Curcuma zanthorrhiza and the Search for Authenticity Temulawak’s elegant packaging concept marks my first time that botanical science and cultural heritage come together in its creation. The initial approach was simple: observing the morphological characteristics of Curcuma zanthorrhiza and applying binomial nomenclature—where the Latin name is italicized with the genus capitalized and the rest in lowercase. In the publishing world, a similar writing convention is known as sentence case, but for scientific names, both words remain italicized.

The second approach led me to revisit prior knowledge of Javanese script only to realize my initial understanding was flawed. Not to translate the entire draft from English, but simply to ensure the correct rendering of 'Temulawak.' The first online script translator failed, producing an overly long translation for a five-character base. The second attempt was no better, as it inserted a Latin character for 'e' in 'Temu.' Finally, the third translation tool yielded a more accurate result, rendering the script as ꦠꦼꦩꦸꦭꦮꦏ꧀ for 'Temulawak.'

Beyond Javanese script, I sought to incorporate another cultural element into this packaging: Batik. A true heritage of Nusantara, Batik is the perfect fusion of art and cutting-edge technology from its time. While this is neither hand-drawn nor stamped Batik, its motif is seamlessly embedded into the design to emphasize the cultural essence. For the context behind the choice of Javanese script and Batik, you might find a deeper story waiting on the back of the packaging.

One last note: this packaging was developed as a conceptual submission and was not the design ultimately selected for production. Even so, the research behind Curcuma zanthorrhiza, Javanese script, and Batik made it one of the most memorable projects in my portfolio. Certain decorative elements, including botanical illustrations and cultural motifs, were sourced from licensed marketplace assets for concept presentation purposes.