BRANDING
DESIGN DIRECTOR AT MOXIE COMMUNICATIONS
DESIGN DIRECTOR AT MOXIE COMMUNICATIONS
The opening of a new extension offered an ideal opportunity for the team at Expressions Art and Entertainment Centre in Upper Hutt to review whether their name and visual identity were still serving them well. The word “Whirinaki” had been gifted to Expressions by the local iwi, and including this as part of a new name and incorporating the story behind it was a strong focus of our work.
The Hutt River is known for its significance to the region of Upper Hutt. In designing the logo, I created a contemporary visualisation of the river, which forms either one or two ‘W’s. I also drew on an artwork designed for the gallery by Kereama Taepa, Awa Taepa — the vertical zigzag pattern within this artwork references the river.
Substantial brand guidelines enabled Whirinaki’s in-house designer to implement their new identity and bring it alive. The new look has transformed the centre into a thoroughly contemporary hub for the arts in Upper Hutt and an important part of the Aotearoa cultural landscape.
