Celebrating a historic relationship
Boston – Hawaii Mission Bicentennial Celebration | October 2019
In 1819, four Hawaiian students and several families from New England set sail from Boston Harbor aboard the Thaddeus, bound for the Hawaiian Islands. They anchored at Kailua-Kona, April 4, 1820, beginning a centuries-long collaboration between two communities half a world away. In recognition of this relationship, visitors from the Mokuaikaua Church in Kailua-Kona joined Park Street Church in a celebratory conference.
I designed the visual identity for the celebration, including logo, event tickets, gift mugs, mini-museum displays, outdoor banners, and digital advertising. The colors were chosen to evoke the brightness of Hawaii and the vibrancy of a relationship spanning two centuries.
Visual Identity
Branding + Logo
The logo needed to bridge two places across two centuries. I designed two versions, one with a sailing ship (1819) and one with a plane (2020), the colors of BOSTON and HAWAII swapping between them. The ship brought missionaries west; the plane would bring their descendants east. The plane version ran alongside the ship version to promote a planned 2020 return trip to Hawaii. The palette was bold and warm, chosen for the brightness of Hawaii and the energy of the reunion. (It was pointed out to me later that I had chosen the colors of Dunkin' Donuts, apparently subliminally making this event even more Boston-rooted!)
The identity served two distinct but connected events: the Bicentennial celebration and the Global Missions Conference, themed By Faith. A hibiscus motif threaded through both, appearing on banners, booklets, and signage across the week.
Conference Programming
A 16-page full-color conference booklet, designed and produced in-house. Includes an original historical timeline, speaker and missionary profiles, event schedule, and editorial content — all within a unified visual identity developed for the celebration.
Mini-Museum
Nine 36×72" large-format interpretive panels told the story of 200 years of connection between Boston and Hawaii, covering the voyage, the missionaries, education, language, music, and culture. I designed the full panel system, integrating archival photography and historical imagery provided by scholars and historians, with QR codes linking to audio content. Installed in the church foyer during events.
Photography
As the official event photographer, I documented a week of worship and celebration.
