"An initiative of The Designers Institute of New Zealand, The Best Design Awards is the annual showcase of excellence in graphic, spatial, product
and interactive design"
"An initiative of The Designers Institute of New Zealand, The Best Design Awards is the annual showcase of excellence in graphic, spatial, product and interactive design"
In 2015 I was extremely lucky to be able to represent my team as a finalist for the Best Awards.
Te Kete Koorero began as an idea that would seek to engage Maaori and Pasifika students. Immersed in a culture-rich environment, this publication offered a platform to bring Maaori and Pasifika affairs to the forefront. The initiative was student-driven, uniting different disciplines from across the Arts and from differing backgrounds.
As a founding member, I was given the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded people, who shared the same drive to push issues relevant to Maaori and Pasifika. In doing so, Te Kete Koorero was afforded an opportunity to use learned skills in a real world context that was nurtured and supported by Te Kuratini o Waikato.
It was through this collaboration that students were heard, a fete that had not previously been attempted. Te Kete Koorero became the voice for Maaori and Pasifika students.
We as a culture are gifted storytellers and have for hundreds of years been able to do so through simplicity, minimalism and the ability to depict an idea through many mediums. From a design perspective, I wanted to explore these ideas by adopting a clean, minimalist approach using a combination of shape, repetition and a layout structure that provided an experience reflective of modern Maaori design and that of traditional Maaori design concepts.
It was important to utilise the multitudes of skills across the tauira, as each student who worked on the publication influenced the direction of each edition. Uniting our skills enhanced the content, the design and the theme and in turn, strengthened the message that we intended to put across. To this day, the foundation of Te Kete Koorero continues to be built upon, continues to grow and continues to strengthen.
Ehara taku toa,he takitahi, he toa takitini
My success should not be bestowed onto me alone,
as it was not individual success but success of a collective
