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I was commissioned to pitch for The Datai. I was in charge of the strategy, concept and creatives. I was pretty much the sole creative on it with the occasional help from a designer or two.
I have been to The Datai some 5 years ago. It is a very exclusive resort nested in the midst of the virgin rainforest. It is a very unique resort considering it is not too commercialised. It is very quiet and the guests are left to their own devices under the attentiveness of the staff. Animals roam around freely, not threatened by the guests. They are afterall the residents of The Datai as well.
This unique place was built on a very eco standard by the renowed tropical modern architect, Kerry Hill. The modern architecture holds the values of traditional ethnic houses, enabling light and air to efficiently flow through. The resort was built on a ridge which was carefully recceed by Hill himself. This location creates less environmental impact than the beachfront. Bulldozers were replaced by elephants which carried the felled trees. The felled trees were also used in the construction of the architecture.
This is a true masterpiece which was built to weather beautifully in thc tropics. 22 years after its opening, the resort still bears much resemblance from its glory days.
I was commissioned to pitch for The Datai. I was in charge of the strategy, concept and creatives. I was pretty much the sole creative on it with the occasional help from a designer or two.
I have been to The Datai some 5 years ago. It is a very exclusive resort nested in the midst of the virgin rainforest. It is a very unique resort considering it is not too commercialised. It is very quiet and the guests are left to their own devices under the attentiveness of the staff. Animals roam around freely, not threatened by the guests. They are afterall the residents of The Datai as well.
This unique place was built on a very eco standard by the renowed tropical modern architect, Kerry Hill. The modern architecture holds the values of traditional ethnic houses, enabling light and air to efficiently flow through. The resort was built on a ridge which was carefully recceed by Hill himself. This location creates less environmental impact than the beachfront. Bulldozers were replaced by elephants which carried the felled trees. The felled trees were also used in the construction of the architecture.
This is a true masterpiece which was built to weather beautifully in thc tropics. 22 years after its opening, the resort still bears much resemblance from its glory days.
The Datai Group wants to expand. They currently have their flagship Datai Langkawi. They are opening up another Datai in Desaru. Alongside, there are plans to open a Datai city hotel and also a family resort called The Desa also in Desaru. Looking at their expansion structure, I am introducing 3 simple elements which will run through all their hotels.
The elements are THE ROOTS, THE WATER and THE CULTURE.
THE ROOTS
The pitch brief circles around The Datai being the epitome of 'Malaysian Hospitality'. I found this very vague. And if there is anything to define that, Datai will need to be the first to. Malaysia is not one thing but many. Like Singapore, it comprises of many races and cultures. No one has found a way to sum these up. The most common visual is that of 4 races namely Chinese, Malay, Indian and the Caucasian/Eurasian standing together.
What is typically Malaysian then? If you look at the countries in the region, Thailand is known for its land and fields, Indonesia for its volcanos, Philippines for its islands, Vietnam for its caves and formations. The list goes on. What Malaysia can really own is the rainforest. And what is originally Malaysian is not the batik, not the food, not the architecture. All of that are borrowed from other cultures.
The roots is about how Man and the rainforest co-exist. This codependence is Malaysian.
THE WATER
This element is part of how Man co-depend on Nature. And this, next to the rainforest is the sea for its abundance. This element will be played up according to the location of the property.
THE CULTURE
It isn't just one thing. Malaysia isn't just about Malays. It is the best of every race and culture put together. This is evident in the cuisine, the lifestyle and the possibilities. This element is played up in the city hotel where fusion and staying connected is the key theme.
This is an earlier chart I did up. The elements are a no brainer. The location of the properties would have already determined the theme. The above is a more in-depth structure of how to roll out the different aspects in the hotels.
The Datai Group wants to expand. They currently have their flagship Datai Langkawi. They are opening up another Datai in Desaru. Alongside, there are plans to open a Datai city hotel and also a family resort called The Desa also in Desaru. Looking at their expansion structure, I am introducing 3 simple elements which will run through all their hotels.
