For Joel Jeremy Tanumihardja, what began as a visual identity project in Design Studio became an opportunity to contribute to something larger than a classroom assignment.
As part of the course, students explored visual identity through rebranding projects. Several groups volunteered to develop a new identity for the Faculty of Design at Universitas Pelita Harapan. At the same time, the Faculty was looking for a renewed visual direction. From there, each student developed their own concept and approach.
Among the concepts developed through the project, Joel’s identity was selected to become part of the Faculty of Design’s new visual identity.
For Joel, the opportunity felt especially meaningful. He was working on a real project with the people and community around him.
“Being entrusted with this project is a huge honor, especially because it’s a real project with real people involved.”
The responsibility also brought some pressure. Instead of seeing that pressure as a limitation, Joel found that it pushed him to work harder and give his best throughout the process.
The project gave him a chance to put the lessons of Design Studio into practice. More importantly, it allowed him to think beyond the requirements of a typical student assignment.
Learning to Design with Purpose
One of Joel’s key takeaways from Design Studio was that visual identity requires more than creating something visually appealing.
Through the course, he learned to approach identity design through research, strategy, and purpose. Every visual decision needs a reason behind it, especially when an identity represents a larger community.
“It’s not just about making something look beautiful; every design decision needs to be supported by research, strategy, and a clear purpose.”
This way of thinking also shaped how Joel understood the role of a logo. He reflected on a quote by designer Michael Bierut:
“A brand new logo seldom means a thing. It’s an empty vessel awaiting meaning that will be poured into it.”
For Joel, the quote raises an interesting question: how does a visual identity gain meaning?
A logo does not exist in isolation. Over time, it becomes connected to the people, experiences, values, and stories of the community around it.
That perspective became especially relevant when Joel designed an identity for the Faculty of Design.
Rather than treating the project as an exercise in creating a new visual mark, he had to consider what the identity could communicate about the people and values it represents.
Designing for People
Throughout the development process, one idea continued to guide Joel: design is fundamentally human-centred.
“The main idea I kept returning to is that design is fundamentally human-centred.”
For Joel, design is not something cold or static. It evolves alongside people and culture. At the same time, it can shape how people understand their values and experiences.
This perspective placed people at the centre of his thinking about the Faculty’s identity. The Faculty is a community of students, lecturers, staff, and alumni. Each group brings different experiences and perspectives.
As a result, the project became less about designing an identity for an institution. Instead, Joel considered the people who would give that identity meaning over time.
The process also reflects a broader lesson from visual identity design. An identity is not defined only by how it looks when it is first introduced. Its meaning continues to develop through the people who use it, experience it, and become part of its story.
Reflecting the Faculty’s Direction
For Joel, this human-centred approach also connects with the direction of the Faculty of Design.
The new identity reflects the Faculty’s vision of nurturing graduates who are not only skilled designers, but also individuals with strong values. These include Godly character, creative leadership, collaboration, empathy, and adaptability.
Joel sees these qualities as increasingly important in a changing creative landscape. Technology continues to reshape the way designers work, making these human qualities even more valuable.
“It isn’t something cold or static; it evolves and revolves around people and culture, and it shapes our values and experiences.”
For Joel, adaptability is not simply about keeping up with new tools or technologies. It also means understanding what makes human creativity valuable.
Qualities such as empathy, collaboration, and the ability to understand people remain important parts of the creative process. These qualities help distinguish design as a human-centred practice, even as technology and machines become increasingly capable.
The identity therefore becomes more than a visual update. It also communicates the values that the Faculty hopes to cultivate in its students and graduates.
A Student Project Becomes Part of the Story
Perhaps the most meaningful part of the experience for Joel is seeing a project that began in a classroom become part of the Faculty’s identity.
Student projects often exist within a specific course, semester, and assignment. This project gave Joel a different experience. He could see how design can move beyond the classroom and become part of the environment where students learn and grow.
Looking back, he sees the experience as a reminder that everyone in the Faculty contributes to its identity.
“Whether we are students, lecturers, staff, or alumni, we are a part of a community, and everything we do contributes to shape our surrounding.”
This idea of community also changed the way Joel sees the role of a designer.
Design is not always about creating something independently. Sometimes, it means contributing to something that already belongs to many people.
The Faculty’s identity will continue to evolve through the people who interact with it. This includes current students and lecturers, as well as future graduates and alumni. Joel’s contribution becomes one part of that ongoing process.
“So in many ways, we’re all writing the same story together.”
Designing an Identity Together
Joel’s journey with the Faculty of Design identity began with a Design Studio assignment. The project ultimately became an experience in designing for a real community.
It challenged him to move beyond aesthetics. He had to consider how research, strategy, purpose, people, and values come together in visual identity design.
At the same time, the project showed him how a student’s work can contribute to the place where their own design education takes place.
For the Faculty of Design, the identity represents a new visual direction. For Joel, it represents something more personal: a reminder that designers are not simply observers of the communities around them. They can also help shape those communities through the work they create.
What started as a classroom project has now become part of the Faculty’s evolving visual story. Its meaning will continue to grow through the people who carry it forward.
