Brand Strategy, Brand Identity, Illustration, Website Design & Development, Copywriting, Brand Story, Brand Guidelines, Content Creation, Graphic Design
Located in Te Horo on the Kāpiti Coast, this green space represents a collaborative effort to strengthen and restore the land back to what it once was - a healthy, thriving ecosystem.
The Parahamuti wetland restoration support partners are Greater Wellington Regional Council, Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki (NHoŌ), Kāpiti Coast District Council, Fonterra, DairyNZ, Leith Consulting, and Te Horo School.
Coside developed a comprehensive brand strategy and visual identity for the Parahamuti Wetland Restoration Project — a space that heals the land and restores mana as an act of honouring the environment, community and culture.
At the centre of the identity is the wetland wordmark, designed as the primary visual anchor. Surrounding this, a dynamic system of graphic elements have been developed to bring the brand to life creating a flexible visual language that captures the spirit of the wetland.
The creation of the Parahamuti wordmark was driven by the challenge of integrating an organic style that is both distinctive and innovative. It needed to reflect movement, openness and warmth in a modern and inviting way. A calligraphic sans serif typeface is used for its contemporary qualities and expressive rhythm conveying a sense of fluidity and flow that echoes the natural forms of plants, water and wildlife at Parahamuti.
This wordmark balances strength with softness, using varied line weights that mirror the natural dynamics of the ecosystem. While it nods to traditional serif fonts, it is reinterpreted through modern forms — bold curves and sharp, linear edges to speak to both the heritage of the wetland and the forward-looking nature of the restoration.
The colour palette continues this theme — modern, expressive and deeply connected to nature, without relying on expected tones. These colours unify the identity, creating a cohesive story from the wordmark to its wider application across all brand touchpoints. The palette communicates Parahamuti’s innovative approach to environmental restoration, grounded in authenticity.
At the heart of the Parahamuti restoration was the desire for the wetland to be thriving once again and see an abundance of native birds, fish and plants. To support this, we developed a distinctive set of bespoke illustrations. These minimal yet bold illustrations complement the wordmark logo with clean lines, strong colours and simplified forms. Native flora and fauna are brought to life in a style that is both accessible and emotionally resonant.
These illustrations serve as key storytelling tools, helping people connect visually and emotionally with the project. Designed to enhance learning and engagement, they are used across educational materials, signage and communications, forming a strong part of the brand’s visual toolkit.
To further strengthen storytelling, education and engagement, we created a bespoke illustrative map of where to find Parahamuti. This stylised, artistic representation simplifies the geography while highlighting key points of interest and the spirit of Parahamuti’s identity and its restoration journey.
Coside is currently building a custom website for Parahamuti. Watch this space.
Samantha is working with us on the branding and social media for two projects regarding our property at Kāpiti. She is very clear with the process and the costings at every stage. We have at all times found Samantha to be an excellent communicator and she is very personable and a good listener.
Samantha has taken our vision and created a beautiful brand for Parahamuti wetland. Samantha works in a collaborative style and this is enjoyed by ourselves and the several parties we have in the wetland development.
Our projects are, at this point, not time dependant and we enjoy how Samantha will gently nudge us along without applying any pressure to us. Her guidance and patience while we learn about the use of social media is greatly appreciated.
We have received awesome feedback from the community on the Parahamuti branding and we are looking forward to seeing our second project, a lifestyle subdivision come to life.