The elements are THE ROOTS, THE WATER and THE CULTURE.
THE ROOTS
The pitch brief circles around The Datai being the epitome of 'Malaysian Hospitality'. I found this very vague. And if there is anything to define that, Datai will need to be the first to. Malaysia is not one thing but many. Like Singapore, it comprises of many races and cultures. No one has found a way to sum these up. The most common visual is that of 4 races namely Chinese, Malay, Indian and the Caucasian/Eurasian standing together.
What is typically Malaysian then? If you look at the countries in the region, Thailand is known for its land and fields, Indonesia for its volcanos, Philippines for its islands, Vietnam for its caves and formations. The list goes on. What Malaysia can really own is the rainforest. And what is originally Malaysian is not the batik, not the food, not the architecture. All of that are borrowed from other cultures.
The roots is about how Man and the rainforest co-exist. This codependence is Malaysian.
THE WATER
This element is part of how Man co-depend on Nature. And this, next to the rainforest is the sea for its abundance. This element will be played up according to the location of the property.
THE CULTURE
It isn't just one thing. Malaysia isn't just about Malays. It is the best of every race and culture put together. This is evident in the cuisine, the lifestyle and the possibilities. This element is played up in the city hotel where fusion and staying connected is the key theme.
This is an earlier chart I did up. The elements are a no brainer. The location of the properties would have already determined the theme. The above is a more in-depth structure of how to roll out the different aspects in the hotels.
The original pitch brief wants to focus on Malaysian Hospitality. But what really is Malaysian Hospitality? It baffled me. As vague as it is, it is something elusive. So elusive that it is impossible to capture. Malaysia, like Singapore, is a melting pot of cultures and races. These cannot be summed up with one thing. It really is a chimera of a nation.
So, a chimera, that is interesting. What if we do design a chimera to represent The Datai. 'Datai' is a name of the bay, it doesn't mean or stand for anything.
So looking at the horses in the lobby of The Datai, the eagle mascot of Langkawi, and the tiger which is the national symbol of Malaysia, the chimera was born. The other hotels still keep the main feature of the flagship symbol which is the horse head. Their bodies differ depending on the nature of the hotels.
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| I thought the chimera needs some sort of secondary graphics to accompany it. It would be fitting to design some batik patterns to go with it. However, I wanted these patterns to be more contemporary than traditional. The batik itself is borrowed from Indonesia so it isn't new or typically Malaysian. I looked at modern nature graphics and combined them with the geometric shapes and lines found in Kerry Hill's architecture of The Datai. |
The original pitch brief wants to focus on Malaysian Hospitality. But what really is Malaysian Hospitality? It baffled me. As vague as it is, it is something elusive. So elusive that it is impossible to capture. Malaysia, like Singapore, is a melting pot of cultures and races. These cannot be summed up with one thing. It really is a chimera of a nation.
So, a chimera, that is interesting. What if we do design a chimera to represent The Datai. 'Datai' is a name of the bay, it doesn't mean or stand for anything.
So looking at the horses in the lobby of The Datai, the eagle mascot of Langkawi, and the tiger which is the national symbol of Malaysia, the chimera was born. The other hotels still keep the main feature of the flagship symbol which is the horse head. Their bodies differ depending on the nature of the hotels.
|
| I thought the chimera needs some sort of secondary graphics to accompany it. It would be fitting to design some batik patterns to go with it. However, I wanted these patterns to be more contemporary than traditional. The batik itself is borrowed from Indonesia so it isn't new or typically Malaysian. I looked at modern nature graphics and combined them with the geometric shapes and lines found in Kerry Hill's architecture of The Datai. |
The Datai isn't just one thing. That is why the ingredients for The Datai Group is made up of 3 elements which can be mixed and matched and played up based on the nature of the property. I wanted this route to have a crest. With the flagship having a very eco-friendly nature, I wanted to create a logo, an identity that shouts out, 'guardian'.
