Te Aratini

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE)

Te Aratini is the World Expo's first ever official Indigenous-led initiative. Launching with a 3-day symposium held at Expo 2020 in Dubai, Te Aratini brings together Indigenous and Tribal peoples from around the world.

Te Aratini needed a visual identity to reflect the Indigenous nature of the festival. It needed to be grounded in te ao Māori, while having a global feel.

The name Te Aratini means the multitude of pathways, so we drew inspiration from this. We needed to create a tohu that could uphold the mana of the kaupapa, but also be familiar to others, with a strong pūrakau behind it. Simple in its formation, the top of the tohu (icon) meshed with converging points creates an abstract ‘T’ and ‘A’, while drawing upon the notion of different pathways.

This tohu then allowed us to build an elaborate pattern system based on the shapes formed, using just a section of the tohu. This system represents interconnected pathways, using positive and negative space, reminiscent of kōwhaiwhai patterns. Interpreted differently by other cultures, many see forms similar to those from their own culture and geography, allowing other ideas to be imbued.

Channels

Brand Identity
Print
Signage
Event Collateral