ALMA AMARANGGANA

BRAND STRATEGY & VISUAL ARCHIVE

Jiwa Kultura:
The journey to celebrate Indonesia

LONDON, 2024

Industry : Culture | Creative Practice
Studio : Personal
Role : Research and Development
Result : A transformative tool that helps Indonesian designers reconnect with cultural roots, embedding identity into process and reshaping design practice.

Jiwa Kultua aims to reclaim and integrate cultural identity into design as a transformative journey. By fostering a community that values respect, responsibility, and authenticity, we strive to create a design culture that truly reflects the spirit of Indonesia.

Jiwa Kultura addresses the disconnection many Indonesian designers feel from their cultural identity due to project-driven work practices. Rather than simply showcasing cultural elements in final design outcomes, the project embeds Indonesian cultural identity throughout the creative process, fostering a natural and intrinsic connection between designers and their heritage.

The initiative highlights traditional philosophies and values, offering a holistic approach to cultural design integration.

At Jiwa Kultura, our mission is to empower and inspire Indonesian designers to infuse their creative processes with the rich essence of Indonesian life philosophy.

Challenge

Indonesian designers often struggle to incorporate cultural identity meaningfully in their work, limiting both personal expression and the broader recognition of Indonesia’s living culture. The challenge was to create a framework and tools that enable designers to reconnect with cultural roots, integrate identity into their process, and influence industry perceptions without relying solely on visual motifs.

Approach

We developed Jiwa Kultura through a four-stage design methodology—Definition, Divergence, Transformation, Convergence—inspired by Matt Cooke’s design process model.

Conducted in-depth research, including interviews with local and international designers, and cultural exploration of Indonesia’s traditions and philosophies.

Developed a transformative design framework grounded in three principles: Environment, People, and Belief, emphasising authenticity, respect, and responsibility.

Created tools and touchpoints that allow designers to apply cultural identity in practice, including workshops, challenges, and an online community.

Iteratively tested and refined the framework based on user feedback to ensure it is practical, inspiring, and adaptable across creative disciplines.

The Story So Far

Jiwa Kultura provides a comprehensive framework and ecosystem for Indonesian designers to embed cultural identity in their work:

Jiwa Kultura: Journey – an open-source hub for sharing frameworks, articles, and resources, centralising knowledge and inspiration.
Jiwa Kultura: Workshop – hands-on sessions allowing designers to apply the framework and collaborate with peers.
Jiwa Kultura: Challenge – competitions that showcase innovative, culturally-rooted design solutions.
Jiwa Kultura: Community – an online space for exchange, collaboration, and mutual support among designers.

The project successfully bridges the gap between cultural identity and contemporary design practice, inspiring designers to celebrate, revitalise, and integrate Indonesian heritage in meaningful, process-driven ways.