Puna, HI
Hoʻoulu Lāhui
Hoʻoulu Lāhui is a non-profit organization (501 (c)(3), formed in 1995, with the purpose of awakening Hawaiian culture, values, beliefs, and lifestyle, in partnership with the community, to achieve unity, harmony, and total well-being (Lokahi).
Sector
Native Hawaiian Culture Preservation
Education
ʻĀina Stewardship & Environmental Conservation
Consulted
2024
Hoʻoulu Lāhui built its mission through programs like the Kua O Ka Lā Charter School until the school itself was destroyed in the 2018 Kīlauea eruption. The organization adapted, continuing to serve Puna's youth and families through culturally grounded programming. But research pointed to a gap: reaching Native Hawaiians at the scale the mission called for meant raising awareness and consideration, and inconsistent branding was working against that goal. Hoʻoulu Lāhui was running three different logos across its website, Instagram, educational materials, and formal communications, with photos of the ʻulu plant occasionally standing in as a logo elsewhere. That inconsistency diluted recognition — and with it, reputation.
In Hawaiʻi's cultural climate, where the need for nonprofits serving Native Hawaiians keeps growing, branding could position Hoʻoulu Lāhui as a leading expert and vital resource.
A brand refresh to strengthen Hoʻoulu Lāhui's reputation as a recognizable leader in Native Hawaiian empowerment.
Building on the organization's previous ʻulu-inspired mark, the logo was refined into something simpler and more versatile — retaining its cultural significance while gaining scalability, legibility, and consistency across print and digital. Supporting brand assets draw from the textured skin of the ʻulu fruit itself; bold, grounded typography conveys confidence and stability without sacrificing readability. The color palette pulls from the landscapes of Puna, Hawaiʻi Island, grounding the identity in the place where the organization was founded and the communities it serves.
