'Tying the Knot' as the Visual Identity of Bintaro Design District 2025 by Satu Collective
Bintaro Design District (BDD) returns this year with the theme “Lintas Batas”, which will be held from October 22 to November 1, 2025. This year, BDD invites designers, architects, and creative practitioners across disciplines to revisit the notion of “batas” in both design practice and everyday life. The theme stems from a reflection on how boundaries– that were once rigid and absolute– have been increasingly blurred, and shifting, as it opens itself to new interpretations.
Seto Adi Witonoyo from Satu Collective, who once again serves as the design director for BDD 2025, explains how the theme has been translated into a visual identity: “We interpreted the theme ‘Lintas Batas’ quite literally through the creation of this year’s logo. We found this approach to be the strongest both visually and conceptually,” he said. In the process, Satu Collective chose the image of a rope, specifically a paracord, as the core visual element.
According to Seto, the rope symbolizes the various design disciplines that intersect, overlap, and eventually come together into a knot. “That knot represents unity and the potential for collaboration. Different paths are tied into a single bond, symbolizing the hope for a meaningful, cross-disciplinary cooperation,” he added. The choice of paracord as a visual core came from a series of discussions with BDD’s curatorial team, which has been reflected in their curatorial statement.
This year’s visual approach differs from its previous iterations. In BDD 2024, the theme focused on the human relationship with material, and emphasized the tangibility and human imprecision that is organic in creation. The visual elements were designed to reflect the idea and expressed through a responsive and interconnected manner.
Satu Collective took a different direction in their design of the visual identity through the use of a non-interactive object: the rope. “We highlighted the tension between the desire to engage and the boundaries people hope to cross. The rope here is not just an object, but a metaphor for the creative and collaborative processes that bind many participants in BDD,” said Seto. This approach underscores the tension between the impulse to transcend boundaries and its realities that remain present– and consistent–in daily practice.
Typography has also become a focal point in crafting the visual identity design for BDD 2025. “We deliberately created a logotype that appears chaotic, imprecise, and rejects the conventional order,” Seto explained. This move was intended to disrupt the visual continuity over the past editions of BDD and reexamine the foundations of typographic systems in their use. “We wanted to return to the basics—and to question what makes a letterform legible, and how it can be distorted yet still carry meaning.”
The resulting logotype reflects the tension between boundaries and experimentation in design, which aligns with BDD’s mission to spark interdisciplinary conversations and promote exploration throughout their visual communication. BDD 2025 aims to expand the public understanding of how visual language responds to complex themes.
BDD has consistently brought different themes each year, which, according to Seto, has brought excitement. “One of the interesting things about BDD is that for every year, a completely new theme awaits. This gives us opportunities to keep experimenting and search for new visual forms,” he said. The uniqueness of each year’s theme also allows Satu Collective to develop a cohesive visual narrative that triggers dialogue. “We try to interpret each theme through one central object that can serve as a comprehensive representation. This approach enables us to build a cohesive narrative while opening up room for cross-disciplinary discourse. This year, paracord serves as that visual language.”
The knot is not only a physical form but also a symbol of meaningful connection. It embodies the philosophy of “Lintas Batas” offered in this year’s theme. In the present day, boundaries that once defined life no longer function as they used to. One of the outcomes of this erosion is the emergence of the term “designer.” BDD 2025 reflects on its Indonesian translation, “perancang”, derived from the word “rancang” and defined as “a stake with a sharp end driven into the ground (used as a marker, boundary, etc.),” according to the Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (translated as Official Bahasa Indonesian dictionary). In this sense, the paracord knot becomes a metaphor for collaborative work, interdisciplinary crossings, and the convergence of ideas into an inclusive space.
For Satu Collective, this project is not just about creating a visual identity but also about responding to the challenges and opportunities presented by BDD’s theme. By crafting a layered visual system, they hope to offer an experience that is not only an aesthetic matter amongst designers, but also conceptual enough to invite public questioning. The logo, typography, and its applications across the physical public spaces are designed to help people feel the tension and potential of crossing boundaries.
Through the theme “Lintas Batas”, BDD 2025 invites all of us to reexamine the limits that have shaped how we think, create, and interact. With a visual language born from the metaphor of the paracord knot, BDD 2025 affirms the importance of collaboration and the courage to continue venturing into uncharted territories. In doing so, BDD once again highlights the role of design in responding to contemporary challenges and continues to open new terrains for the creative community.
