There are many famous examples of museum gift stores around the world that have become destinations in themselves and make an important contribution to revenue streams for publicly-funded institutions.
Te Puna Mātauranga’s store had the potential to become a significant revenue generator for the Library, but it was an under-utilised asset that was not yet delivering the value it could.
Our challenge was to rebrand and position the store as a go-to gift store for nearby government agencies and those looking for meaningful and unique Aotearoa New Zealand artworks, homewares and gifts.
There was a need for the store to develop a unique brand identity that built upon and complemented the Library’s identity. But they also wanted to understand their own kaupapa (purpose) and grow a stronger sense of connection and belonging to Te Puna Mātauranga.
Through interviews with the store tīma (team), we learned that every curated object in their store has a story. Like the National Library collections, the objects in the store represent a time, a place, a person, but in a tangible form that visitors to Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa can take home with them.
We created a new name for the store: ‘Te Āmiki’, a te reo verb which means to tell a story in detail. And building on the idea of Te Āmiki as a place of sharing and storytelling, we crafted a bold and welcoming new visual identity.
The shape of Te Āmiki’s new tohu (logomark) was inspired by rākau kōrero used by skilled storytellers. We created Nga Kōpiko (carved notches) in our logmark to echo the shape of Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa’s own identity and represent the strong connection to the stories that shape Aotearoa.
Alongside the tohu, we developed detailed graphics which add more layers to our storytelling. Each element in the pattern represents different parts of Te Āmiki: the mātauranga behind every object in the store, the manaakitanga of giving and sharing stories, and their mana and whakapapa as part of Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa.
