187 Vernacular Typography Design of Bamboo Keben Craft as an Opportunity of Creating Digital Typeface Ni Luh Desi In Diana Sari, I Wayan Mudra, Ni Ketut Pande Sarjani Institut Seni Indonesia Denpasar, Indonesia Submitted: 2022-02-02. Revised: 2022-05-21. Accepted: 2022-06-16 Abstract Keben for the Balinese is a medium that functions to package ceremonial facilities made of bamboo. Craftsmen in Kayubihi village, Bangli sub-district produce kebens with various designs of vernacular typography motifs that have the opportunity to be developed in the form of digital typefaces. This study aims to: (1) analyze the vernacular typographic design of the keben motif and its opportunities in the creation of digital typefaces; (2) analyze the meaning of keben in Kayubihi village in a socio-cultural context. Qualitative methods are used in this study. Typographic design principles consisting of legibility, readability, visibility, and clarity are used to analyze the vernacular typography of the keben motifs, while Saussure’s semiotic approach is used to give meaning to the keben of Kayubihi village from the spirit and the concept behind it. Data collection strategies were carried out by observation and interviews, online and offline. Meanwhile, data analysis was carried out by interpreting, namely interpreting in-depth the collected data accord- ing to the research objectives. The results show that the vernacular typography of the keben motifs was arranged alphabetically to form words as a symbol of identity. Geomet- ric motifs inspired by the environment around the craftsmen can be classified into five groups: the sun, flowers, traditional fabrics, objects, and cultural symbols of Balinese Hinduism. These motifs can be developed into digital typefaces. Keben in Kayubihi vil- lage spiritually means creativity, preservation of culture and identity. This creativity can be used as a source of inspiration in designing typefaces that offer novelty. The vernacu- lar typography design with the Keben motif is indigenous creativity, representing the identity of the local Balinese culture. Keywords: Keben, Vernacular Typography, Digital Typeface, Indigenous Creativity How to Cite: Sari, N. L. D. I. D., Mudra, I. W., & Sarjani, N. K. P. (2022). Vernacular Typography Design of Bamboo Keben Craft as an Opportunity of Creating Digital Typeface. Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education, 22(1), 187-199 Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 22 (1) (2022), 187-199 Available online at http://journal.unnes.ac.id/nju/index.php/harmonia DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15294/harmonia.v22i1.34861 continues to this day (Sugiarto et al., 2017). Kayubihi Village developed various Keben ranging from shapes, colors, and motifs by exploring the traditions of Balinese local cultural wisdom as capital for craftsmen in their work (Mudra et al., 2020). The most in-demand innovation in INTRODUCTION The woven bamboo craft of Kayubihi village is passed down from previous an- cestors to the next generation in the family and community environment. This shows the process of cultural enculturation and Corresponding author: E-mail: niluhdesiindianasari@gmail.com p-ISSN 2541-1683|e-ISSN 2541-2426 Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 22 (1) (2022): 187-199188 the market today is keben with a letter motif design known as vernacular typography. The vernacular typography design of ke- ben is a product of visual communication design in the form of various forms and written designs, adorning the surface of keben by the craftsmen of the Kayubihi vil- lage becoming part of the daily life of the community. A vernacular typography de- sign with a keben motif adorns the surface of the keben, made manually from bamboo using traditional woven techniques. The term “vernacular” comes from the word “vernaculus” with the root word “verna” meaning slave children born around the master’s house. Then it is interpreted as a local language, native accent, and dialect in everyday life, different from the formal language studied in academics (CON- CEPT magazine edition of February, 2011). The vernacular typography design with the keben motif is a creation of new letters sourced from the environment around the community. It makes an impression of tra- dition, familiar, distinctive, and unique by highlighting local cultural identity (Akbar & Raden, 2016). In typography, the placement of let- ter motifs as part of the keben is not limited to only letter elements, but the arrange- ment of letters in a layout. Based on this, the arrangement of letters in the keben is referred to as vernacular typography, not vernacular letters because it involves as- pects of the layout of the letters on certain surfaces and areas (Carella et al., 2017). Letters as one of the elements of Vi- sual Communication Design have an im- portant role to support the success of de- livering messages to the target audience. According to Haswanto in Lukman (2015), typography can create an atmosphere in a Visual Communication Design work, reflected through the characteristics of the letters used. The selection of the right letter characteristics in a design work can