The PBS Hawaiʻi Program Guide remains a popular donor benefit among our older generation, and we’re happy to provide them with the material that best helps them engage with our content. However, the station evolved since the 2020 rebrand, and it was time for an update. I worked with stakeholders across the station to complete a redesign. 

Our previous format worked well for communicating scheduling, but during the pandemic the guide was cut to half its previous length. Additionally, the intent of the guide had evolved from simply informing to storytelling. This called for a more magazine-style approach in the front of the guide. 

The previous guide style was very square, horizontal, and high contrast. I wanted to focus on creating white space and areas for the reader to enter the design, as opposed to being hit with a wall of information. I also wanted to create as much vertical flow as possible. 

Localization was another consideration. What touches could I include to make this feel rooted in PBS Hawaiʻi, not just PBS? I researched kapa cloth to look for patterns I could include that would point to Hawaiian culture.

I worked through multiple passes on Guide covers and interior pages. See below. 

The initial pass was very blue to tie it back to the station, but that felt a bit too passive for PBS Hawaiʻi's energy. I tested more colors. Ultimately, the solution that worked best for us was to base interior accent colors off of the cover imagery.

I included a square watermark pattern in the corners of the pages to hearken to the wooden mallets used to beat barkcloth into strips, and horizontal arrows, inspired by ʻohe kapala, to encourage the reader forward.