Learning Calligraphy Through Nusantara Visual Culture: A Comparative Study of Creative Processes and Visual Identity Formation in Visual Communication Design Students

Ayoeningsih Dyah Woelandhary; Tasri Jatnika

doi:10.61255/jupiter.v4i5.2470

Authors

Ayoeningsih Dyah Woelandhary Universitas Paramadina
Tasri Jatnika Universitas Paramadina

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61255/jupiter.v4i5.2470

Keywords:

Calligraphy learning, Creative process, Nusantara visual culture, Visual communication design, Visual identity

Abstract

Purpose: This study examined how two Calligraphy Branding student projects translated contrasting Nusantara cultural references into contemporary calligraphic identity systems.

Methods: A qualitative comparative case study analyzed documented visual artifacts from Group 2, which used the Yogyakarta Monument, and Group 5, which used Betawi kembang goyang. Cultural reference boards, conceptual maps, sketches, digital alternatives, selected marks, and branding mock-ups were examined through descriptive visual, semiotic, and cross-case analysis.

Findings: Both projects moved from cultural selection to formal abstraction, calligraphic exploration, and branded application, but followed different compositional strategies. Group 2 fused Arabic lettering with a vertical architectural silhouette, whereas Group 5 incorporated Diwani-inspired curves into a six-petal radial emblem. The documented systems maintained recognizable formal and chromatic cues across their proposed media.

Implications: Artifact-based comparison clarifies how culturally anchored design assignments can organize visual experimentation and identity construction; it does not establish individual learning gains, consumer response, or commercial effectiveness.

Originality: The study identifies two contrasting translation strategies and offers an evidence-bounded analytical sequence linking cultural references to calligraphic branding outcomes.

Abstract views: 5 ,

PDF downloads: 7

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abdullah, S. M. A., Toulan, N. M. F., & Amen, A. A.-H. (2024). Effective schematic design phase in design process. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 34, 2005–2039. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-024-09890-w

Abdulmajid, M., & Alamhouj, F. (2025). Scripts in dialogue: Reinterpreting Visible Language covers through bilingual design workshops in Kuwait. Visible Language. https://doi.org/10.34314/501pf513

Abu Hasna, R. H. (2021). The utilization of Arabic calligraphy to inspire modern Arabic type designs. Al-Academy, 100, 277–304. https://doi.org/10.35560/jcofarts100/277-304

Bayırlı, Ü., & Börekçi, N. A. G. Z. (2025). Fictionation: Development and evaluation of an idea generation tool grounded on design fiction. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 35, 1917–1941. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-025-09966-1

Botella, M., Didier, J., Lambert, M.-D., & Attanasio, R. (2022). The creative process and emotions of pupils in a training context with a design project. Journal of Intelligence, 10(4), Article 108. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10040108

Brown, N., & Collins, J. (2021). Systematic visuo-textual analysis: A framework for analysing visual and textual data. The Qualitative Report, 26(4), 1275–1290. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2021.4838

Buschgens, M., Figueiredo, B., & Blijlevens, J. (2025). Heritage yet contemporary: An aesthetic cultural precept explaining diasporic consumer aesthetic appreciation for package design. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 34(2), 158–172. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-08-2023-4682

Chandra, E., & Hasjim, F. (2026). Visual identity design for Swarna Rasa Lokal creative market event. MAVIS: Jurnal Desain Komunikasi Visual, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.32664/mavis.v8i01.2233

Chen, C.-W. (2024). Design pedagogy for enhancing peer learning and creative thinking. Design and Culture, 16(2), 131–143. https://doi.org/10.1080/17547075.2024.2332820

Clancy, S. M., Murphy, L. R., Daly, S. R., & Seifert, C. M. (2024). Iterative transformations for deeper exploration during concept generation. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 34, 267–305. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-023-09813-1

Dariyadi, M. W., Murtadho, N., Huda, I. S., & Hassan, A. R. T. S. (2025). Arabic calligraphy as mosque decoration: Architectural significance in Indonesia. City, Territory and Architecture, 12, Article 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40410-025-00271-x