support success in delivering the message. The visual form of letters should be able to send messages and meaning and more importantly should be able to visualize the level of sound, feeling, hierarchy, impor- tance, information, and clarity (Haswan- to, 2009). Success in delivering messages is also influenced by optical factors in the form of legibility related to the ease of re- cognizing and distinguishing each letter/ character. Readability relates to the level of being easy to read a text (Rustan, 2011:22). The tradition of weaving bamboo carried out by the Kayubihi village com- munity can be categorized as an intangible cultural heritage included in the category of traditional crafts which play an impor- tant role as a medium of defense of exis- ting cultural diversity (Idris et al., 2016). Previous studies related to woven bamboo crafts have been carried out in the scope and field of science. A study by Mudra (2020) does not specifically discuss the keben made from bamboo with the weaving technique. Another study by Swaratama (2020) states that Dayak tattoo motifs and techniques as a cultural tradition of the Dayak tribe con- tain a value and uniqueness as a typeface. Using an iconographic approach, it produ- ces a formulation in the design of typefaces based on the Iban Dayak motif. The findings of Swaratama’s (2020) research, in the form of a typeface, can be used as a reference in this study, with the object of research being a vernacular typo- graphy design with a keben. The inspirati- on for the design of a new typeface can be obtained from various sources, for examp- le, the decoration of the temple. Nugroho’s (2019) research has the same goal as a form of preserving local cultural heritage in the form of the typeface. Meanwhile, the rese- arch was conducted to explore the verna- cular typography design of the Keben mo- tif with the weaving technique as a source of inspiration to strengthen the initial sta- ges of creating digital typefaces. Another relevant result of Putri’s (2014)keseluruhan populasi yang ada di- tempat penelitian menjadi subjek pene- litian. Teknik pengumpulan data yang digunakan adalah teknik observasi, wa- wancara, dan dokumentasi.\nHasil pene- litian menunjukkan bahwa (1 research sta- tes that woven bamboo crafts in the Kejapa Ni Luh Desi In Diana Sari, et al., Vernacular Typography Design of Bamboo Keben Craft as 189 Bamboo Handicrafts Tigawasa Village, Buleleng Regency, produce various forms of products with varied motifs. The pro- duct forms consist of tissue boxes, bags, wallets, jewelry boxes, ring boxes, pencil cases, and photo frames, while the resul- ting motifs include the motifs of saudbah, tapuk manggis, nagasari, patra, pis bolong, and wajik. This research is a reference that in other areas in Bali there are bamboo craft centers that develop various types of products with different characteristics. Research by Haswanto (2009) reveals that in designing letters, a designer can create various types of letters containing different meanings and impressions em- bodied in one letter family package. Based on this, the keben opportunity to be desig- ned into a new typeface in a letter family package that can give a certain meaning and impression. The novelty of this study shows that the vernacular typographic design of the keben as a traditional cultural product can be preserved across generations in the cur- rent modern era adaptively, so that traditi- on can still exist in technological advances without reducing the value of local wisdom contained in it. This further emphasizes that modernization does not crush traditi- on, but that tradition has the opportunity to be developed in modern ways through digital technology. Through this research, it is hoped that it can contribute ideas to the treasures of Visual Communication Design, especially typography. This rese- arch can be used as references that speci- fically discuss the vernacular typographic design of the keben motif and the meaning of keben as a cultural product. Keben with a vernacular typographic motif design full of local Balinese cultural wisdom values that are not found in other areas. Keben motifs developed by the Kayubihi village craftsmen are local indi- genous creativity (Raharja, 2017:69), which have the opportunity to be developed di- gitally so that they can be preserved and documented. However, there has been no in-depth research on this subject. This research is important to do as an effort to introduce one of the local cultural wisdom of the Balinese people originating from the keben produced by the craftsmen of Kayubihi village. This research specifically aims to analyze: (1) the vernacular typo- graphy design of the keben using the bam- boo weaving technique in Kayubihi village that has the opportunity to be developed and adapted with digital techniques in the creation of typefaces; and (2) the meaning of the keben of Kayubihi Bangli in the socio- cultural context. METHOD This research was conducted in Kayubihi Village, Bangli Sub-district be- cause it is the largest center for keben craftsmen in Bali. Qualitative methods are used with the support of data collection strategies such as observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation. Primary data sources are informants who are invol- ved in the keben craft of Kayubihi village. While the secondary data sources are pho- tographs, pictures, and related documents. The source of the data was deter- mined by using a purposive sampling technique, which was initiated by deter- mining the key informants first. Through key informants, several informants were obtained who were able to provide data following the research objectives. The ob- ject of research in the form of keben is de- termined based on certain criteria, namely woven bamboo keben with vernacular ty- pographic design motifs, forming a word that is found on the surface of the keben as a decoration. To obtain adequate data, re- searchers also conducted searches through online media to the seller accounts of keben on Instagram social media. Data were analyzed descriptively qualitatively, using a typographic design approach consisting of legibility, reada- bility, and visibility related to the ease of reading letters and text at a certain distan- ce. Clarity is related to the quality of letters and text in its function as a means of deli- vering messages so that they can be clearly understood (Akbar & Raden, 2016). Exp- Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 22 (1) (2022): 187-199190 loring the meaning of keben by the crafts- men of Kayubihi village uses the semiotic approach of Ferdinand de Saussure, desc- ribing the relationship of the sign system consisting of signified + signifier and sign in the socio-cultural context of Bali. RESULT AND DISCUSSION Vernacular Typography Design of Keben Motifs of Kayubihi Village Vernacular typography design of ke- ben motifs by craftsmen of Kayubihi village Bangli sub-district can form letters of the alphabet from A-Z and numbers catego- rized as Latin letters. Through the strand weaving technique with repeated sloping lines, up and down, high and low, provi- ding a static and dynamic rhythm, resul- ting in geometric motifs arranged to adorn the entire surface, keben can have an op- portunity to be developed as digital type- faces (Rahayuningsih, Paresti, 2018:6). In the modern era, Latin letters have become the most effective written communication medium. Latin letters can be categorized as a type of phonetic script in the form of a phoneme symbol (ab-c-d-e) (Nugroho, 2019). Keben for the Balinese people is a pro- duct of cultural arts that has an essential function and role in religious and socio- cultural life as a reflection of the culture of the community (Sabana, 2007). Therefore, the creativity in the design of keben found in the village of Kayubihi Bangli (2021) has developed following the needs of the com- munity in carrying out religious rituals and following fashion trends in Bali with designs or models still with traditional patterns (Arinasa&Peneng, 2013;108). The presence of various keben de- picting the characteristics of the Kayubihi village identity aims to explain the cha- racteristics of local culture that have the opportunity to be developed in the form of typefaces by adopting vernacular ty- pographic designs with keben motifs (Ra- hayuningsih & Paresti, 2018:3). The verna- cular typography design of the keben motifs by the craftsmen of Kayubihi village deve- lops sustainably following the develop- ment of the creativity of the craftsmen and through stages of deep reflection, produ- ces various forms of natural motif design patterns. Based on the results of creativity and shape, it is possible to classify the ke- ben motifs of the Kayubihi village into five groups consisting of sun, flowers, traditio- nal fabrics, objects, and cultural symbols of Balinese Hinduism as presented in Table 1. The shape of the vernacular typographic pattern is designed by changing the sha- pe (distortion), modifying the style, and rearranging it (repetition) so that various vernacular typographic designs adorn the surface of the keben (Saragi, 2018). Vernacular typography design with Keben motifs in Kayubihi village as it cha- racterizes the creativity of ideas and cul- tural values embodied in various designs made by the craftsmen of Kayubihi village as a reflection of the value of local cultu- ral wisdom of the Balinese people who are known to have an artistic spirit. This is in line with Covarrubias’s view which states that Balinese people deserve to be called artists (Mudra et al., 2020). Keben crafts- men in Kayubihi village are artists who are formed from the social environment of the surrounding community in joint activities so that a collective identity emerges (Carel- la et al., 2017). Vernacular typography designs with keben motifs in Kayubihi village were spread verbally from one crafter group to another following the request from the customer. Customers of keben who come usually bring samples of pictures they get from the internet. These craftsmen are cre- ative by looking at the trends being upda- ted from social media through smartpho- nes. This process takes place repeatedly so that various vernacular typographic de- sign innovations with keben motifs are created, and the shape and color of keben are always novel (Me Juna 65 years old in interview, December 2021). This