CREATING AN IDENTITY WITH MEANING AND AUTHORITY
‘Aina Pono is the Hawai’ian State Department of Education’s pioneering farm-to-school initiative, with an aim to provide more healthy, nutritious, fresh and local food to school cafeterias throughout Hawai’i. The challenge was to create a credible identity that increased state-wide awareness of the government backed initiative in schools and the agricultural community.
DRIVING A SUCCESS ACROSS DIFFERENT CHANNELS
Understanding the most important aspects of the initiative for the multiple audiences was key in driving a successful creative idea across channels. ‘Aina Pono meaning ‘righteous meal’ was the start point for the idea in communicating the farm-to-school story and community benefits.
CREATING CREDIBILITY FOR THE COMMUNITY
Bold typography combined with a seal of approval delivers on the authority and creditability required for a government backed initiative. However, the design execution with its playful and positive illustration style had to connect with the community and be suitable for the school environment. This was achieved through an understanding of regional semiotics important to the audience and the subject matter of the illustration (mountain, taro leaf, pattern) in order to resonate with the community and the endless benefits of the initiative – improvement in academic performance; healthy food choices; supporting local farmers and the economy.