Fleischmann, K. (2025). Making tacit knowledge explicit: The case for online peer feedback in the studio critique. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 35, 699–721. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-024-09911-8

Garcia-Lazo, V., Donoso, V., Springinzeisz, K., & Jeldres, R. (2024). The potential of visual arts education: Strengthening pre-service primary teachers’ cultural identity. International Journal of Art & Design Education, 43(2), 221–240. https://doi.org/10.1111/jade.12499

Hay, P. (2024). Creative pedagogies: School without walls and forest of imagination. International Journal of Art & Design Education, 43(3), 396–414. https://doi.org/10.1111/jade.12512

Härkki, T. (2023). Mobile gaze tracking and an extended linkography for collaborative sketching and designing. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 33, 379–413. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-022-09733-6

Ifrianti, S., Hasnanto, A. T., & Yuslinda, A. F. (2025). Developing students’ artistic creativity through local wisdom-based project learning. Tadris: Jurnal Keguruan Dan Ilmu Tarbiyah, 10(2), 777–786. https://doi.org/10.24042/tadris.v10i1.20583

Julier, G. (2026). Doing design culture studies; practicing design culture. Design and Culture, 18(1), 11–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/17547075.2025.2575111

Juniati, N., Megawati, V., Hananto, H., & Benarkah, N. (2026). Design ethnography in developing batik motifs as village visual identity: A study of Ketapanrame Village, East Java. Panggung, 36(2), 239–255. https://doi.org/10.26742/panggung.v36i2.4347

Kerr, J., & Kelly, N. (2025). Use of personas in co-designing learning experiences with teachers: An exploratory case study. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 35, 189–207. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-024-09900-x

Khaled, F., & Anderson, J. (2024). Textart, identity and the creative process: A case study with Arabic heritage language learners. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 27(1), 113–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2022.2158721

Kristina, E., Selamet, J., & Brahma, A. (2020). Creating a visual destination brand design for Kotagede’s cultural heritage. Innovation in Media and Visual Design, 1(1), 20–35. https://doi.org/10.31937/imdes.v1i1.1118

Lee, J. H., & Ostwald, M. J. (2024). The impacts of non-perceptual cognition (NPC) on design process and ideation. Research in Engineering Design, 35, 355–372. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00163-024-00438-6

Li, Y., Zhou, X., Byrne, D., & Louw, M. (2024). “Documentation is now so ingrained in me”: How students interpret and value documentation in creative learning domains. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 34, 1987–2003. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-024-09889-3

Lousberg, L., Rooij, R., Jansen, S., van Dooren, E., Heintz, J., & van der Zaag, E. (2020). Reflection in design education. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 30, 885–897. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-019-09532-6

Masnuna, M., & Firmansyah, R. J. (2026). Translating local wisdom into visual identity: An ADDIE-based framework for logo design in Brumbung Village. Gelar: Jurnal Seni Budaya, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.33153/glr.v24i1.8334

McInerney, D. (2023). Insights into product design students’ perception of, and engagement with, creativity in design education. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 33, 1199–1219. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-022-09766-x

Melker, S., Gabrils, E., Villavicencio, V., Faraon, M., & Rönkkö, K. (2025). Artificial intelligence for design education: A conceptual approach to enhance students’ divergent and convergent thinking in ideation processes. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 35, 1871–1899. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-025-09964-3

Mensah Bonsu, F., Wragg, N., Phillipson, S., & Waller, C. (2025). Ghanaian graphic design education: Redefining Western influences and reclaiming indigenous cultures. International Journal of Art & Design Education, 44(1), 80–97. https://doi.org/10.1111/jade.12526

Meyer, M. W., & Norman, D. (2020). Changing design education for the 21st century. She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation, 6(1), 13–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sheji.2019.12.002

Moțăianu, C. (2023). Revitalization of cultural identity using signs-symbols. Design/Arts/Culture, 3(2), 96–102. https://doi.org/10.12681/dac.31649

Mumtaza, T. V., Suwardikun, D. W., & Hidayat, S. (2026). From local wisdom to cultural branding: Visual communication and identity construction in rural bamboo communities. KOMUNIKA, 9(1), 21–34. https://doi.org/10.24042/v7at7931