process is interpreted as a transfer of skills between craftsmen and others as a pattern of inhe- ritance of the art of woven bamboo crafts from the Kayubihi village community (Su- Ni Luh Desi In Diana Sari, et al., Vernacular Typography Design of Bamboo Keben Craft as 191 giarto et al., 2017). The naming of the vernacular typo- graphy design with the Keben motif came from the environment around the Kayubi- hi village craftsmen which was then mutu- ally agreed upon to make it easier for the crafter group to make orders. Customers who come if they want keben with a motif according to their taste, simply by showing a picture, the craftsmen will make the ke- ben according to the wishes of the custo- mers. This communication is closely inter- twined between the crafter groups without ever claiming that the motifs created be- long to a certain group of craftsmen and the various motif designs that developed into the collective identity of the Kayubihi village craftsmen. As a form of communi- ty commitment through artisan groups to always maintain the noble culture of Bali so that it does not become extinct. All tra- ditional and religious activities are carried out following the uniqueness and original cultural values (Karuni & Suardana, 2018). Vernacular typography on the keben created by the craftsmen of Kayubihi vil- lage is an inseparable part of the various keben described in Table 1. The vernacular typography design of the keben motif in the manufacturing process is always com- bined with various motifs tailored to the customers’ tastes. Vernacular typography design with keben motif is designed not based on design rules because it is a form of visual communication that is not limited by theory. The natural shape follows the instincts of the keben who made it and is easy to understand (Hermanto, 2019). Although they were made without paying attention to design standards, the keben craftsmen have sensitivity in arran- ging the designs of these motifs so that they can be arranged well on the entire surface of the keben in various shapes and sizes. According to Ni Nengah Adnya- ni (37 years), one of the keben craftsmen from Br Bangklet Kayubihi in an interview in December 2021, the vernacular typo- graphy design of the keben can be applied differently according to the size of the ke- ben. Keben measuring 40 cm can contain a maximum number of 12 types of letters. Keben measuring 30 cm can contain a ma- ximum number of 8 types of letters. Keben measuring 20 cm can contain a maximum number of 5 types of letters. Keben with this motif generally forms a word order as the identity of the name of the owner of the keben, presented in Figure 1. Figure 1. Keben of various sizes with vernacu- lar typography designs arranged to form a name identity. Source: Document of Desi, 2021 According to the Kayubihi village craftsman, I Wayan Swadi (49 years), ke- ben with vernacular typography motifs are currently the most popular with buyers before the holiday because most of the re- ligious ritual traditions in Bali use keben as a place for praying. This causes the keben brought to potentially be confused with someone else’s. Adding a name identical to the keben, of course, helps the keben owner to identify his keben so that it is not confusing. To add aesthetic value, these kebens are then arranged by combining geometric motif designs and attractive colors according to the customer’s tastes. Keben with vernacular typography designs is becoming a trend among the public and can be ordered for souvenirs and gifts. The keben craftsmen have expertise in arranging woven patterns in forming ver- Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 22 (1) (2022): 187-199192 nacular typography motif designs to con- vey communication messages to the vie- wer. Although the craftsmen in Kayubihi village do not receive formal design edu- cation, they have creative ways to make it easier for the craftsmen to be creative. The first step taken by the keben craftsmen of Kayubihi village in making the vernacular typography design for the keben is to make a guide first. This guide consists of an ar- rangement of alphabetical letters made in one sheet of woven bamboo and the finis- hed product as a reference in weaving ke- ben as presented in Figure 2. Figure 2. The alphabetical arrangement of the keben motif with vernacular typography as a reference for craftsmen in Kayubihi village Source: Document of Desi, 2021 The creativity carried out by the ke- ben craftsmen of Kayubihi village by ma- king references to weaving techniques to form vernacular typographic designs has opportunities for the creation of digital ty- pefaces. However, in the process, the ver- nacular typography motif designs created by the craftsmen of the Kayubihi village were analyzed first using the design typo- graphy principles consisting of Legibility, Readability, Visibility, and Clarity to de- termine the level of readability, the inter- action of letter motifs on the keben to the space and visual elements around it as a reinforcement for digital typeface creation. The Legibility Principle Legibility is related to the quality of the letters in their ease of being recognized or read (Sihombing, 