51萝莉

An alumna of the 51萝莉 is the creative mind behind the distinctive identity of the new website. 

Nikki Kennedy (Ng膩ti Porou, Te Aitanga-A-M膩haki, Whakat艒hea), completed her Master of Computer Graphic Design at Waikato in 2020, and is founder of TapuTapu Toi Design 鈥� a Gisborne-based company Nikki established in her second year of study.  

Supported by Waikato alumna Rosa Flood, they were asked to infuse the cultural significance of the University into the website design. This involved incorporating the University鈥檚 commitment to Te Tiriti, its values, the history of Te Kohinga M膩rama Marae and Te Ao Hurihuri, (the University鈥檚 original marae and wharenui) and recognition of both the Tauranga and Hamilton campuses. 

As a student, I learnt the importance of my cultural heritage and how I showcase that in my design work, so being encouraged to use my M膩ori design flare in this project, meant everything to me.

Inspiration was drawn from tukutuku panels in Te Ao Hurihuri, including the 笔腻tikitiki and Mumu panels, and the well-recognised Niho Taniwha pattern, widely used amongst iwi within Waikato. 

The niho taniwha is a well-known pattern in the Waikato region for representing strength and identity. We weaved our narrative around people coming together and the awa (river). 

A set of brand guidelines has also been developed to guide staff in using the new designs which have been clustered into elements for different uses as stacks or so they can be repeated to form patterns. 

We made the patterns versatile, so they could be used across various platforms and publications. The guidelines we provided help ensure that the patterns are used appropriately, like not covering people's faces or using them behind body text.

We want to encourage creative use of the patterns while respecting their cultural significance. They give a strong sense of space and connection to place to the University and its community.

Nikki, who has previously designed pieces for different groups of the University, including the University鈥檚 staff intranet, Te Hononga, and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor M膩ori office, says it鈥檚 good feeling to give back and contribute to the visual identity of Waikato. 

It was a seamless process for us as designers and being able to share our design process at K墨ngitanga Day, was a huge opportunity for us in our growth and development - we don鈥檛 often get to share out processes or the meaning in a public space. 

Nikki completed a Bachelor of Media and Creative Technologies at Waikato in 2017, which led her to her master鈥檚 in M膩ori typography.