Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology
Brand Strategy & Identity
The Story
A meaningful, place-based brand and messaging strategy that connects marine science to the world around it. The Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, under the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, is renowned for its work in marine research, conservation, and Indigenous Hawaiian partnerships. Their mission is grounded in people, place and culture.
Before
After
Cause
Climate & Sustainability
Wildlife & Animal Welfare
Reconciliation & Indigenous Sovereignty
Services
Brand Strategy
Logo Design
Branding & Identity
Details
I had the privilege of traveling to Hawai‘i to conduct comprehensive in-person research with HIMB staff and faculty to create a brand and messaging strategy that preserved beloved brand equity and moved organization into the future. While the previous HIMB logo was rooted in strong European (albeit scientific) imagery, a new logo was needed to honour that heritage while feeling more part of the Hawaiian land and culture, and better represent the institute’s current position. This process was delicate yet rewarding, resulting in a brand inspired directly by the institute’s island home.
The new HIMB logo is a carefully crafted scene of its island home. Inspired by the island’s mo‘olelo (oral history, story), the logo honours Lo‘e, who made the island her home, tucking her into the rippling mountain side. The island then becomes her shoulder, surrounded by the patch reef on which faculty and students perform their research, and below the surface is a collection of the bay’s signature marine life.
Each colour in the brand palette was swatched directly from the island, and all of the imagery in the new logo and graphic elements are species surrounding HIMB's home including Uhu parrot fish, brain coral, finger coral, foliose coral, sea urchin, and limu (seaweed).
The brand’s wider graphic system includes a series of circular illustrations inspired by the sunburst motif in the logo, drawn from patterns observed during tours of the island. These radiating circles convey both outward expansion and inward focus, symbolizing the precision of lab work at HIMB and its broader impact on local communities and global contexts. This sentiment resonated strongly among community members during discovery conversations, and the sentiment of connecting locally and globally ties back to the new HIMB essence, "Where Marine Science Connects."
Project created at Loop: Design for Social Good