2015:165). The form of the vernacular typography design of the keben motifs with woven techniques in the principle of legibility is easy to recognize and can be distinguished from one letter to another, made in the form of an uppercase (capital letter) presented in Figure 1. The legibility principle of the ver- nacular typography design of Keben mo- tifs of Kayubihi village is determined by the width of the bamboo strands used for weaving. The thinner the woven bamboo strands, the easier the vernacular typo- graphy of the keben motif can be recog- nized and read. The shape of the woven pattern with small and tight fiber widths or known as sisit geles can also affect pro- ducing a consistent letter shape. In Figure 3, the design of the vernacular typography motif with the Sisit Geles weaving techni- que can produce letter shapes that meet the legibility principle. The arrangement of the letters that make up the word BU BIN- TANG is clearly legible, each letter can be recognized and easily distinguished from one letter to another. This shows that the design of vernacular typographic motifs has the opportunity to be developed into new types of typefaces by adopting the weaving technique of Kayubihi village craftsmen which is digitally adapted with adjustments. The Readability Principle Readability is related to the ease and convenience of reading the information in a layout (Sihombing, 2015:165). The reada- bility principle of the Keben motif is very strong because it is supported by the app- lication of the figure and ground aspects that are set on the surface of the keben fo- cused on one flat surface. The craftsmen of Kayubihi village can visualize the rea- dability principle by applying the figure- ground aspect. The figure-ground aspect, as shown in Figure 3, shows that two spaces provide a stimulus for the viewing eye to be able to distinguish between the color combina- tion of the motif as the background and the Ni Luh Desi In Diana Sari, et al., Vernacular Typography Design of Bamboo Keben Craft as 193 identity text of the name BU BINTANG as a figure made as if there is a separation of space emphasized by the presence of a rec- tangle line as a frame without compromi- sing the principle of unity. The figures and the setting support each other so that the informational text presented can be easily and comfortably read without dominating the others. This is reinforced by the app- lication of the figure-ground principle to be able to separate the figure in the form of BU BINTANG text (see Figure 3) with a black and red color combination backg- round which can be identified by separa- ting the text part as a figure and the color part as a ground so that the legibility is get- ting stronger. Figure 3. The vernacular typography design of Keben motifs of Kayubihi village meets the principles of typographic design. Source: Document of Desi, 2021 The text of BU BINTANG on the keben, as shown in Figure 3, is easy and comfortable to read because the use of contrasting colors between the figure and the background is very clearly visible. The application of two black and white colors, as shown in Figure 4, shows that the rea- dability principle can be achieved optimal- ly. The text of BU DANTA written on the surface of the keben (Figure 4) can easily be recognized and read. This further empha- sizes that with their traditional skills, the keben craftsmen in Kayubihi village have been able to apply design princip- les through self-taught learning through repeated verbal learning, and through va- rious trials and errors to create vernacular motif designs that develop at the moment. The Visibility Principle The visibility principle relates to the ease with which text can be read at a cer- tain distance. This can be proven by the shape of the character letters created by the craftsmen in Kayubihi village with a weaving technique that gives a firm, st- rong impression with a composition of balanced and proportional letter sizes in their placement on the surface of the ke- ben. So that the information presented can be easily read from a certain distance. The success of applying the visibility principle of Keben motifs is strongly influenced by the small width of the woven fiber used and the density of the weaving technique, resulting in a woven pattern of the vern- acular typography design that is detailed, smooth, and neat. The text of BU DANTA as part of the vernacular typographic design of the keben motif shown in Figure 4 contains in- formation on the name of BU DANTA as the identity of the owner of the keben and has met the visibility principle well. There is a color contrast with a black background that affects the readability of the informa- tion text if it is read at a certain distance. Figure 4. The vernacular typography design of Keben motifs of Kayubihi village meets the principles of typographic design. Source: Document of Desi, 2021 Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 22 (1) (2022): 187-199194 The Clarity Principle The clarity principle relates to the quality of letters and text in their function as a means of delivering messages so that they can be understood clearly. The arran- gement of letters forms the word