Studio Woork collaborates with non-designers for the identity of the 77th Indonesian Independence Day

17 August is Indonesia Independence Day, which marks the country’s declaration of independence from the Netherlands in 1945. This year Studio Woork, a graphic design studio in Jakarta focused on branding, editorial and creative direction, among other avenues, has won the work for the entire national identity. Completed in only two weeks by creative director and project lead Io Woo, plus the rest of the Studio Woork team, the project is collaborative at its core – in fact, the studio worked with various non-designers to conceive the final identity. At its centre is a dynamic 77 logo that, through various interlocking forms, represents seven distinct prayers and philosophies for the nation.

In a press release, Studio Woork states: “Over the last two years, Indonesia has faced a number of challenges and historical tests. Indonesians across the country are experiencing social anxiety and severe economic pressure.” This landscape has informed this year’s theme – “Recover Faster, Rise Stronger” – which is visually distilled in various ways across the work.

The identity is also hugely collaborative. “Everything was done with the spirit of gotong royong (in literal meaning ‘mutual assistance’),” the studio explains, “a conception of sociality ethos familiar to Indonesia.” So that the final work would reflect a democratic outlook, Studio Woork teamed with a multitude of collaborators on the work – from creative workers in the graphic design industry to office workers, pedicab drivers and herbal medicine workers. The Jakarta practice explains this approach offered a more “comprehensive perspective of national insight”, which is crucial when creating an identity representing an entire nation. The idea was that each collaborator would offer suggestions and criticisms of the logo and visual direction before a final identity was chosen.

Alongside a striking red and white palette, a swooping 77 logo features across the work. Designed with optimism in mind, the logo’s hidden philosophies are broken down by the studio in the press release. Firstly, the shape of the 77 can also be interpreted as two upward arrows, “representing the accelerating movement in improving Indonesia’s condition to recover faster and rise stronger”: The slanted lines, which can be spotted at the logo’s corner edges, are inspired by “the head of the Garuda Pancasila [the national emblem of Indonesia]". Meanwhile, two curved lines at the base of the numbers represent the synergy and hope required to work towards a goal of optimism.

To celebrate Independence Day across socials, Studio Woork has also created the Indonesia’s 77th Anniversary Instagram filter, which can be accessed via the @studiowoork account.