Building a Forever Brand

Background

As a dedicated kaitiaki (guardian) of the forest, Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre has long been a leader in the restoration and protection of Aotearoa’s wildlife. Built on strong partnerships with Rangitāne o Wairarapa, DOC, and the local community, Pūkaha is committed to sharing its passion for nature with both the nation and its people.

Project

At the forefront of this philosophy is Pūkaha’s visual identity. The creation of a comprehensive new brand aimed to influence everyone involved with the wildlife centre—from volunteers to visitors—by telling the story of its unique culture and offering a glimpse into what Pūkaha has to offer.

The scope of the brand development ranged from designing the logo to rolling out a new identity across advertising, signage, stationery, the website, and social media.

Process

CEO Emily Court understood the importance of process in brand building and involved the entire team, representatives from Rangitāne, and members of the Pūkaha Board.

The first step was a branding workshop. Our kaupapa was to explore who Pūkaha was, who it is today, and who it aspires to be in the future. As the brand development lead, I guided the day-long workshop, helping uncover key stories, identify iconic symbols, and define a unified brand personality.

Logo

Kahurangi the kōkako became a central emblem of Pūkaha’s future. This bold illustration is paired with a strong sans-serif typeface, ensuring the logo immediately conveys that Pūkaha is forward-thinking, brave, and relevant. The use of whakairo in the illustration highlights the partnership between Pūkaha and Rangitāne, while the cool-toned color palette establishes an underlying sense of elegance and intrigue. The result is a logo that is eye-catching, engaging, and memorable—designed to represent Pūkaha sincerely and with style.

Developing the Brand

To complement the kōkako in the main logo, I created six additional character illustrations for use across various brand applications. This provided a rich library of on-brand content for stationery, membership cards, murals, merchandise, and even an ancillary brand for Pūkaha’s Kākā Café.

Challenges

Designing for a not-for-profit organization presents unique challenges. The brand needed to be functional and easily utilised in-house by Pūkaha’s marketing team to minimize long-term costs. Part of the handover was a 50+ page brand guide developed to support the in-house team and any external designers who might contribute in the future.

While I always strive to maintain high-quality brand consistency, I also enjoy the challenge of creating a brand that remains effective even when managed by those with limited graphic design experience.

Outcomes

The success of this brand is evident in its longevity. The rebranding journey began in 2018, and seven years later, it still feels fresh and uniquely Pūkaha. General Manager Emily Court recently remarked that she still loves the Pūkaha brand as much as she did when it was first launched—a sentiment that means a lot to me!

Conclusion

Although the Pūkaha brand isn’t the most recent work in my portfolio, I am showcasing it because it represents an opportunity where I was able to do my best work. General Manager Emily Court trusted my expertise, experience and creative instinct. The result is a strategically developed, cohesive brand that has stood the test of time.