Tracing Identity Through Typography: Revisiting Brand x Type at ADGI Design Week 2025
Brand x Type emerged as one of the most talked-about showcases at ADGI Design Week 2025, held at Taman Ismail Marzuki. Over five days, typographic installations scattered across the exhibition space drew visitors into long conversations about letters, brand identity, and the future of graphic design. With its sharply defined focus on the relationship between brands and typography, particularly custom-designed typefaces created for visual identity needs, the exhibition offered a concentrated lens on one of the industry’s most fundamental design pillars.
The showcase highlighted how Indonesian designers and type foundries construct type systems that function as strategic languages, shaping public perception of a brand. Grafis Masa Kini spoke with Gumpita Rahayu, Founder & Design Director of Tokotype, to explore the ideas and possibilities that emerged through this exhibition.
At the heart of Brand x Type’s curatorial framework lies a foundational question: what makes a typographic system truly capable of supporting a brand’s identity? In recent years, Gumpita has observed rapid growth in typography, not only internationally but also within Indonesia’s evolving design landscape. Typography, he noted, increasingly serves as a structural force shaping how a brand is perceived rather than just a decorative visual element. This understanding influenced the exhibition’s curatorial priorities, which, according to Gumpita, centered on the process and reasoning behind letterforms designed for specific functions. “The curation focuses on how a type foundry or type designer works systematically; from research and fundamental structure-building to character consistency and testing within real-world implementations.”
Selection criteria also emphasized the ability of a type system to maintain a brand’s character without sacrificing readability–recognizing typography as a vital component of any design ecosystem. “A strong type system should be resilient across various usage scenarios. If a logo can be seen as the brand’s face, typography is its soul, strengthening the maturity and character of its visual identity,” Gumpita affirmed.
Looking at the industry today, a significant shift has become increasingly visible: corporations are recognizing the strategic value of proprietary typefaces. Where brands once relied heavily on widely available commercial fonts, more companies now invest in custom-designed systems tailored to their needs. For Gumpita, this shift places typography at the very center of identity strategy.
This approach also offers greater stability. Brands no longer need to depend on third-party licenses or risk copyright complications. From a narrative standpoint, custom typefaces provide a more precise and authentic representation of a brand’s identity. And for designers, this trend opens wider opportunities to contribute to the broader visual direction of industries. Typography is now understood as visual infrastructure, one that has a direct impact on how brands communicate and compete.
Aligned with these shifts, Brand x Type sets out to challenge conventional perceptions of typography: that letters are not merely visual tools to convey information, but languages that carry rhythm, emotion, and meaning. “By presenting designers and brands that truly build typefaces for their own needs,” Gumpita explained, “the exhibition allows the public to see firsthand how the style, structure, and tone of a typeface shape the way an identity is read and interpreted.”
The wide range of approaches displayed, some rooted in historical references, others driven by digital requirements, revealed the expansive spectrum of possibilities in type design. The presence of diverse local talents underscored typography’s role as a linguistic system that guides perception, serving as evidence that type design is an inclusive and evolving field.
One of the most striking observations from this year’s ADGI Design Week was how Brand x Type became one of the event’s most crowded segments. Visitors ranged from students and young designers to the general public, many of whom were encountering the world of typography more deeply for the first time. “Alhamdulillah, the exhibition was quite packed!” said Gumpita. The enthusiasm demonstrated that typography remains a highly relevant design practice.
For Gumpita, this relevance stems from typography’s position as the foundation of all visual communication design. In an era where information moves rapidly and visuals function as everyday language, younger generations now understand that knowledge of letterforms is a structural necessity that shapes how information is read and felt. “The discipline offers both technical depth and room for exploration, making it continuously engaging, whether for practitioners seeking to understand letterform construction or for design enthusiasts becoming more sensitive to form, function, and context,” Gumpita concluded.
Brand x Type ultimately highlights an important moment: Indonesia is entering a phase where typography has become a fertile ground for exploration. The presence of numerous type foundries and type designers signals the rapid growth of this ecosystem. In a competitive global landscape, Indonesian designers’ ability to build custom type systems for major brands marks a new wave of opportunity, both locally and internationally. Brand x Type stands as a platform showcasing how these practices are shaping a new visual identity for Indonesia; one that is bolder, more expressive, and unmistakably its own.
