VM2020 logo emits strong Malaysia vibes, says graphic designer
A Penang-based graphic designer said the new Visit Truly Asia Malaysia 2020 (VM2020) tourism campaign logo, which was unveiled by the Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on July 22, truly reflected what the nation was all about. (BERNAMA)
A Penang-based graphic designer said the new Visit Truly Asia Malaysia 2020 (VM2020) tourism campaign logo, which was unveiled by the Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on July 22, truly reflected what the nation was all about.
The VM2020 logo was designed by 23-year-old graphic designer Alfred Phua Hong Fook, who had beaten over 500 other entries in a competition held between March 11 and March 24 after the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture decided to scrap the previous version.
Danz Chee, who has 15 years of logo design experience under his belt, said the official VM2020 logo has brought out strong “Malaysia” vibes with its simplistic Batik-style design, the fitting colour scheme of “Jalur Gemilang”, as well as the usage of iconic national trademarks, which are the rhinoceros hornbill, the red hibiscus and the wild fern known as “paku pakis”.
“I’ve checked out other entries from the contest, some of which are pretty well done, but I personally find the winning logo really screamed out what Malaysia is really all about,” Chee told Bernama.
Not long after the unveiling of the VM2020 logo, allegations of plagiarism through other logo designs began to brew up in social media platforms.
A different version of the VM2020 logo went viral on social media, alleging that the graphic designer had plagiarised from another hornbill design associated from a stock image, but the allegation was later dismissed by Minister Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi.
This, however, did not stop netizens’ accusations of strong resemblance to a combination of multiple stock images, they believed were applied in the official VM2020 logo.
Chee explained that professional graphic designers normally do not trace stock images completely but rather use them, as well as other relevant logos and photos for designing references to develop a firm grasp of its design concepts and ideas.
He also said that graphic designers also look up these references to prevent any possible conflicts or clashes of resemblance.
“Say for instance, a client would want a tiger as their logo, and of course, we would have to look up real photos of a tiger as references and develop the important aspects of a tiger, such as its fur patterns. We would then modify them to our own desired art style, but still retain its resemblance as a tiger. You do not want to end up with a design of a cat when your client expects a a tiger,” he said.
He added that the modern trend of minimalism art style also played a huge role in the preference of the logo design, given the examples of known companies such as Adidas and Pepsi shifting their complex logo design to a more simplistic form over time. -- Bernama
Tourism industry expected to generate RM100 billion next year
Malaysia’s tourism industry is expected to generate RM100 billion in revenue next year.
Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi said his ministry is confident of achieving its target of 30 million tourist arrivals next year, contributing to the RM100 billion in revenue expected from both international and domestic tourism, compared to a projected revenue of RM92 billion for this year.
“Kelantan is among the states expected to attract a higher number of foreign tourists to Malaysia. A total of 5.5 million tourists are expected to visit Kelantan this year. Tourist arrivals to the state will increase further next year and this will help boost the number of tourists coming to Malaysia,” he said.
He was speaking to reporters after the closing ceremony of the 2019 Kelantan Folk Arts Festival (FKRK) here today.
Also present were Culture and Arts Department (JKKN) director-general Tan Sri Norliza Rofli, Kelantan Culture, Tourism and Heritage Committee chairman Datuk Md Anizam Abd Rahman and Narathiwat deputy governor Patimoh Sadiyamon.
The FKRK introduced in 2017 is one of nine cultural programmes listed in the cultural tourism sector calendar in nine states to highlight unique local cultures as tourism products.
Among the activities held at the FKRK this year were Rebana Ubi, Kertuk and Dikir Barat competitions and performances by the Kelantan Percussion Symphony Orchestra.
Meanwhile, Mohamaddin said his ministry is always open to proposals from state governments in the effort to revive the traditional art forms in their respective states.
“For instance, the Mak Yong cultural performance has been allowed to be continue in Kelantan by mutual agreement. We would like to say thank you to (the) Kelantan (state government) for giving a new breath to Mak Yong, now it can be watched at the Kelantan JKKN Auditorium,” he said.
The PAS (Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party) -led government in Kelantan had previously banned Mak Yong, a dance drama, in the state on the grounds that it had animist and Hindu-Buddhist roots.
-- BERNAMA
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Upcoming flights between Melaka, Penang cancelled until Saturday (July 6)
All flights between Melaka and Penang have been cancelled until Saturday (July 6) following a navigation system failure at Melaka International Airport (LTAM) in Batu Berendam.
AirAsia confirmed in a statement that six of its flights will be cancelled as the VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) navigational aid and Instrument Landing System (ILS) at the Melaka International Airport in Batu Berendam were inoperable.
An AirAsia spokesperson said the flights to-and-from Melaka will resume on July 6 when its systems are back online.
"We have contacted all affected guests and offered them alternatives.
"Guests may either move their travel dates, retain their fare values in their credit accounts for future travels or opt for a full refund," she said.
Guests who were affected by the cancelled flights may contact the AirAsia support team at https://support.airasia.com/s/?language=en_GB
It was earlier reported that flights AK6284 (Penang to Melaka) and AK6285 (Melaka to Penang) Wednesday (July 3) were cancelled following an apparent failure in the navigation system at LTAM.
It was learnt that AirAsia had sent buses to transport the stranded passengers in Melaka to KLIA2 to put them onboard Penang-bound flights.
~The Star~
AirAsia plans to offer more routes via LTAM
Low-cost carrier AirAsia Bhd (AirAsia) aims to offer more routes from the Melaka International Airport (LTAM) in addition to the direct flight between it and Penang launched today, said chief executive officer Riad Asmat.
He said this long-term goal would, however, hinge on passenger demand for the new routes and the cooperation of various parties, including the Melaka state government, in promoting the routes.
According to him, Melaka is one of the two most popular destinations among foreign passengers flying on the airline other than Penang, as both states share a few similarities in terms of culture and history that are recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) and serve as the main attractions for tourists.
“In terms of new destinations via LTAM, there are many potential locations in the long term but we will do studies before finalising them. This will take three to six months.
“We believe Melaka itself has potential. Ticket sales recorded for the two-way flights between Melaka and Penang launched today were encouraging with more than 90 per cent of seats taken up,” he told reporters after the welcoming ceremony for the inaugural Melaka-Penang-Melaka flight at LTAM today witnessed by Chief Minister Adly Zahari.
The maiden flight, which used an Airbus A320 to ferry 175 passengers, left the Penang International Airport at 1.20 pm and landed at LTAM at 2.25 pm.
Riad said the launch of the route would not only help boost the local tourism industry but also contribute towards the long-term economic growth of the two Unesco World Heritage sites.
“Through the route, the people of Melaka who want to fly to Sabah and Sarawak or other destinations in ASEAN can take the appropriate flights via our hub in Penang. Melaka is AirAsia's sixth domestic destination in AirAsia and this marks the 14th route from our Penang hub," he said.
The daily direct flights, which depart from Penang to Melaka at 1.20 pm and from Melaka to Penang at 2.50 pm priced, are priced at RM79 for one-way travel.
Meanwhile, Adly said the new AirAsia flight at LTAM would help the state government in ensuring the airport function at an optimal level and be of service to the people.
He said it would contribute to the growth in tourists visiting Melaka, help to promote the state as one of Asia's leading destinations and give a boost to Visit Melaka Year 2019.
“In the first quarter of this year, Melaka welcomed 4.79 million tourists, comprising 3.41 million local tourists and 1.38 million foreign tourists. With the latest service offered by AirAsia, we are confident of achieving the target of 20 million tourists visiting Melaka this year,” he said.
-- BERNAMA
