A look at the Merdeka logos for the past decade

Every August 31st since 1957, Malaysia has celebrated Merdeka Day.

The Merdeka Day celebration is the culmination of an independent independence achievement celebrated yearly with various activities and events.

The celebration each year is aimed at igniting the spirit of patriotism among the community in Malaysia.

Merdeka logo history

The late Tan Sri Sanusi Junid wrote in his book “Bingkisan Merdeka 52 Tahun” that the creation of the Merdeka Day celebration logo was first introduced in a celebration in 1976 by Tun Mohd Ghazali Shafie.

Institute of Technology MARA Shah Alam designed the logo in 1976.

Each logo is based on a festive theme mutually agreed upon by the National Day Celebration Center Committee.

In 1988, Tan Sri Sanusi Junid as the chairperson of the National Day celebration, proposed the logo creation competition.

The competition aimed to improve the quality of logo design and encourage participation from all walks of life.

However, the exception, in 1991, the logo-themed ‘Vision 2020’ was specially designed by Tuan Haji Hashim Hassan.

A look at Merdeka logos

Every citizen of the country is very much aware of the importance of this day. The celebration often takes place in Kuala Lumpur, but sometimes it goes to other states.

As of every year, this year, we too have a theme and logo to represent what we aim to achieve. We will look at what we have gone through since ten years ago. So let us start with the year 2012.

2012 : 1Malaysia. Janji Ditepati

Literally translated to mean ”Promises We Keep”. The government then promised to keep its word in various instances, like keeping the prices of food under control, building and developing the nation’s infrastructure and keeping the economy under control.

2013: Malaysiaku Berdaulat: Tanah Tumpahnya Darahku

This year, they took a word out of the lyrics of the national anthem Negara Ku. Malaysiaku Berdaulat means My Malaysia The Blessed, while Tanah Tumpahnya Darahku means The Land Where My Blood Flows or I’m willing to die for my country. It is to imbed the love for the nation and to instil the spirit of patriotism.

2014 : Malaysia… Di Sini Lahirnya Sebuah Cinta

This year’s theme was coined from a song by the great Sudirman. It means This Is The Land Where Love Was Born. The love here is targeted at the nation’s love, a bountiful country with various races and religions full of diversity.

2015-2016: Sehati Sejiwa

This theme was used for two years. “Sehati Sejiwa” means one heart and one soul. It depicts that the citizens of the nation are unidirectional in its objective. It also means that everyone is united in their heart and soul, moving toward the country’s development.

2017 : Negaraku Sehati Sejiwa

Again this theme is almost similar to the one in 2015 -2016. The government, perhaps feeling the lack of patriotism in its people, chose to use the same theme. One heart and one soul.

2018: Sayangi Malaysiaku

To love Malaysia seems to be the theme of the year. It is to build a nation that loves itself with its citizens that has nothing but love for the country. This is probably because the country had just been through a tumultuous election and was divided.

2019 : Sayangi Malaysiaku: Malaysia Bersih

Again the theme for the National Day was as in the previous year with the addition of Malaysia Bersih or Clean Malaysia. Clean here means a clean Malaysia without corruption.

2020 – 21: Malaysia Prihatin

For two years, the same theme was used. “Prihatin”, or sensitive to the wants and needs of the people, indicated that the government then listened and responded to the rakyat’s wishes. It was also celebrated during the Covid-19 pandemic.

2022 : Keluarga Malaysia Teguh Bersama

This year the theme is The Malaysian Family Is Strong Together, again implying that the government is trying to bring the various races, religions, and creed to be together under all circumstances. This focus on the citizens as a family is to unite them and help each other under duress.

This is a concept first conceived by our PM, YAB Dato” Seri Ismail Sabri, about the idea of Malaysia as being in a family.

The themes and the logos symbolise what the government wants to achieve within that year. They represent the beauty of Malaysia in its diverse people and culture.

According to the research titled Art appreciation of the Malaysia Independence Day logo, 2020 by Siti Fairuz Md Hashim, Marzuki Ibrahim, Azhar Abd Jamil and Saiful Akram Che Cob, the use of a suitable logo can change people’s perception of something.

They added that logos also play an essential role in attracting the interest and emotions of the community. Logos play an important role in mediating and communicating between designers and society. So, the logo design must have a more profound impact on the community.