Imua One

Southwest Airlines
Boeing 737-800
Livery Design
2024

Herman Piʻikea Clark was invited by Kurt Osaki, Founder and CEO of Osaki Creative, to join the design team responsible for developing ʻImua One, Southwest Airlines’ Hawaiʻi-inspired Boeing 737-800 special livery. Working alongside Osaki Creative, the design firm selected by Southwest Airlines for the project, Clark contributed to the development of the aircraft’s cultural narrative, helping ensure that its visual identity reflected the values, relationships, and sense of place unique to Hawaiʻi.

A Southwest Airlines airplane flying in a clear blue sky with colorful, patterned branding on the aircraft.

THE IMUA ONE PROJECT

Clark’s role extended beyond visual design. He worked with the team to shape the underlying design story, provide cultural direction for key visual elements, and inform the overall composition of the livery so that it expressed more than symbolic references alone. His contribution helped establish a coherent narrative connecting movement, land, culture, and aloha into a unified visual experience.

This project exemplifies Clark’s broader design philosophy: that meaningful design begins with story. His practice focuses on uncovering the cultural narratives, histories, and relationships that give places their identity, translating them into visual frameworks that are authentic, enduring, and deeply connected to the communities they represent.

A man with gray hair and sunglasses smiling at the camera, standing outside near a large airplane with a black and red geometric design.

Airplanes at an airport gate during the night with colorful murals on their exteriors, including floral and tribal patterns, and a parking lot in the background with illuminated runway markers.