Shaping the Future Look of Manawatū District Council

I led the strategic refresh of the Manawatū District Council (MDC) brand, creating a system that better reflects MDC’s mission, values, and vision, and provides the Council with a clear, consistent voice across digital and print communications. Although key stakeholders chose to keep the original 1989 community-designed logo, we refined it by adding the macron over the “u” in Manawatū, an important correction to ensure the district’s name is represented accurately.

The refresh built a contemporary framework around the logo, introducing a comprehensive colour palette, updated typography system, and a suite of photography and illustrative styles. Together, these elements capture MDC’s personality: friendly, approachable, and dependable, yet forward-thinking and responsible. Greens symbolise the region’s rivers and farmland, accent tones highlight positivity and innovation, and hand-drawn textures bring warmth and authenticity.

Alongside the brand refresh, I also led the MDC website redesign, migrating the site to a new CMS template and project-managing a full content review across the whole of Council. This work included conducting user research, stakeholder workshops, and UX interviews to refine the Information Architecture, ensuring compliance with NZ Government Digital Standards and WCAG 2.2 accessibility requirements. I worked closely with IT to design and roll out Council-wide email signatures, ensuring digital brand consistency alongside accurate, current, and AI-ready content. These steps laid the foundation for the 2025–2030 Website and Digital Engagement Strategy.

The result is a unified, professional, and future-ready brand system that reduces confusion, strengthens recognition, and reflects the character of the district. By grounding the design in community values while elevating its visual identity and digital platforms, the brand refresh positions MDC as a trustworthy organisation that balances heritage with innovation, and people with progress.