Honolulu City Council
Developing a brand strategy through visual storytelling
PROJECT DETAILS
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As the Digital Media Manager for councilmember Val Okimoto, my primary goal was to boost visibility and foster meaningful engagement with constituents. I developed her legislative brand, managed social media platforms, and created design projects that connected government initiatives with the community effectively.
MY ROLE
Digital Media Manager
Tools
InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Hootsuite, Mailchimp
Platforms and Outlets
Instagram, Facebook, Photography, Videography
Overview
Creating the Brand Strategy
To establish a distinct and impactful presence for District 8, I analyzed her communication style and community perception to identify key values like transparency, accessibility, and personable content delivery. These values were translated into a cohesive visual and verbal identity, incorporating familiar color palettes the councilmember was known for and other approachable design elements. This brand strategy became the foundation for all digital and print media, ensuring every touchpoint reflected a unified message of leadership, community focus, and trust.
Delivery
Areas of Focus
My work centered around three key impact areas: branding and voice development, social media strategy, and visual storytelling through design. These focus areas were identified collaboratively with councilmember Okimoto and our team as opportunities for growth to establish a strong foundation during the critical first year of her term.
Branding and Voice Development
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Conducted an initial audit of constituent perception and identified key themes to shape her public brand.
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Defined the councilmember’s voice to reflect community priorities, cultural values, and accessibility.
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Produced photos and short-form videos showcasing community improvements she spearheaded.
Social Media Strategy
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Created a tailored content calendar highlighting community events, council updates, and human-interest stories.
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Introduced interactive elements like polls, Q&A sessions, and comment-driven posts to foster community engagement.
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Strategically timed posts to align with high-traffic online periods, ensuring maximum visibility.
Visual Storytelling
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Designed all graphics, infographics, event materials, and social material to visually communicate key information.
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Developed templates for monthly community meeting updates, council meeting highlights, and community spotlights.
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Developed visual branding, including color schemes, typography, and design templates for consistent messaging.
Visual Elements
District 8 Style Guidelines
When developing the branding guidelines with the team, the goal was to create a style that balanced simplicity, modernness, and a legislative tone. The primary colors, blue and orange, were chosen to convey approachability, energy, and familiarity while maintaining professionalism. The typography was designed to ensure clarity and hierarchy across headings, subheadings, and body text, supporting readability and consistency.
The branding guide was intentionally flexible, allowing room for adaptation while maintaining a cohesive visual identity.
Photography
Event Coverage
A key strategy to highlight the councilmember's presence in the community was capturing photographs at events, community gatherings, and committee sessions. These photos were regularly posted on social media to keep constituents engaged and informed. They also served as content used for monthly reports that were shared during district meetings to provide transparent updates on ongoing initiatives and community impact.
Videography
Addressing Community Issues
I created various video projects to address community concerns and provide committee hearing updates, reinforcing transparency and keeping constituents informed. These videos were shared on social media and presented at neighborhood board meetings, ensuring the councilmember’s efforts were communicated effectively across multiple channels. Additionally, I designed motion graphic elements that matched the print and social media branding style.
Pearl City Pool Update
A longstanding concern in the Pearl City community, this video highlighted the steps our office took to finally reopen the pool after six years. It featured updates on the project alongside community members sharing their concerns and excitement about the pool's long-awaited return to functionality.
Council Committee Hearing Recap
A recurring video series for social media, providing monthly recaps of week-long committee hearings. These videos highlighted notable bills, key committee updates, and pressing community issues, ensuring constituents stayed informed and engaged with the councilmember’s work.
Results
Notable Growth Metrics
Within the first critical year of District 8, the strategies implemented led to significant growth. Digital, print, and multimedia efforts not only kept constituents of the newly drawn district informed but also contributed to exponential growth in the councilmember’s online presence and strengthened rapport with the community. The following are key highlights.
Instagram and Facebook followers increased by 62% in one year.
Interactive campaigns drove a 24% increase in online engagement metrics.
Constituents frequently cited the District 8 page as a trusted resource for information.
Reflection
Challenges and Lessons Learned
The biggest challenge was finding a way to resonate with constituents in the newly drawn district while blending the councilmember’s essence with the need to inform on city council issues. This required extensive research, creativity, and adaptability to strike the right balance.
Through this experience, I learned that project management is a complex, evolving process that demands flexibility and strategic thinking. Building a personal brand requires room for ambiguity and continuous refinement to meet the needs of diverse audiences. This role deepened my understanding of communication strategy in utilizing visual design principles and strengthened my ability to adapt and deliver impactful, community-focused solutions.