Growing up in another country as a Malaysian was a unique experience. I was just 12 years old when Alpha was introduced to my local underground-church’s youth group, and I still vividly remember the excitement my friends and I felt watching the videos—it brought a fresh perspective to ministry despite the persecution. Returning to Malaysia permanently was a challenging transition for me, so being involved in designing for Alpha now feels incredibly meaningful, like reconnecting with my 12-year-old self.
Since then, I’ve honed my artistic skills as a student at a local creative academy, and I’m thrilled to apply them to this project. Collaborating with Worshipers and Alpha Youth Malaysia, our goal is to create an artwork that reflects Alfie’s journey into Malaysia, blending authentic colors and local elements with a natural, youthful touch. Before further or do, lets dive in to the creative processes of “Alfie in Malaysia!”
In early September, I was genuinely thrilled with the vision, concept, and ideas that Worshiper and the Alpha team presented for this T-shirt design. Together, we first imagined an illustration featuring Alfie, the mascot of Alpha Youth, embarking on a journey into Malaysia to celebrate the launch of the Alpha Youth Series. We aimed to incorporate Alpha Youth brand colors alongside local elements like the KLCC, Penang Bridge, and ikat tepi. Excited by the idea of blending local culture with Alfie, I dived into early sketches to outline a general direction.
Later, the team decided to explore more neutral compositions that clearly highlights Alfie as the main focus. This led to two refined drafts, and we landed on the design on the left.
From there, I couldn’t wait to start the most exciting part: color tests! The Alpha Youth brand colors are bright and vibrant, but their intensity could be visually tiring. So, we explored more muted tones within the same color scheme to achieve a balanced look. To solidify our direction, I created a demo that closely resembled our envisioned final product, based on one of the color tests.
Then, the project took a fantastic turn! After much thought, the team chose to explore a more authentic, hand-crafted style using wobbly, hand-drawn lines rather than vector shapes. This is when we added a vital new element: a vintage yellow van! This didn’t just enhance the concept of “Alfie journeying into Malaysia”—it also allowed us to add more Malaysian touches on top of the van, like a chameleon, durian, and badminton gear. While the initial drafts included multiple Alfie characters and stickers of hibiscus and Alpha taglines on the van, we decided to remove them for a cleaner, more minimalistic look. We also took the opportunity to experiment with different styles for Alfie!
Another significant change was shifting to authentic Malaysian colors. After discussions, we settled on green, yellow, red, and greyish-blue, blending the Alpha Youth brand colors with a distinctly Malaysian touch. This decision marked the birth of our final design, ready to come to life on apparel.
I couldn’t be happier with the result! The gratitude I felt toward God, Worshipers, Alpha, and my community was immense as I held the printed shirt in my hands, and it was heartwarming to see others enjoy the design at the Alpha Youth Festival Malaysia. Meanwhile, Alpha Youth opened a new door for evangelism as my friends and I launched a Christian Fellowship on our campus!
Thank you for reading this far! We hope you enjoy the playful addition of durians and animals perched on top of the van!