BU DAN- TA in Figure 4, able to clearly communicate the identity of the owner of the keben, and the shape of the letters is easy to recognize and distinguish from one another. The mo- tifs as decorations and the letter characters arranged into informational text in a keben appear to form a unified whole, harmonio- us and functioning well as a sign of identi- fication/identity of the owner of the keben. The successful application of the principles of Legibility, Readability, Visi- bility, and Clarity is strongly influenced by the weaving technique in making ke- ben which depends on the process of ma- king and forming bamboo fibers through several stages. Weaving is a technique in making crafts by crossing woven materials consisting of warp and weft, similar to the weaving technique. Warp, as the basic ma- terial for woven and weft, is a woven me- dium that is inserted into the warp (Surya & Mutmaniah, 2015). The bamboo material used by the Kayubihi village craftsmen in making ke- ben is a type of rope bamboo or tiing tali/ tiing tiantan (Bali) (Gigantochloa apus (JA & JH Schultes) Kurz). A bamboo rope has the characteristics of upright stems and dense clumps, with a trunk diameter of 7-12 cm, a wall thickness of 11-14 mm, and a height of 14-16 meters (Yeny et al., 2015:15). A bamboo rope was chosen as the raw ma- terial for making keben/sokasi by the crafts- men of Kayubihi village because the walls of the reed are thick, the bamboo reeds are easy to blade/disisit (Bali), durable, and flexible, and not easily broken so that they can form various forms of woven products and all parts can be used (Arinasa & Pe- neng, 2013:46). For the craftsmen in Kayubihi village, the weaving stage requires skill, patience, and thoroughness to produce a qualified keben. The technique of making keben with bamboo rope by Kayubihi village crafts- men is carried out in two stages; the first stage is the preparation of woven raw materials by processing bamboo first. The second stage is weaving the raw materials into keben with various vernacular typo- graphic motifs. The process of making a vernacular typography design with a keben motif be- gins with making the base/pad/useh (Bali) as a ready-to-weave ulatan/sheet, which is presented in Figure 5. The keben used by the craftsmen of Kayubihi village is the sok jampel/ulat isi weaving technique. Sok jam- pel/ulat isi technique is done by weaving ulatan in a tilted position/ngandang (Bali). Through this stage, various motif designs can be created (see Table 1) and can be combined with vernacular typography motifs containing information on the iden- tity of the keben owner. Figure 5. Basic Weaving Technique of Keben/ Ulatan Source: Document of Desi, 2021 The craftsmen carry out weaving techniques in making vernacular typo- graphic designs of keben motifs using special techniques, especially in arranging letters that form words. Make the bottom part of the keben using a weaving technique from left to right, like writing on paper, see Figure 6. Meanwhile, to make the lid, make the last letter upside down, see Figu- re 7. The keben craftsmen also have a for- mula for making vernacular typographic motifs. Making one type of letter motif takes five strands/segment, except the let- ter T spends six strands/segment. Letter I spends three strands/segment, and let- ter V, Y spends four strands/segment. By knowing this formula, the craftsmen can easily arrange the motifs of these letters into a word that usually contains the name of the keben owner with a proportional and balanced division of fields. Ni Luh Desi In Diana Sari, et al., Vernacular Typography Design of Bamboo Keben Craft as 195 Figure 6. The technique of weaving a keben base with vernacular typographic motifs Source: Document of Desi, 2021 Figure 7. The technique of weaving a keben lid with vernacular typographic motifs Source: Document of Desi, 2021 The presence of vernacular typo- graphic designs with Keben motifs of Kayubihi village is always combined with various types of geometric motif designs to add to the aesthetic value of the keben and adjust to the customer’s tastes. The various types of motif designs produced by the keben craftsmen of the Kayubihi vil- lage are done using traditional weaving techniques, which can be categorized into two types, namely: 1) The motif design in the form of Latin letters that reads A-Z can be categorized into a letter type without hooks/san serif with characteristic no serif/ hooks/fins at the ends of the letters, with the same thickness and giving the impres- sion of being modern, efficient, contempo- rary as shown in Figures 3, 4, 6 and 7 (Si- hombing, 2015:160). 