'If it ain't broke, don't fix it', says adland as Malaysians mock new National Day logo

Malaysia's new National Day and Malaysia Day logo have been ridiculed by netizens with some comparing the look to that of the wifi logo. Unveiled on Saturday by communications and multimedia minister Annuar Musa, the logo is said to represent infrastructural development, communication systems, and the expansion of digitalisation efforts to benefit Malaysians, The Star said. The new logo was unveiled alongside the theme of "Keluarga Malaysia Teguh Bersama".

The minister explained that the logo and theme are both in line with the Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family) concept introduced by PM Ismail Sabri Yaakob. At the same time, "Teguh Bersama" represents the strength and togetherness that is achievable through the combined efforts of Malaysians. The logo and theme were launched earlier this year to "promote better awareness" among Malaysians, Annuar explained.

Unfortunately, the logo quickly found itself at the centre of online jokes with many questioning the amount spent and the meaning behind the logo. Malaysian artist and activist Fahmi Reza also shared three comics he drew on his social media:

The incident had some looking back at the Visit Malaysia 2020 logo which got mocked by netizens for its poor design back in 2018. Meanwhile, statistics from Meltwater showed that There were 3.62k mentions of the new logo between 28 June to 4 July and the mentions peaked on 1 July at 2,193. Among the list of trending keywords were "cancerous tumor", "dumbf*ck logo", "current situation", "matter", "everything", and "expansion of digitalisation efforts". The majority of the chatter was neutral (76%) while 16% was negative.

Given branding and revamps are a big part of the advertising remit, A+M spoke to industry professionals on their take of the new logo. Sambal Lab's copywriter Erina Nadzira told A+M that a better job could have been done with the logo. She added that in the current logo, the tagline did not match the design.

"The wifi idea is horrible. Digitalisation is more than just wifi and reducing it to just that in the logo makes it look like [the government] doesn't really understand digitalisation. There isn't really a clear connection that highlights that this is for Malaysia Day so the design just looks confusing," she explained. 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it

We have all heard of the colloquial saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" and David Mayo, global CEO of ADNA and former group CEO of Ogilvy Malaysia, believes it applies to the current logo debacle. He added that the government should be harnessing the creativity from within instead of "talking it top down with a wifi logo".

"This logo has been launched with a lot of pomp and importance. It actually deserves solemnity and gravity because it is a proxy for the national flag. But in the current social, political and economic circumstances that Malaysia finds itself in, it is very hard for the people who are supposed to unite behind it. At least until they are united and galvanised as a nation," Mayo explained.

He added that the design was "deliberately simplified" for it to work and be understood. "Unfortunately, the delicate and rare design skills that make simplification possible are different from the results of a committee dumbing down something that everyone feels they had a part in," Mayo said. He added that even with all the cultural tools and cues at the government's fingertips, it "defaulted to a wifi logo".

Mayo also explained that the three key aspects of branding are focus, consistency, and purpose. Until Malaysia achieves those, he said it will "struggle to solve big problems with questionable designs and logos, unfortunately". 

My best advice would have been to stick with what they already had instead of giving a public and a culture eager for progress and growth and change, a stick to beat the government with. Again.

Aside from the new logo resembling the wifi signal, the government might have also shown that it is slightly out of touch with on-ground sentiments and other pressing issues such as the rising inflation in Malaysia. According to Reuters, inflation in Malaysia jumped from 2.3% in April to 2.8% in May. Bank Negara Malaysia also raised rates by 25 basis points last week to curb the inflation that is resulting in part from a weaker ringgit as the US Federal Reserve increases aggressively, Reuters reported.

Lara Hussein, CEO and founder of M&C Saatchi Malaysia, said the logo does not represent want Merdeka means and the values it stands for which are freedom, unity and progress. "Merdeka is about unity and being proud of who we are - Malaysians - not Malay, Chinese or Indian. It's the values that made us stronger together. Everything else belittles, in my humble view, our history and the foundation that built this country," she explained.

Meanwhile, Jenny Gill, head of PR at Sambal Lab, explained that it is tricky for governments to get things right with seasonal celebrations when the country is facing a huge economic problem (rising inflation), unless the said initiative addresses the situation with a strong clear message which ties back to decisive action. "You need to be nimble in addressing important current issues with tact, purpose, intelligence, and sincerity," she said.

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