The stag is known to be the guardian of the forest in many cultures. It is also a symbol of nature, wisdom and magnificence. Here, the logo does not hold just one thing. It evolves from the stag horns to tree branches with fishes to corals and fishes. This is logo also signifies the location of the Langkawi flagship. It is situated deep in the forest and slowly branches out to the sea.
The overarching theme for this route is evolution. It combines several elements within one logo. The Datai Urban is made up of hands and leaves. This symbolises the marriage of culture and nature within the city hotel. The Desa is made up of coral and feathers. This symbolises the infinity from water to sky.
It was a challenge designing the collaterals for the logo. The logo stands for a lot and it will take more for it to come to life. This logo has a lot of soul and it should not be contained in a very stiff corporate lockup. This is also a luxury sector so a more whimsical approach will set it apart from the competition.
Here, we use skeletons of natural objects as secondary graphics. They are like the fingerprint, the DNA of The Datai. Mixing the objects also reflects the coming together of different elements.
The Datai isn't just one thing. That is why the ingredients for The Datai Group is made up of 3 elements which can be mixed and matched and played up based on the nature of the property. I wanted this route to have a crest. With the flagship having a very eco-friendly nature, I wanted to create a logo, an identity that shouts out, 'guardian'.
The stag is known to be the guardian of the forest in many cultures. It is also a symbol of nature, wisdom and magnificence. Here, the logo does not hold just one thing. It evolves from the stag horns to tree branches with fishes to corals and fishes. This is logo also signifies the location of the Langkawi flagship. It is situated deep in the forest and slowly branches out to the sea.
The overarching theme for this route is evolution. It combines several elements within one logo. The Datai Urban is made up of hands and leaves. This symbolises the marriage of culture and nature within the city hotel. The Desa is made up of coral and feathers. This symbolises the infinity from water to sky.
It was a challenge designing the collaterals for the logo. The logo stands for a lot and it will take more for it to come to life. This logo has a lot of soul and it should not be contained in a very stiff corporate lockup. This is also a luxury sector so a more whimsical approach will set it apart from the competition.
Here, we use skeletons of natural objects as secondary graphics. They are like the fingerprint, the DNA of The Datai. Mixing the objects also reflects the coming together of different elements.
I have ever only seen the tacca flower once, while I was trekking to a river in Seremban, Malaysia. The guide pointed out the tacca flower, also known as the bat lily. He said his garden-loving wife wanted to grow this flower in their home. He also mentioned that it is a flower that is rare and difficult to grow. Being a nature lover myself, I went on to research about this elusive flower. It looks incredible, bordering between weird and beautiful. It is that mysteriousness and fugly-ness that makes this flower unique.
This flower is yearned by many collectors and gardeners. It is rare and can only be found in the deepest of virgin rainforest. Although the flower is now being cultivated, it is still very difficult to keep.
So, who knew this little knowledge could come in useful during the pitch for The Datai. The Datai Langkawi, which is the flagship of The Datai Group is like the guardian of the rainforest. I think using the tacca flower as a symbol is very charming. This unique flower is not the common orchid, it is so elusive that many people do not even know of its existence. If it is ever sighted, it would be at the purest of rainforest. And since The Datai is the guardian of rainforest, the tacca should ideally thrive on the land of The Datai.
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| The tacca flower comes in the white and black variety. The black tacca is highly sought after as it appears more mysterious, adding to the already elusive flower. |
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| The tricky part of designing the tacca logo is the whiskers of the flower. The whiskers curl around the flower, framing it like tentacles luring you to the mystery of it. |
 |
| The DNA of The Datai Group evolves around a flora theme. Each hotel under the Group is represented by a flower that speaks the identity of the hotel. The Datai flagship in Langkawi and Desaru is represented by the tacca. The family resort Desa by the coral which shows the water theme. The Datai city hotel by the dandelion which shows sharing and community. |
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| I love this picture. It shows that water, or in this case, a water hole, is the congregation for different animals. It is the place of harmony. I reckon it is a very appropriate for a family resort. |
I have ever only seen the tacca flower once, while I was trekking to a river in Seremban, Malaysia. The guide pointed out the tacca flower, also known as the bat lily. He said his garden-loving wife wanted to grow this flower in their home. He also mentioned that it is a flower that is rare and difficult to grow. Being a nature lover myself, I went on to research about this elusive flower. It looks incredible, bordering between weird and beautiful. It is that mysteriousness and fugly-ness that makes this flower unique.