2). Geometric motif designs as aesthe- tic elements that adorn the surface of the keben can be categorized into decorative typefaces created from patterns of woven lines to form motifs, as presented in Table 1 (Sihombing, 2015:185). These two catego- ries of motif types can be developed in the creation of digital typefaces. Based on interviews with several competent sources, they found that various types of motif designs created by the keben craftsmen in Kayubihi village were used as decorations to improve the aesthetics of keben so that the product was in demand by buyers. Keben motif design as a result of collective creativity, forms a distinctive identity of Kayubihi village craftsmen cre- ated through weaving techniques passed down through habits without being docu- mented and recorded (Yeny et al., 2015:60). Therefore, documentation and recording of various vernacular typographic motif designs are required in Kayubihi village in digital form. The tradition of weaving bamboo carried out by the Kayubihi vil- lage community can be categorized as an intangible cultural heritage included in the category of traditional crafts, playing an important role as a defense medium for existing cultural diversity (Idris et al., 2016). Table 1. Vernacular typography design of ke- ben motifs by Kayubihi village craftsmen have opportunities as digital typefaces in the form of decorative letters. Motif Design Design Development 1. Sun (Figure 8) The motifs of sun, square sun, swastika sun, and con- nected sun 2. Flowers (Figure 9) The motifs of lantinglanda, kedukduk, and seroni. The motifs of jasmine, Sakura, and Hermes. 3. Traditional Fabrics (Figure 10) The motifs of Rang-Rang, Poleng, and Songket. 4. Object of things (Figure 11) The motif of a windmill, chess, sari chess, candles, and ceramics. 5. Balinese Hindu Reli- gious Cultural Symbols (Figure 12) The motifs of Swastika and tamiang Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 22 (1) (2022): 187-199196 Figure 8. Vernacular Typography Design in Sun motifs Source: Document of Desi, 2021 Figure 9. Vernacular Typography Design in Flower motifs Source: Document of Desi, 2021 Figure 10. Vernacular Typography Design in Traditional Fabric motifs Source: Document of Desi, 2021 Figure 11. Vernacular Typography Design in Object of thing motifs Source: Document of Desi, 2021 Figure 12. Vernacular Typography Design in Balinese Hindu cultural symbol motifs Source: Document of Desi, 2021 The Meaning of Keben in Kayubihi Vil- lage The semiotics approach by Ferdi- nand de Saussure is used to reveal the meaning of keben made by the Kayubihi village craftsmen because of the associatio- nal relationship between the signified and the signifier. Keben with a vernacular typo- graphic design motif as a sign because of the unity of the signifier and the signified. Keben dengan motif desain tipografi vern- acular sebagai tanda karena adanya kesa- tuan dari penanda (signifier) dan petanda (signified). A signifier is “meaningful scribbles” produced through a weaving technique to form a letter arrangement into a word as the identity of the keben owner follo- wed by geometric motifs classified into five groups as described in Table 1, in the form of an image of a woven motif design, which can be read and seen as shown in the figure below. Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, and Figure 4 are assembled into a uni- fied whole with a vernacular typographic design. At the same time, a signified is a “concept description” behind various ty- pes of motif designs for the Kayubihi Vil- lage (Felix, 2020) which can be interpreted from the concept of creativity, cultural pre- servation, and identity. The meaning of creativity, according to Csikszentmihalyi in Piliang (2019:62), refers to the social and cultural domain in it; some people express unusual thoughts with new, original, fresh, enlightening perspectives and can fundamentally chan- ge the existing culture. The craftsmen of Kayubihi village in creating vernacular typographic designs with keben attach the meaning of creativity through thoughts that generate new ideas in the form of a keben which is a pictogram or visual lan- guage as a form of expression that descri- bes the harmonious relationship between humans and nature, humans and others, and humans with the creator known with the term Trihitakarana in Balinese Hindu culture (Saragi, 2018). The keben motif as a result of the creativity of the Kayubihi village craftsmen was created because of Ni Luh Desi In Diana Sari, et al., Vernacular Typography Design of Bamboo Keben Craft as 197 the three pillars of creativity according to Csikszentmihalyi in Piliang (2019:63). First, domain, in the form of procedures, symbo- lic methods, or knowledge in processing and weaving bamboo which is a cultural tradition of the Kayubihi village commu- nity passed down directly from generation to generation through a process inherited by parents (mother) in filling their spare time by weaving. In this process, there is an intense interaction between humans and bamboo, generating bamboo weaving knowledge and skills (Yeny et al., 2015:60). Second, field, all individuals consisting of craftsmen, government, culturalists, and communities are tasked with maintaining and preserving the domain and deciding whether an idea or new product can be in- cluded in the domain so that Kayubihi vil- lage becomes a center for woven bamboo crafts which is quite famous in Bali. Three, person, in this case, the craftsmen indivi- dually recognize natural resources, and culture in the form of symbols that exist in a domain and then created to produce new ideas, systems, principles, forms, or patterns in creating various typographic designs with keben. These three pillars are the result