Brand Strategy | Brand Identity | Art Direction | Wayfinding Design | Marketing Design
My Role
Brand Designer
Brand strategy, visual identity refresh, brand applications, wayfinding, signage, photography art direction, social media templates and marketing collateral.
The Context
Pāpāmoa Toy Library had an established identity, but its branding had become disconnected across its physical space, signage, communications and marketing. The existing look felt dated and visually heavy, while the experience inside the library didn’t fully communicate the fun, variety and scale of the toy collection. With a large range of toys spanning different areas of play, there was also an opportunity to make the space easier to navigate while creating a more engaging and welcoming experience for families. I proposed a brand refresh that would bring greater energy and consistency to the identity, while creating a practical visual system that could work across both the physical library and its ongoing marketing.
The Opportunity
The opportunity was to reposition Pāpāmoa Toy Library as a vibrant, welcoming destination for local families — making better use of its coastal location, physical space and extensive toy collection. The refreshed identity needed to balance playfulness with practicality: helping families quickly understand the different areas of play, find what they were looking for, and recognise the toy library across every touchpoint. It also needed to be flexible enough for the team to confidently use themselves, particularly across social media and everyday communications.
What I did
Conducted competitor and category research to understand the local landscape and identify opportunities for differentiation.
Refreshed the visual identity with a brighter, more energetic colour palette and playful graphic language designed to better reflect the purpose of the toy library.
Developed a new tagline, “Big imaginations start with great play,” to reinforce the role of play in childhood development and the wider purpose of the organisation.
Introduced a set of flexible graphic elements inspired by Pāpāmoa’s coastal location and concepts of play, including waves, koru-inspired forms, geometric patterns and organic shapes.
Developed a set of 18 simple, functional illustrations representing different areas of play, creating a visual navigation system that could be understood quickly without relying solely on text.
Worked within the toy library’s existing colour-coded category system, ensuring the new visual language supported rather than disrupted the way toys were already organised.
Art directed and conducted a photography shoot featuring real toys from the collection, creating a library of authentic imagery for signage, social media and future marketing.
Reworked the physical environment through updated signage, door graphics, shelf labels, wayfinding and display applications.
Designed marketing and administrative collateral, including membership materials and a welcome pack.
Created editable Canva social media templates, giving the team an accessible way to maintain brand consistency and create content independently.
Developed a flexible set of brand applications and assets that could continue to grow with the organisation.
Created brand guidelines to document the new visual system and support consistent application across future touchpoints.
Outcome
The refreshed identity gives Pāpāmoa Toy Library a more vibrant, cohesive and welcoming presence, better reflecting the energy of play and the breadth of its toy collection. A flexible visual system now connects the physical library, wayfinding, signage, marketing and digital communications, creating a more consistent experience for families from the moment they encounter the brand. The new category illustrations make navigating the library more intuitive, while the refreshed signage and environmental graphics help simplify and brighten the physical space.