This flower is yearned by many collectors and gardeners. It is rare and can only be found in the deepest of virgin rainforest. Although the flower is now being cultivated, it is still very difficult to keep.
So, who knew this little knowledge could come in useful during the pitch for The Datai. The Datai Langkawi, which is the flagship of The Datai Group is like the guardian of the rainforest. I think using the tacca flower as a symbol is very charming. This unique flower is not the common orchid, it is so elusive that many people do not even know of its existence. If it is ever sighted, it would be at the purest of rainforest. And since The Datai is the guardian of rainforest, the tacca should ideally thrive on the land of The Datai.
|
| The tacca flower comes in the white and black variety. The black tacca is highly sought after as it appears more mysterious, adding to the already elusive flower. |
|
| The tricky part of designing the tacca logo is the whiskers of the flower. The whiskers curl around the flower, framing it like tentacles luring you to the mystery of it. |
|
| The DNA of The Datai Group evolves around a flora theme. Each hotel under the Group is represented by a flower that speaks the identity of the hotel. The Datai flagship in Langkawi and Desaru is represented by the tacca. The family resort Desa by the coral which shows the water theme. The Datai city hotel by the dandelion which shows sharing and community. |
|
| I love this picture. It shows that water, or in this case, a water hole, is the congregation for different animals. It is the place of harmony. I reckon it is a very appropriate for a family resort. |
The Datai is indeed a very special place. I was living and breathing The Datai for about a month for this pitch. What The Datai is, is that it is unique, there is only one. It did not come out of a template.
When I was looking at the collaterals for The Datai, it appeared to me how important the brochure needs to reflect the soul of the place. The current brochure is very stiff, rather corporate. I am not suggesting that we take away the grid system in designing editorial or go handmade and scrap booking. But the soul which is whimsical and poetic needs to come alive in each spread. This is achieved in the detailing. It is all about the choice of typefaces, the way the photographs are cropped, the way the grid system is manipulated to look effortlessly whimsical.
 |
I love the copy here. I borrowed it from an old cruiseline ad.
I WILL STUDY A SUNSET.
I WILL BE NAKED MORE.
I WILL DISCOVER A COLOUR.
I WILL PUT FIRST THINGS LAST.
I WILL MESMERISE CLOUDS.
I WILL BE AMPHIBIOUS.
I WILL EAT A MANGO.
I WILL GET A REALLY GOOD TAN. |
The Datai is indeed a very special place. I was living and breathing The Datai for about a month for this pitch. What The Datai is, is that it is unique, there is only one. It did not come out of a template.
When I was looking at the collaterals for The Datai, it appeared to me how important the brochure needs to reflect the soul of the place. The current brochure is very stiff, rather corporate. I am not suggesting that we take away the grid system in designing editorial or go handmade and scrap booking. But the soul which is whimsical and poetic needs to come alive in each spread. This is achieved in the detailing. It is all about the choice of typefaces, the way the photographs are cropped, the way the grid system is manipulated to look effortlessly whimsical.
|
I love the copy here. I borrowed it from an old cruiseline ad.
I WILL STUDY A SUNSET.
I WILL BE NAKED MORE.
I WILL DISCOVER A COLOUR.
I WILL PUT FIRST THINGS LAST.
I WILL MESMERISE CLOUDS.
I WILL BE AMPHIBIOUS.
I WILL EAT A MANGO.
I WILL GET A REALLY GOOD TAN. |
