Isaac Ikeda, a Honolulu Community College communication arts student, won Pele Gold in the student category for his integrated branding campaign for a smokehouse food truck, Hilo Bay Ken. The 2016 Pele Awards ceremony was held on April 23 at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center.
“I took this project from the ground up starting with the name, developing into a concept. It is a made up smokehouse food truck in Hilo, Hawaiʻi with an old school authentic hand crafted feel, complete with a hand lettered logo and a tricked out 1952 Divco Milk truck turned food truck,” explains Ikeda.
The Pele Awards competition is an AAF American Advertising Awards District 13 competition that recognizes the best advertising and design work created in Hawaiʻi during the preceding calendar year. This elite annual competition recognizes the best advertising and design work created in Hawaiʻi.
“The communication arts program experience has been amazing over the last two years. Not only did I gain technical skills, which was the reason I first enrolled, but more importantly I learned so much about myself,” said the 2005 graduate from Waiākea High School. “I definitely want to pursue creative concepting and branding supported by overall design. Idea development is kind of my self-proclaimed job title.”
Not a stranger to competition, he was also a part of the winning team in the 2015 Ad Up Hawaiʻi competition which brings together local professionals in marketing, advertising, public relations and artists of all kind together to form “mini agency teams” and prepare marketing campaigns for pre-selected non-profit organizations. Teams get the challenge of completing their campaign and pitch prep in an intense 9-hour period. Ikeda was the only student to participate in this competition.
Ikeda will graduate on May 13. When asked what his career aspiration is, Ikeda simply stated, “Creative director—that is the goal, creative director at an ad agency. I know that it is a long way from here but I’m willing to take every step to get there. In the nearer future I plan to build my portfolio with non-profit work and variety, my secret recipe to success.”
Check out the rest of his work at isaacnoeau.com.
View more photos from the Communication Arts Senior Portfolio Show Trade Marque.
—By Billie Lueder
