Jom Media
News that takes a break
Jom (translated as ‘let’s’ in Malay) is an independent new media outlet founded on the idea of slow journalism. In a fast-paced world driven by sensationalism and 24/7 news cycles, Jom offers a respite with long-form, thoughtful content, including articles, photography, and occasional videos and podcasts.
Jom offers thoughtfully crafted articles on a weekly basis—every Friday, it publishes three pieces of journalism: a newsletter, a weekly update and an essay covering crucial topics around arts, culture, politics, business, technology and more. What sets Jom apart is its philosophy to place editorial rigour. That is, adopting a standard process of assessing stories, verifying sources, checking facts, and all other efforts that will allow its team to attain, in Walter Lippmann’s words, “a common intellectual method and a common area of valid fact”.
Images of Javanese pen, Bronbeek Museum, Beijens Collection, 2010/12/02-4304. https://blogs.bl.uk/asian-and-african/2018/09/malay-writing- culture.html [accessed 10 June 2022]
News that takes a break
With these values in mind, we felt the platform needed a visual identity that reflected authenticity and credibility, while keeping true its Asian roots and the intentional slowness of it all. We communicated this with the narrative of “news that takes a break”.
Together with the Jom team, we drew design inspiration for the logo from an indigenous Malay script, Jawi. Consulting with Wei Jin Darryl Lim, a postdoctoral researcher specialising in the history of Malay printing, we explored a specific style of Jawi referred to as the “19th century Straits scribal hand”. Experimenting with these influences, we arrived at a wordmark that referenced the ‘Kashida’ handwritten stroke.
Designing with tradition
This exploration led us to a breakthrough—Jawi’s unique ability to stack letters formed the perfect foundation for the Jom symbol. As Faris Joraimi, Jom’s history editor, explained: “It is a seal, or cap mohor. It has a potent history in Malay letter-writing, as a stand-in for the sender, giving the document authority but also a kind of talismanic life.”
Across the website, newsletters, and social media platforms, our visual identity system mirrors Jom’s essence. With deliberate use of space, typographic restraint, and a logo that draws from historical elements, Jom stands as a tribute to the art of slow journalism—rooted in humility, sensitivity, and a tireless pursuit of truth.