PETALING JAYA: Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Aziz has defended the design of the Visit Malaysia 2020 logo and said it will continue to be used to promote Malaysia to the world despite the criticisms against it.
He said the logo, which was launched in Chiang Mai, Thailand, would not be changed as it had received positive feedback from tourists during the launch.
“Criticism is normal. I launched it in Chiang Mai and everyone praised it.
“This logo is for foreign tourists. It is not for domestic use, I don’t care.
“In Chiang Mai, we received good response because they have not seen (the logo).
“It’s different for Malaysians who are used to seeing it. I have no intention of changing it.
“I have launched it. Nazri Aziz never backtracks. This is what will be used for the world, only one logo, no other logo,” he told FMT.
Following the launch in Thailand, social media users had panned the design of the logo, which carries the tagline “Travel. Enjoy. Respect”, with many saying that it looked amateurish.
Many expressed disbelief that the logo was approved for Malaysia’s global tourism campaign, wondering if the photo shared online was fake or part of a joke.
Others claimed the logo was designed using a simple programme like Microsoft Paint and had put Malaysian graphic designers to shame.
Arshad, who uses the Twitter handle @itsmymn, said: “I’m sick and tired of this humiliation. How can you be a freaking minister, when you can’t realise how awful and humiliating this logo is.
“You know what this says to the world for 2020? ‘Malaysians can’t design.’ I weep for all our great graphic designers,” he said.
Another user with the handle @avenseenafauzi said: “Our official logo for visit Malaysia 2020. Gonna be a joke for another 2 years and beyond.”
Facebook users also joined in the criticism, with Al-Hussaini Mustafa Hadi saying in a posting: “I hope this is a joke. Not every design can just be done in-house or using a freelancer. Even freelance designers might do better than this.
“This kind of work should be done by a reputable agency and the logo project alone should take some time,” he said.
Nazri denied claims by some that the ministry had paid an external graphic designer hundreds of thousands of ringgit to come up with the logo.
“We did not use external firms and we did not spend anything. Everything was done internally, using our own staff.
“I have faith in my own staff rather than spending hundreds of thousands to pay someone from outside.
“It is free because the graphic designer was a member of our staff,” he added. -FMT
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