In October, the Huu-ay-aht First Nations began a rebranding project that has wrapped up this week with the launch of the Nations’ new brand at the Community Engagement Sessions.
This is an exciting time for Huu-ay-aht. The new logo, word mark and tagline was created after extensive consultation with the community, including meetings with Ḥaw̓iih, elders, youth and citizens. More than 127 surveys were conducted, and from that our new brand began to take shape. These surveys resulted in four power words that will be considered in the future. They are: Memorable, Strong, Connected, Informative.
Why change? Rebranding is a necessary step as times change, and it allows the Nation to reflect the current societal needs. The new brand will let people know what we do and how we do it.
This is becoming increasingly important now that Huu-ay-aht is a treaty nation. The new brand is a reflection of where the Nations began and a glimpse of where it is going.
The Nation has made communication its top priority for 2014-2015. This new brand will ensure we are reflecting an image, both internally and externally, that is professional, timely and informative, while continuing to meet all of the power words chosen by Huu-ay-aht citizens (memorable, strong, connected and informative).
Although the look has changed somewhat, the new brand respects Huu-ay-aht’s past while moving it forward into a bright future with a cleaner look and modern colours.
The art is primarily the same design that was originally created by Ron Hamilton as a shawl pin for the Ḥaw̓ił at the time, Art Peters, which he gave to his daughters. Through the years, the art has transformed and other artists, like Ed Johnson Sr., have added their own innovations, but new versions have always built upon and integrated elements of those that have come before.
The new tagline, “Ancient Spirit, Modern Mind,” honours Huu-ay-aht’s strong past and the traditions that are still important today, while acknowledging that the Nations is heading into a new era as a modern treaty Nation. This is the image Huu-ay-aht it presenting to the world, and it is one that shows how important the past is and how exciting the future will be.