A logo must be attractive and unique to the brand. More importantly, upon introduction to the public, the logo should be easy to remember, stand out from the competition, be communicated clearly to its users. Regarding Indonesian Geographical Indications (GI) products, the logo must provide a sense of premium quality, guarantee buyers of the product’s authenticity and origins, and it must be able to add value to the GI product which in turn brings higher price to the producers. Having a national logo for Indonesian GIs is very important as it contributes to its national pride, but what is more important is to ensure that the domestic and international markets are well aware of it, the meaning and purpose behind it and thus become encouraged to use it correctly. Therefore, in the branding and promotion of Indonesian GIs, it is urgent to have inter-ministerial cooperation and a comprehensive strategy to communicate the logo to public.
This is the conclusion of an online FGD (Focus Group Discussions) series hosted by the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP) - Ministry of Law and Human Rights, in collaboration with ARISE+ Indonesia on 9 November 2020. The objective of the FGD was to assess the awareness of Indonesian GI logo and to obtain perspectives from participants regarding the design and purpose of the logo.
The Official Indonesian GI Logo was designed and officially released in 2013 by the Ministry of Law and Human Rights. Since its public release, awareness of the logo has been reportedly very low and its application on product packaging and labelling has yet to receive interest among its brand users. ARISE+ Indonesia supports DGIP, in not only revamping the design of current official GI logo but also in developing the branding guidelines to encourage correct use and application of the logo on the branding, labelling and product packaging of all Indonesian GIs.
Official Indonesian GI Logo designed and officially released in 2013
by the Ministry of Law and Human Rights
“We hope that the FGD series will provide a lot of input for the development of the logo which can later be used for the promoting and selling our GI products”
Mr. Fajar Sulaeman Taman, S.Sos., M.Si., M.IPLaw, the Head of Sub Directorate for Geographical Indications, DGIP, Ministry of Law and Human Rights, in his opening remarks.
Mr. Idris Tanjong, Senior GI Verification Officer of GI Sub-Directorate of Directorate of Trademark and GI of DGIP said that ideally when buyers and consumers see the logo, they will immediately know that the products come from Indonesia. He hopes that the new logo will successfully represent Indonesian GI products produced by Indonesian people from Sabang to Merauke, as well as the diversity of the products including fisheries, agriculture, handicraft, and others. He also hopes that with the assistance from ARISE+ Indonesia, the development of the new logo will provide a better logo to promote Indonesian GI products in global market.
“The logo must successfully communicate the particular specifications and quality of the product. It provides a guarantee to buyers that these products are indeed produced by a group of farmers or craftsmen in Indonesia,”
Mr. Idris Tanjong, Senior GI Verification Officer of GI Sub-Directorate of Directorate of Trademark and GI of DGIP
Mr. Hadiyan Wijaya Ibrahim, Head of Marketing and Promotion of Masyarakat Perlindungan Kopi Gayo highlighted, “The GI logo will need to guarantee authenticity of the product, but it will not automatically increase the selling price, as in the case of reputable Gayo Arabica Coffee. Therefore, the challenge is to create a logo that has a strong value that can increase the selling price." For this reason, he added, "The GI logo must be able to give a sense that buyers are getting a worthy and valuable product, something that buyers usually look for from the GI products".
The FGD was held in three sessions on the same day. The first session involved participants from key government institutions including the Ministry of National Development Planning/BAPPENAS, the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The second session involved nine selected GI producers, who were subsequently joined by six high-end retailers for the third session.
During each session, Gambaran Brand and Universitas Pelita Harapan – experts and influencers from the branding and visual communication design field, guided the participants through series of questions and discussions. The ideas that emerged from the FGDs will be constitute valuable inputs to the logo design.
Currently there are over 80 Indonesian GIs for a wide variety of product types, ranging from food and agricultural produce to forestry products through traditional wooden and woven products. One of the issues that the process will have to face is to come up with a logo that can represent the diversity of the products and regions while at the same providing a common identity and yet differentiates itself from the competition.
