exhibition guide, and we provide sign language training for our museum staff, in a mission to make the museum more accessible to the deaf community,” Cindy added. To reach audiences beyond the museum walls, MACAN actively shares inspiring curated content on its social media platforms, tailored to the characteristics of audiences on each platform.
The Nusantara values of openness and diversity have been brought to life by Museum MACAN’s design team through a warm visual identity that brings the museum closer to its visitors’ hearts. This new identity is not just a visual symbol but also a reflection of Museum MACAN’s journey to continually grow as a platform connecting people, embracing fresh ideas, and celebrating the richness of Indonesian culture. With this vision, Museum MACAN affirms its role as a safe space where open dialogue can flourish, and meaningful connections can be made, uniting communities in profound and hopeful ways.
