Brand Designer and Content Creator Rio Purba received an enthusiastic welcome from students during the Creative Workshop themed “Unlimited Inspiration,” held at Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU) on May 8 at the Mukhtar Basri Campus in Medan.
The workshop, part of the Road to JNE Content Competition 2025 program, was a collaboration between PT. Tiki Jalur Nugraha Ekakurir (JNE) and UMSU. The event aimed to help students sharpen their skills in creating engaging, positive digital content.
Rio Purba, a popular figure among the youth, shared his journey into the world of graphic design, which began during vocational school due to his passion for design and active participation in competitions.
Addressing the issue of AI being perceived as a threat to creatives, Rio emphasized that tools like ChatGPT and visual generators should be seen as co-creators, not replacements.
“Will AI replace creative professionals? Not really. AI simply helps us brainstorm; it doesn’t finalize our creative output,” Rio explained.
He also shared an eye-opening statistic: the average Indonesian spends over 7 hours a day looking at screens, with 3 of those hours spent on social media. This presents a huge opportunity for digital creatives, especially with over 27 MSMEs already going digital.
“No matter how flawed you think your work is, someone out there will appreciate it. And no matter how great it is, there will always be critics,” Rio encouraged the students.
Earlier, Chairman of PWI North Sumatra, H. Farianda Putra Sinik, who also served as a judge for the writing competition, reminded students about the importance of producing responsible content by adhering to journalistic standards, especially the 5W+1H principle.
“Content must use clear and understandable language, free from ambiguity. Data must be accurate and unbiased so the public receives trustworthy information,” he emphasized.
During the opening session, UMSU Vice Rector III Dr. Rudianto expressed appreciation for JNE’s trust in UMSU as a partner in this workshop program. He reaffirmed UMSU’s commitment to supporting creative initiatives and institutions that seek collaboration, especially in developing students’ creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.
“We fully support strategic partners like JNE who help our students grow. Creativity is always useful and evolves with the times,” said Dr. Rudianto.
He also proudly mentioned that UMSU recently ranked as the number one Islamic university in the world according to UniRank, thanks to its strong focus on creativity and entrepreneurship. UMSU is also the top university in Indonesia in terms of winning entrepreneurship competitions.
He stressed that creativity can never be replaced by artificial intelligence. While AI serves as a tool, creativity remains a core and irreplaceable element in the creative process.
The workshop became even more engaging with sessions on journalism and graphic design led by PWI North Sumatra Chairman H. Farianda Putra Sinik, S.E., and Rio Purba.
Meanwhile, JNE Medan Branch Head, Dr. Fikri, in his speech, expressed pride in being at UMSU—a campus known for producing quality alumni who now contribute significantly to the logistics industry.
“We’re honored to be at one of the best universities in North Sumatra and even the world. Many UMSU alumni have joined JNE and made outstanding contributions. Hopefully, we can soon sign an MoU to take this partnership further,” he said.
Fikri added that through creative content, students not only share knowledge but can also generate lasting impact (amal jariyah). He explained that following this workshop, students will be encouraged to participate in the JNE Content Competition 2025, where they will assist JNE-supported MSMEs, especially in digital content development.
“Logistics now plays a key role in supporting e-commerce and government programs. As a homegrown Indonesian company, JNE shares the same spirit as UMSU—Connecting Happiness. Today, we’re connecting happiness through creativity,” he added.
The event concluded with an interactive discussion session and a symbolic exchange of souvenirs, marking the collaboration between UMSU and JNE. This initiative is expected to be the beginning of many future collaborations to strengthen the student creative ecosystem, entrepreneurship, and UMKM empowerment.
