The repeating motif was derived from the floral and natural patterns of a tekat, complimented with a combination of two unconventional decorative fonts.
Bulan Bahasa was launched in 1988 by the Malay Language Council to encourage the use of Bahasa Melayu amongst the Malay community in their daily lives. The once-biennial, now-annual event features a slew of performances and activities celebrating the Malay culture in local heartlands with the promise “ilmu budaya mesra”, a knowledge-friendly culture.
We created a new branding and editorial system for Bulan Bahasa collaterals based on the Malay tekat, a type of traditional embroidery with vibrant multi-colour and golden threads. The repeating motif was derived from the floral and natural patterns of a tekat, complimented with a combination of two unconventional decorative fonts. Similar to the English language, vowels are indispensable in Melayu. We deliberately chose to emphasize the vowels with bolder font between thinner consonants. This preset rule determined the use of the floral, heavier typeface and the gently uncoiling accentuations of a lighter font to vary the typeset. We intended to create a loosely structured treatment to better reflect the uneven, less-institutional natural inspirations.