Kaua‘i, if you listen.
Reimagining the brand for Hawai‘i State Parks, starting with its most sacred island.
The Challenge and Task
Kaua‘i State Parks must evolve from a generic system to one that reflects local culture, protects sacred land, and fosters deeper connection. The goal is to build a brand that centers Hawaiian values, invites stewardship, and restores meaning to the park experience. Through cultural insight, strategic design, and storytelling, this is a prototype case-study of co-creating a system that honors the past, serves the present, and inspires future care.
What I Did —
Research (brand, cultural, global models)
Stakeholder & Audience Interviews
Visitor Journey Mapping
Audience Segmentation & Targeting
Brand Architecture & Cultural Positioning
Competitive Analysis & Repositioning
Visual Rebranding & Brand Story
Business Model
Brand ID & Brand Expressions
The Outcome —
A cohesive brand strategy and identity system that repositions Kaua‘i State Parks as a culturally grounded, community-led experience. The work includes a clear brand purpose, narrative, and visual system designed to build trust, invite stewardship, and transform how visitors connect with the land.
This thesis project was completed under the guidance of Gerardo Herrera, Lauren Cantor, Susan Gornell, Pamela Olecki, and Petrula Vrontikis. | ArtCenter College of Design | Course: GBDS-665-01 Capstone
Brand Identity and Visual Language
STATE | ISLANDS
KAUA’I STATE PARKS
Applications
Pardon our dust! This section is in progress.
Brand Expressions to come
(park signage, digital, and print)
Research
“People never see us Hawaiian people for who we are because they never get to see the culture. The minute we don’t share, that’s the minute our culture dies.”
(Greg Kawaimaka Solatorio, 2018, 00:01:34)
Brand Audit —
Kaua‘i. One of the most beautiful places on earth. Its diverse landscapes connect nature and ancestry in every direction. But the scenic views are devoid of a narrative.
Statistics and Findings —
9 state parks
16,000 acres of neglected land
No story. No identity. Both the website and on-site signage feel institutional and impersonal. Isolated, remote. No one to welcome or guide you.
Over 1 million visitors per year
Approximately 80 people die each year from drowning or falls.
Safety info is hard to find and often missed. On the trail, there’s no cell or Wi-Fi signal. Locals and tourists are at risk.
Macro Trends
Across the world, three powerful trends are reshaping how we relate to land, culture, and care. A return to what the people of Kaua‘i know best. The future of conservation depends on restoring connection and aligning stewardship with meaning, not just protecting the view.
Competitive Advantages
Research into global park systems revealed three ways Kaua‘i can lead, making it a unique park experience unlike any other in the world.
Interview Insights
People on Kaua‘i know how to care for their land and culture, but the system does not support them. Interviews revealed a clear gap. Cultural knowledge is strong, but support and decision-making are lacking.
I spoke with kūpuna, local leaders, and regenerative travelers. Their voices shaped the brand and showed what must change.
Selected Quotes —
“It’s too expensive to live here. But who will pass on our traditions, if our children leave?”
“We want visitors to take the time to connect and learn from us.”
“Tourists keep coming, yet our most sacred places, the parks, are being neglected and are unsafe for everyone. They are in serious need of help.”
Our Design Target —
Our core audience:
the Kaua‘i Guardians.
Local leaders and stewards who embody the values: stewardship, cultural integrity, and responsible access (bridging tourism with preservation).
Prema Tanaka
Food Systems & Culinary Director, Common Grounds
Zach Sui
Chaplain, Kaua‘i Prison
Sue Kanaho
Managing Director, Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau, Executive Director, Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau
Chucky Boy Chock
Executive Director, Kaua‘i Museum
Our Influencers —
Meet our superfans, the tip of the spear of our design target group. These cultural preservationists and wise elders share ancestral knowledge, ensuring it lives on for future generations.
Greg Kawaimaka Solatorio
Cultural Practitioner, Molokaʻi
@slydahgoutdoors
Leina'ala Pavao Jardin
Kumu Hula, Kauaʻi
@leinaalajardin
Strategy
Brand Architecture
BRAND PURPOSE —
To nurture Kaua‘i’s abundance through sacred, transformative experiences.
BRAND BELIEF —
Our ancestral knowledge is the path to our future — and the world’s.
BRAND PILLARS —
- Sacred Stewardship
- Cultural Reclamation
- Harmonious Exchange
SOCIETAL PURPOSE —
To see the world differently, together.
BRAND TAGLINE —
Become Kaua’i.
Ambition
By 2030, Kaua‘i State Parks will be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site destination.
This will help elevate global understanding and appreciation of Hawaiian culture.
Positioning Statement
Kaua‘i State Parks is the world’s first public park system where cultural stewards guide guests through sacred landscapes, redefining what tourism can be.
DESIGN DRIVERS —
Shared
Welcome guests to
share sacred spaces, with mutual respect.
Stewardly
Reflect sacred and devoted protection for both land and spirit.
Ancestral
Reference the wisdom of the ancestors and their traditions.
Brand Story
Some parks protect the land. Ours protect a way of life.
Across Kaua‘i, sacred landscapes hold stories older than memory. These are stories passed from kūpuna (elders) to keiki (children), rooted in care for the ‘āina (land) and the spirit of aloha (love, compassion). But over the years, tourism grew while park care withered. What once felt sacred became strained.
Kaua‘i State Parks are more than places to visit. They are living classrooms, food forests, and spiritual homes. And now, we’re restoring them as such. Cultural practitioners are at the helm not just to preserve the past but to guide us into a more balanced future.
Part of the Hawai‘i State Parks system, the parks on Kaua‘i are being reimagined as a model for what is possible statewide. This is our pilot project, one that centers cultural authority, community stewardship, and regenerative tourism.
Led by the proposed Aloha ʻĀina (love of the land) Kaua‘i Parks Foundation and supported by a regenerative business model, we are shifting power back to the people. Guardians of this land—farmers, kūpuna (elders), and cultural stewards—are shaping a new park experience. Visitors become guests, and every hike, story, and shared meal becomes a chance to reconnect with what matters most.
Here, restoration means more than environmental care. It means identity reclaimed. When we let the people of Kaua‘i lead, something deeper is found. A model of tourism rooted in reciprocity, reverence, and regeneration.
We are here to protect Kaua‘i together.