The significance of our visual identity

Wame Valentine
27 Apr 2022

Since the establishment of the PACER Plus Implementation Unit in 2021, it was crucial that our new logo communicated the Agreement’s values and vision for its Parties and the Pacific.

The values that embody the PACER Plus Agreement are community and equity. It is also the Pacific Way. Therefore, with the design of our new logo, we sought the input of all Parties and together we collaborated on the Agreement’s new look.

We engaged Pacific designers to submit designs for our new logo. Submissions were sought from the Solomon Islands, Samoa, and Kiribati – PACER Plus members who represent the three sub-regions: Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia.

Additionally, discussions with PACER Plus signatories, stakeholders and feedback provided during the design and establishment of the Implementation Unit all contributed to the development of our logo.

There was a common thread found in almost every contribution, a thread that we’ve weaved together to create our final logo. But to understand our logo, we must look back in time.

Thousands of years ago, our Pacific ancestors journeyed across the unchartered and tumultuous waters of what we now call the Pacific Ocean, deathly navigating an area that is 99.8 per cent water. This was a remarkable feat, and testament to their navigation and the va’a (known in other Pacific countries as vaka, waka, wa’a, drua) or the double-hulled canoe, one of the finest marine vessels ever built.

It was, therefore, fitting that the Implementation Unit’s new logo prominently features the va’a, a symbol of Pacific ingenuity, resilience, innovation, and unity.

The va’a is a celebration of our proud past and our continual journey towards a better future.

The three points on each of our sails represent the three sub-regions that are part of our PACER Plus family – Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.

The sunrise and horizon in the background signifies the dawn of a new era for trade in goods and services in the Pacific under PACER Plus.

The blue waves that carry our va’a is in recognition of our Blue Pacific identity, a symbol of a large, unified Pacific carrying this unique trade agreement towards a future where we can end poverty, protect our environment, and improve the well-being of our people.

Our new logo weaves together our past, present, and future. It speaks to our commitment as the Implementation Unit to ensure that PACER Plus will provide the platform for economic growth and prosperity for all our people.

We are the Pacific. We are PACER Plus. And the Implementation Unit is pleased to present our new logo.