Advance Pasifika flier

This flier advertised the Advance Pasifika: March For Our Future protest held in Auckland on Saturday 16 June 2012. Advance Pasifika called on local and national leaders to take notice of Pacific people's contribution to Auckland and New Zealand, demanding equality, affordable housing, better education, quality healthcare, fairness in the justice system, jobs, and a better future for Pasifika communities.

Inspiration for design

The raised clenched fist image was designed by Auckland-born Opeta Elika. The inspiration behind the design came from his family being 'so passionate about our people, our culture and the strong belief of standing up for what's right... The clenched fist itself is an iconic symbol of unity and strength. I adapted it by adding pasifika elements to it to depict the strength and unity of the Pacific people... The tatau is a strong symbol of Pacific culture and identity. I gathered inspiration from tatau patterns all over the Pacific and fused them together in conjunction with the clenched fist to create an embodiment [of] the Pacific people on a united front taking a stand against the various issues that plague their everyday lives' (personal communication with the artist, 2014).

Power of design

Elika notes that 'visual communication is very important and the first glance is critical. In this case I tried to sum up the main aspects of the march visually so that the viewer gets a sense of the mood and what it's all about instantly.' The design was widely seen on posters, fliers and t-shirts. 'People recognised it easily and knew that it was related to the march. I think it empowered people [and] served its purpose as being a visual symbol of the march.'