I’m Locavore — Designing Local Food as Contemporary Culture
Partner: Perkumpulan Indonesia Berseru
Role: Design Strategy, Visual Direction, Campaign & Experience Design
Context: Food · Culture · Youth Engagement · Social Change
Project Overview
I’m Locavore is a design-led local food campaign developed to reposition local food as part of contemporary culture and everyday lifestyle. The project explores how design can operate beyond visual promotion—acting as a cultural and strategic tool to connect food, identity, and social values.
Rather than framing local food purely through nutrition or advocacy, the campaign approached it as a lived experience embedded in culture, creativity, and community.
Context & Challenge
Despite Indonesia’s rich agricultural diversity, local food consumption often struggles with perception issues—particularly among young and urban audiences. Local food is frequently seen as traditional, outdated, or disconnected from modern lifestyles.
The challenge was to reframe local food as relevant, desirable, and culturally meaningful, without losing its social, environmental, and economic significance.
Design Strategy & Approach
The design strategy integrated visual systems, narrative framing, and participatory experiences to bridge traditional food practices with contemporary culture.
Narrative-Driven Visual Communication
Visual language was developed to spark curiosity and emotional connection rather than instruction. Bold graphic elements, contemporary typography, and flexible layouts were used to position local food within a modern cultural context.
Experience-Based Engagement
The campaign expanded beyond static visuals into participatory experiences, including pop-up markets, cooking sessions, and public events. These experiences allowed audiences to engage with local food through taste, interaction, and social participation.
Lifestyle & Cultural Positioning
Local food was positioned as part of a broader lifestyle—connected to health, creativity, sustainability, and community. Collaborations with creative communities helped embed the campaign into everyday cultural practices.
Role of Design
My role in this project involved developing the overall design strategy and creative direction, shaping the visual language, and ensuring coherence across communication materials and experiences.
Design functioned as a connective system—aligning narrative, visual expression, and participation rather than producing isolated artefacts.
Outputs
- Campaign visual identity and graphic assets
- Posters, banners, and digital communication materials
- Event-based design for pop-ups and workshops
- Visual content supporting community engagement
Impact & Reflection
Over multiple years of implementation, I’m Locavore contributed to increased awareness and engagement with local food among young audiences. More importantly, the campaign demonstrates how design can act as cultural infrastructure—supporting long-term social narratives rather than short-term promotion.
This project reflects a design practice where food, culture, and social change intersect through thoughtful visual and experiential strategies.
