Creating a visual destination brand design for Kotagede’s cultural heritage

Abstract

Kotagede is one of six cultural heritage areas in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, located 6 kms from the center of Yogyakarta city, and the centerpiece of Yogyakarta and Solo. In 2019, CNN International added Kotagede to a list of the 13 most beautiful towns in Asia. The uniqueness and historical and cultural heritage of areas in Kotagede’s make it a potential tourist destination. However, Kotagede does not have any visual identity that projects it as a unique tourist destination and historical witness of the Islamic Kingdom of Mataram. This study used Morgan, Pritchard and Pride’s methods to develop a destination brand and visual identity for Kotagede. By developing this visual identity design, the authors aim to push Kotagede’s image as a historical and cultural destination that may be popular among tourists such that it can have an impact on the tourism and economics sector of Kotagede.