IMDES 2025: Creating Connection: Intelligent Design for a Sustainable Future

IMDES 2025 Award Ceremony at the Function Hall, UMN. (Doc. UMN)

Tangerang – On Friday, May 16, 2025, the International Conference of Innovation in Media and Visual Design (IMDES) 2025 was held. IMDES 2025 is an event organized by the VCD program at UMN. This event is a platform for students and faculty to create works and expand their networks.

The International Conference on Innovation in Media and Visual Design (IMDES) 2025 has been an annual event organized by the VCD program for three years. This year, IMDES focused on the theme “Creating Connection: Intelligent Design for a Sustainable Future. ” Students and academics were involved in the conference. For the IMDES 2025 event, UMN also collaborated with Multimedia Nusantara Polytechnic (MNP) in organizing it.

Andrey at the opening of the IMDES 2025 awarding night (Doc. UMN)

“I am pleased that the IMDES 2025 event ran smoothly, as the topic addressed is sustainability, which aligns with UMN’s values. Sustainability is not just an issue but something that requires concrete action. Therefore, all activities at UMN must align with the SDG points,” Dr. Andrey Andoko, UMN Rector, said.

For Andrey, sustainability is not just a concept but something that must be developed because, through sustainability, we can build a better future and a better environment. Andrey hopes we will continue to be curious about and willing to learn about sustainability. 

Hargyo at the opening of the IMDES 2025 awarding night. (Doc. UMN)

“The IMDES 2025 event is a testament to the spirit of collaboration and sustainability, reflecting the strong partnership between UMN and MNP. I hope this collaboration between UMN and MNP will continue to thrive and have a positive impact on the environment while shaping a sustainable future,” Hargyo T. N. Ignatius, Ph.D., The Director of MNP said.

For Hargyo, the IMDES 2025 event is highly valuable and supports MNP in creativity while expanding the knowledge of MNP students. It is hoped that all parties involved in the IMDES 2025 event can gain new knowledge and benefits.

Cahya at the opening of the IMDES 2025 awarding night. (Doc. UMN)

“This is the third time we have conducted IMDES; I hope this activity continues and benefits UMN, MNP, and the broader community. I am pleased that this year’s activity allows us to collaborate with MNP,” Muhammad Cahya Mulya Daulay, S.Sn., M.Ds., Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design, said.

Cahya hopes that IMDES 2025 will be a platform for students to share their knowledge and works. He also hopes that the existing outcomes will expand knowledge and raise public awareness of the importance of sustainability.

“We chose this theme with the aim that a conference and exhibition are not merely displays but also build connections, and in the process, we involve the design process. Design is a process that requires cognitive processes and tools; both tools and humans must possess intelligence to produce designs that have problem-solving value, innovation, and sustainability,” Fonita Theresia Yoliando, S.Ds., M.A., Head of the Visual Communication Design Program at UMN, said. 

Fonita also mentioned that sustainability issues are prevalent in Indonesia. Through the IMDES 2025 event, UMN encourages students to create good and sustainable works and enables them to share knowledge and valuable insights.

“I hope that we can generate new knowledge through the IMDES 2025 event, particularly in research and design works. We also want students to build networks with other universities. Of course, we want to instil a sense of pride in students, so that their work is not only recognized by their peers but also by the broader community,” Fonita added.

IMDES works at the Nusakara exhibition. (Doc. UMN)

Various students attend IMDES 2025. Currently, 30 curated research projects and 46 works are exhibited at Nusakara. These research projects and works are from UMN students and students outside UMN and involve overseas campuses such as Malaysia and France. 

In the future, these research projects and works will also be published with ISSN and ISBNs. The existing research projects will be shared publicly, and the existing works will be printed as e-books or physical books.

“The current phenomenon is not only about how technology is used for design but also about global phenomena such as climate change, resources, etc. As designers, we must begin to think about creating sustainable designs that are not just disposable. We aim to produce designs with sustainable functionality,” Dr. Sn. Yusup Sigit Martyastiadi, S.T., M.Inf.Tech., the General Chair of IMDES 2025, said.

In addition to creating sustainable designs, this event aims to share knowledge about how a design is created and the entire design process so that many people can understand existing products and the cultural differences and uniqueness of each. 

“We want to convey that design is not just about creating images and layouts, but involves a process of humanistic intelligence. For me, every design created is centered on the human who created it, so the public understands the entire design process, the reasons behind it, and the in-depth research involved,” Yusup added.

Yusup hopes that all the research and work can bring about behavioral changes in society. Additionally, through IMDES, an association focused on innovation in media and visual design can be initiated. This association is expected to strengthen the collaboration between academia, industry, and government.

IMDES 2025 features a variety of activities, including seminars led by Firman Hidayat, Founder of YMF, and Handoko Hendryono, Co-Founder of M Bloc Space. The exhibition of works will be open until May 30, 2025, at Nusakara, Building C, UMN. 

Additionally, IMDES 2025 is hosting four workshops: Ceramic Workshop, Hat Painting Workshop, Bearbrick Keychain Workshop, and Sustainable Strap Workshop. Currently, IMDES 2025 is still accepting research submissions from academic staff. For more details about IMDES 2025, visit https://imdes.umn.ac.id/ 

By Rachel Tiffany Tanukusuma | UMN News Service

English translation by Levina Chrestella Theodora

Kuliah di Jakarta untuk jurusan program studi Informatika| Sistem Informasi | Teknik Komputer | Teknik Elektro | Teknik Fisika | Akuntansi | Manajemen| Komunikasi Strategis | Jurnalistik | Desain Komunikasi Visual | Film dan Animasi | Arsitektur | D3 Perhotelan , di Universitas Multimedia Nusantara.