Ong, trendsetter in book cover design

Ong, trendsetter in book cover design

Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

The threat by certain organizations last year to seize and
destroy books they considered leftist in content sent a chill
down the backs of not only writers, bookstores and publishers,
but also book designers.

Ong Hari Wahyu, 44, one of Indonesia's leading book cover
designers, was one of those terrified by the threats. "Si Ong",
as he is known, was the designer for some of the targeted books.

Bestsellers by Pramoedya Ananta Toer, such as his tetralogy of
This Earth of Mankind, Child of All Nations, Footsteps
and Glass House, are among the old books whose covers Ong has
redesigned.

As rumors spread about burning of leftist books, Si Ong -- a
resident of Nitiprayan, which is known as an "artists village",
in Bantul, Yogyakarta -- often received phone calls from
anonymous callers and his friends, telling him he was personally
targeted.

Some groups burned "leftist books" in Menteng, Central
Jakarta, in a show of force, but they stopped short of carrying
out their threat to raid bookstores thanks partly to strong
public condemnation. Nevertheless, bookstores cleared the
targeted books from their shelves.

The memory that some people who sold Pramoedya's books in
Yogyakarta were detained and imprisoned during Soeharto's New
Order regime weighed heavily on Si Ong.

"I was scared and wanted to go into hiding. I readied
everything so that anytime they raided my house I could run away
there and then," he said. Fortunately, nothing happened.

"It's true that I designed the covers of some of the books
they considered leftist. As we all know, after the beginning of
the reform era many books which the New Order regime banned from
circulation reemerged. Many groups do not like this atmosphere of
openness. They use religion and the Pancasila ideology as excuses
to get rid of books."

Si Ong described the groups making all the noise about leftist
books as "very disgusting", saying they even went as far as
burning scientific books written by Frans Magnis Suseno.

"I wonder if they read the books. This is really
embarrassing," he said.

Ong is a leader in his field, and his designs have inspired
other book designers in the country.

He studied design at the Indonesian Institute of Arts in
Yogyakarta, but never completed his degree.

Some critics say Si Ong never ventures far from the classic
models in designing book covers.

"In fact not all of my designs are classic," he said.

Si Ong does not use classic designs for books on current
affairs. For books on the Indonesian military, for instance, he
does not use military symbols. Instead, he uses more subtle
pictures. He frowns on realistic drawings and photographs.

It is this visual language that Si Ong loves. In a visual
language, he feels he can toy with ideas and express them on a
book cover.

This unusual approach often takes writers, publishers and
readers by surprise, because the designs can be "difficult to
understand".

"When designing a cover, the first thing that comes to mind is
to draw or to paint, either from a photograph or from a drawing.
To be able to compose in the visual language, I have to read the
book first. I will also seek inspirations from other sources,
such as old books, posters, cigarette packs, advertisements and
paintings," he said.

Designing book covers is not Si Ong's only skill. He has also
made a name for himself as a stage designer and artistic
director.

Well-known actors such as Emha Ainun Najib, Miroto, Djaduk
Ferianto and Butet Kertaradjasa are among those who are eager to
work with Si Ong.

Among his more memorable work was serving as the artistic
director for the award-winning Leaf on a Pillow, a feature film
by Garin Nugroho.

Because the orders flood in, Si Ong often has to turn down
some jobs, especially when the deadlines are short. He does four
book covers a day.

"An artistic job cannot be rushed," he said.

Si Ong prefers to design book covers for emerging writers of
publishers, assuming that they have idealism. Besides, they will
not put any pressure on him that will adversely affect his
creative job.

Although he receives less money from new writers and
publishers, he is happy to design covers for them and help them
develop.

"I'm happy to see dozens of new book cover designers begin to
make names for themselves, and to see 114 publishers working in
Yogyakarta. I long to see book publishing become a home industry
in Indonesia," said Si Ong.

His ambition is to establish a book distribution syndication.
The aim is to narrow the gap between small and large publishers.

This syndication would also help market books published by
small publishers, as be believes that these books are generally
as good as those produced by the major publishers.

"(If the syndication comes into being) it will bring books
closer to their readers. Their prices will be reduced because the
distribution chain will be short and the taxes reduced," said Si
Ong, whose book cover designs cost between Rp 200,000 and Rp 5
million each.