The story behind the Samoa 2019 XVI Pacific Games Logo

“Samoa welcomes the Pacific Games” is the name of the winning logo design for the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games.

Designed by two local graphic designers, Suivu Mah Yuen and Irwin Kennar, they explained that their key challenge was to develop a logo with a strong storyline.

The logo centres around the tanoa bowl. A universal concept throughout the Pacific, the tanoa or kava bowl is used for both auspicious occassions and ceremonies, as well as everyday life. This motif is used in the logo concept to depict a spirit of unity and commonality across the Pacific.

As explained by the designers "...in Samoa, we use the Tanoa for welcoming ceremonies, thus the message this conveys is Samoa Welcomes the Pacific Games, which carries with it the connotations of tradition and hospitality."

Inside the Tanoa sits the Pacific Games logo, acknowledging the entity that has given Samoa the right to host. Bursting from the Tanoa is a flame which represents the Holy Spirit and the place of Christianity in Samoan culture and society.

Inside the flames are different icons. Blue represents water sports and depicts someone diving into the water. The Yellow icon represents winning, adding value or hype for winning when competing in the games. The Green represents field sports as well as our environment. The Red completes the flame and holds the text “Samoa” and relates to the red in Samoa's flag.