Unique Features of Indonesian Wayang in Book Ornament Prototype Through Visual Communication Design Perspective

Either as students who learn visual communication design or as professional graphic designers, most of the time, we need to see book as a reference; especially reference for visual elements that holds traditional context or design principles. Reference for visual elements will be useful to give inspiration in visual communication design outcomes, such as product design, poster, brochure, logo, or even in multimedia and animation. Wayang, a well-known Indonesian cultural heritage, needs to be preserved since its existence is slowly fading from contemporary life. This research will provide many aspects of Wayang, such as historical, cultural, philosophical, and also from contemporary perspective through design perspective. The main focus of the book is about the wayang’s ornaments from Surakarta area. This research used exploration and experiment in design for its method. Outcomes from this research will become the source of inspiration and reference to create design products, which contain ‘local value’ with ‘contemporary spirits.’ Moreover, the main objective of developing the prototype of Indonesian Wayang book ornament is to preserve a cultural heritage in the form of literature, so that we are also able to preserve the knowledge for our next generation in the future.