of the creativity of the keben in Kayubihi village in creating new motif de- signs, and innovations in the form of keben being able to grow and develop until now. The meaning of preservation is rela- ted to efforts to maintain the local cultural heritage of the Kayubihi village communi- ty in the form of woven bamboo crafts for a long time and sustainably with the aim of not becoming extinct (Mubarat & Juno- ko, 2021). The existence of bamboo crafts/ keben in Kayubihi village is currently still in demand because it is closely related to the cultural traditions and religious rituals of Hindus in Bali (Putra et al., 2019:3). Mo- tivation, enthusiasm, tenacity, and being supported by creative individuals are the capital for craftsmen to continue to be cre- ative, innovate, and produce various types of keben motif designs to maintain the art of bamboo crafts in modernization and globalization. The creativity and innova- tion continuously carried out by the keben craftsmen in Kayubihi village always ad- here to socio-cultural values because the keben created is closely related to the socio- cultural of the Balinese people and is affir- mative by accepting new ideas to develop keben crafts, making the dynamics of inno- vation and tempo of change very quickly (Piliang, 2019:63), so that in a short time there are always new motif designs cre- ated. This shows the conservation efforts made by the keben craftsmen to maintain the art of bamboo crafts as a cultural heri- tage and become the characteristic/identi- ty of Kayubihi village. The meaning of cultural identity in the vernacular typography design of the Keben motif as part of Indonesian natio- nal culture can be in the form of processes and products. Keben as a cultural process forms a cultural identity that can be ref- lected through the creative thinking of the keben craftsmen through their intelligen- ce, openness, creative spirit, discipline, full of imagination, fantasy, sensitivity, love for what they do, ability to produce vario- us weaving techniques as a skill which can continue to be inherited as intangible lo- cal cultural wisdom. Meanwhile, keben as a product of handicraft culture has a role in the traditions of the Balinese people, namely as a place for prayer facilities and traditional ceremonies as local cultural wisdom in the form of objects (Setyawan & Dopo, 2020). The presence of a verna- cular typography design as a keben motif with its characteristics in the socio-cultural life of the Balinese people functions as the identity of the keben owner and represents a certain social status in society. Balinese people, in carrying out religious ceremo- nies always use various ceremonial faci- lities; a person’s social status is determin- ed based on the ceremonial facilities used (Karuni & Suardana, 2018). Through this research, it is hoped that the public, especially the younger genera- tion, can recognize various types of vern- acular typography design of keben motifs that can be used as references to continue to innovate to produce various creative works while preserving keben with distinc- Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 22 (1) (2022): 187-199198 tive motifs and traditional weaving techni- ques. This research also contributes to the development of the creative industry with local cultural nuances that can compete in the global creative industry arena. From the creative industry perspective, woven bamboo handicrafts are part of the art of craft and design that have the potential to be developed into various types of pro- ducts (Hendriyana et al., 2020). Keben crafts as part of the creative industry will always develop as long as there is creativity and innovation in it (Yeny et al., 2015:52). CONCLUSION The vernacular typography design of the Keben motif has a distinctive visu- alization, character, and the opportunity to be developed and utilized in the form of other cultural products. The form of deve- lopment and utilization of the vernacular typography design of the keben motif can be done by exploring the visual form of the keben motifs into digital typefaces that are full of elements of local culture through Vi- sual Communication Design. The uniqueness and detail of the de- sign of the keben motif has the potential to be digitally adapted as a new typeface by highlighting the local cultural wisdom of the Kayubihi village craftsmen who are part of Balinese society. This can be inter- preted from the concept of creativity, cul- tural preservation, and identity that can be used as a source of inspiration for the younger generation to work based on local cultural wisdom. This local cultural wis- dom is indigenous creativity, which rep- resents local Balinese cultural identity and must be preserved as a form of apprecia- tion for local values to enrich aesthetics in digital form and a strengthen of the cultu- ral identity of the Indonesian nation. This creativity can be used as a source of inspi- ration in the creation of typefaces that offer novelty and as a form of preserving values and cultural artifacts that exist in society so that they can continue to be enjoyed by the next generation. 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