Hilo, HI
Hawaiʻi Island Creative Media Summit
Sector
Arts & Creative Industries
Consulted
2025
The Hawaiʻi Island Creative Media Summit was the direct outcome of a nearly year-long, community-driven economic development process led by Vibrant Hawaiʻi that began when COVID brought the islands' economy to a standstill. During that time, the creative media and performing arts industries were named real pillars for Hawaiʻi's future, especially for the ʻōpio who already see storytelling careers as vital, not just viable. Underneath that sat the reality that too often, Hawaiʻi's own stories are often told by people outside Hawaiʻi. This Summit existed to change that, bringing together for the first time at this scale over 120 professionals (graphic designers, videographers, photographers, audio technicians, producers, funders, and community advocates) alongside the nonprofits, businesses, and government partners who could help their work grow. There was no brand competitor to measure against and no template to follow, only the risk that a historic gathering like this would look smaller than it should be.
This was a brand-new convening with no history and nothing comparable to point to. There was an opportunity to position it correctly on the first try as proof that Hawaiʻi Island's creative economy could build its own infrastructure, on its own terms, to tell its own stories. The goal was not to attract people from outside the industry, but more so to be appealing to the people who needed to see, instantly, that this convening was a space built for them.
Ulumano's solution was a visual identity built on professionalism, cleanliness, and clarity. Hawaiʻi Island's creative strength has always come from its diversity — different disciplines, cultures, and lived experiences that had rarely shared a table before this. The brand identity would reflect that coming-together, turning a fragmented industry into a cohesive whole, and giving the Summit's real working outputs: a Creative Industries Index, and an Action Roadmap.
The mark draw from the idea of coming together. Visually, it reads like two puzzle pieces, like film strips, like people moving toward each other. But there is a deliberate slice between them: a visible fragmentation sit. The design does not erase the parts; it lets them remain distinct and recognizable. When you look at both pieces, they move toward each other seamlessly, suggesting a whole that is still becoming one. That is what the Summit itself is: the real moment where professionals, advocates, and champions choose to sit at the smae table.
