In late 2019, Sonya Wilson had a simple idea: buy some books to donate to kids in need, and get her mates to buy some, too. That idea became Kiwi Christmas Books, a charity scheme that took off almost of its own accord, resulting in the donation of more than 1600 brand-new books to the families using the services of the Auckland City Mission and the Auckland Women’s Refuge at Christmas time.
The following year, Plantation designed the Kiwi Christmas Books identity and campaign. The identity is grounded with a little classic Christmas visual vernacular, the Christmas-Book tree logo; a playful visual pun which becomes a distinctive mark for our communications.
For the campaign imagery – inspiring words from authors are playfully illustrated by using books as the hero and sketches to fuel the imagination. 2D and 3D merge on an optimistic, summery Kiwi Christmas colour palette. Simple engaging imagery to feature on posters, on social and on our website.
The results for the campaign exceeded all expectations. They collected nearly 7,000 books over just a 5-week period — most bought locally, most by Kiwi writers and illustrators. The charities were stoked, and so were the bookshops and publishers — our campaign put tens of thousands of extra dollars through their tills in the lead up to Christmas.
"The Kiwi Christmas Books brand, posters, bookmarks, website and social media imagery were a huge hit. The campaign worked not only in promoting our scheme but in promoting books and reading in general. Those images were shared widely on social media and the posters and bookmarks used in bookshops, workplaces, schools and homes across the country. Complete strangers raved to me about this campaign. People loved it, were inspired by it, and wanted to share it"
Sonya Wilson, Founder
