Return of Aloha
Aloha is the word you will become most familiar with immediately after you set foot on Hawaii. But what does aloha mean? The easiest and most literal translation is that aloha can interchangeably mean either hello or goodbye. But once you get into the depths of what the spirit of aloha actually is, there seems to be a bit of disagreement of what it means and whether or not the spirit of aloha even still exists. Some say its about respecting those who came before you, others say its about inclusiveness, while others simply say its just a thing of the past.
THE LITERAL MEANING OF ALOHA IS "THE PRESENCE OF BREATH" OR "THE BREATH OF LIFE." IT COMES FROM "ALO," MEANING PRESENCE, FRONT AND FACE, AND "HA," MEANING BREATH.
The color palette was inspired by the sunsets we had the privilege of enjoying everyday in Kalapana. We incorporated some of the amazing pink and purple hues that flash across the sunset sky.
It felt like the spirit of aloha was some kind of a mythical creature when we asked someone to describe it to us. Whatever the spirit of aloha was, it was full of wisdom and positivity. It is both real and somewhat elusive. With this on our mind as we were sitting on the beach, we got the idea from staring at land formations sticking out of the ocean that were shaped like turtles. So, naturally, we decided to represent aloha as a giant flying turtles with the islands of Hawaii on the backs of their shells. They fly high and away over the Hawaiian sunsets. Whether or not they are real, will return, or ever even left is up to the viewer.
Next time you go to Hawaii, think about what Aloha means to you.