Novica, D. R., Wianto, E., & Campos, S. A. (2023). Drawing and ideation process in design education: A systematic literature review. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 10(1), Article 2219487. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2219487

Rutherford, S. (2020). Engaging students in curriculum development through design thinking: A course design case. International Journal of Designs for Learning, 11(3), 107–125. https://doi.org/10.14434/ijdl.v11i3.25359

Sawyer, R. K. (2021). The iterative and improvisational nature of the creative process. Journal of Creativity, 31, Article 100002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yjoc.2021.100002

Setiawan, A., & Khamadi, K. (2024). Environmental graphics in strengthening the branding of Jepara carving city. Gelar: Jurnal Seni Budaya, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.33153/glr.v22i1.5871

Sim, Y., & Jung, E. C. (2026). Comparative analysis of hand and VR sketching: Impact of immersion on idea generation in product design education. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 36, 829–860. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-025-10023-0

Simonton, D. K. (2026). Wallas’s four creativity stages, Campbell’s two-stage BVSR, and the three-criterion definition of creativity. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 60(1), Article e70108. https://doi.org/10.1002/jocb.70108

St John, N., & Suhendra, F. (2024). Acknowledging identity and intersectionality: A transformative framework for design education futures. International Journal of Art & Design Education, 43(1), 82–98. https://doi.org/10.1111/jade.12490

Steila, Y., & Erlyana, Y. (2026). A semiotic analysis of Ganep Tradisi Solo visual identity and packaging modernization strategy. Jurnal Desain, 13(3), 1097–1114. https://doi.org/10.30998/jd.v13i3.2869

Sutianah, C., & Sobandi, B. (2022). Project-based learning through digital printing techniques to improve students’ local cultural innovation creativity. Journal of Education Technology, 6(3), 450–458. https://doi.org/10.23887/jet.v6i3.46164

Taha, M. N. A., & Abdelfattah, D. A. (2023). Branding heritage in multi-cultural societies, with special references to preservation discourses. HBRC Journal, 19(1), 337–354. https://doi.org/10.1080/16874048.2023.2272076

van Gameren, M. J., van Diggelen, M. R., & Evers, A. T. (2025). Art and design teachers’ personal rules of thumb while designing instruction for studios. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 35, 1203–1243. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-024-09943-0

Wai, K. H., & Sa-adchom, S. (2024). Designing the visual identity for an educational institution: Enhancing engagement among the Chin ethnic group in Myanmar. Asian Journal of Arts and Culture. https://doi.org/10.48048/ajac.2024.274747

Williams, S., Harris, R., & Allison, C. (2026). Effective visual communication in higher education: Intercultural and cross-cultural design. International Journal of Art & Design Education, 45(2), 492–508. https://doi.org/10.1111/jade.12615

Wu, Y., Xu, H., & Zhu, Y. (2024). An overview of research on the use of intangible cultural heritage in food packaging design. Food and Machinery, 40(6), 111–116. https://doi.org/10.13652/j.spjx.1003.5788.2024.60067

Yazıcıgil, O. F., & Izadpanah, B. (2026). Crafting global typography: Origins, dissemination, and adaptation of naskh types from Istanbul. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 36(3), 503–542. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1356186326101473

Zhao, J., Xie, L., & Huang, Z. (2026). Cultural visual symbols in intangible cultural heritage branding and their effects on cultural identity and brand preference: Implications for cultural sustainability. Sustainability, 18(7), Article 3200. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18073200

Zhu, C., Buckley, J., Klapwijk, R., Spandaw, J., & de Vries, M. J. (2026). A holistic look at creativity: Evaluating pupils’ creative design ideation and prototypes through comparative judgment. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 36, 1019–1046. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-025-10027-w

Zhu, C., Klapwijk, R., Silva-Ordaz, M., Spandaw, J., & de Vries, M. J. (2024). Investigating the role of spatial thinking in children’s design ideation through an open-ended design-by-analogy challenge. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 34, 1733–1762. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-024-09877-7