Kaikoura District Council

We worked on:

Brand, Graphic Design, Illustration, Wayfinging, Integrated Signage.

We were approached by Kaikoura District Council in collaboration with Te Runanga O Kaikoura representatives to develop some graphic assets to brand the new Civic Building in the Kaikoura town centre. Principles of tikanga reflecting the cultural importance of the building site was an essential part of the brief.

The Logo was developed in collaboration with Eruera Solomon, a talented youth artist in the community and member of the local Iwi. Based on one of his kowhaiwhai drawings, we digitised and composed parts of his original sketch to form the logo.

The three parts of the logo represent the three levels of the building - Rangatiratanga (Governance, Management), Matauranga (Education, Communication and Whakapapa (History, Genealogy). These can been seen highlighted on the three directory signs that mark each level near the buildings stairwell. When the design is mirrored, the kowhaiwhai design forms a shield, a symbol that not only points to Kaikoura’s and New Zealand's bicultural heritage - it is a universal sign.

The design has been executed in blue, white and grey and to reflect the ocean, mountains and beaches of Kaikoura’s unique geographical position, and grounded on a black support - the colour of Aotearoa New Zealand's cultural space. We then produced integrated and wayfinding signage based on this design for the interior and exterior of the building.