We’ve never heard of a Hawaiian Strategy Studio either…
…but we felt Hawai‘i needed one. DTL (detail) is a multidisciplinary studio that helps businesses, governments, organizations, and communities navigate change. Our unique approach, moves clients from where they are to where they need to be.
We’ve built a respected reputation within our community as a creative interpreter of culture through planning and design. Our deep understanding and knowledge of Hawai‘i’s sensibilities and sensitivities has resulted in successfully facilitating dialogs, bridging perspectives and developing appropriate collaborative solutions to both challenging issues and exciting opportunities within our community.
OUR CLIENTS
KŌKUA
DTL is committed to our community and culture and giving back through in-kind kōkua. 20 percent of our time is spent providing in-kind kōkua to support projects, non-profits and causes that champion the community and culture.
Our process + services
We frame our practice within a Hawaiian sense of place, because to know a place is to know its environment, its people, and its culture across time. Place sits at the intersection of Hawai‘i’s past and future, the physical and the cultural. Understanding it gives way to opportunities, obstacles, and points of convergence. We know that with each client, the best way forward is a matter of orientation — where you come from, where you are, and where you’re going. If strategy is a process of repositioning, we believe that success requires the alignment of a client’s genealogy, journey, stories and values.
OUR PROCESS IS CENTERED IN OUR CULTURAL METHODOLOGY
GENEALOGY
We begin every project as close as we can get to its source, and through cultural and historical research, we trace its lineage, origin to outcome.
STORIES
Navigation is both science and art, and we bring a diverse network of expertise to ensure the utilization of both. Listening to the stories of a place and its people shows you the way forward.
JOURNEYS
From visuals and messaging to presentation and promotion, we deliver the story of a future that you and your stakeholders tell together.
VALUES
We help you know your values so you can better share them through what you create. Hawai‘i is a complex place to do business, and in order to embrace change, you must know why you excel.
OUR SERVICES
STRATEGY
Positioning
Training
Coaching
Executive Placement
Entitlements
PLANNING
Community Engagement
Cultural Integration
Placemaking
Events
Cultural Programming
DESIGN
Branding
Graphic Design
Content Development
Web/Mobile Development
Environmental Graphics
COMMUNICATIONS
Public Relations
Crisis Management
Media Relations & Training
Social Media
Translations
STRATEGIC PARTNERS
Featured Work
Let’s Talk Story
725 Kapi‘olani Blvd, 4th Floor
Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96813
(808) 593-3048
@dtlhawaii
Behind the scenes of a day in the DTL office. Happy Aloha Friday 🤙🏼
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #alohafriday #pauhana
Keiki often leave Hawaiʻi in search of new opportunities, but @risehawaii aims to empower our keiki to recognize the wealth of possibilities within our own shores.
RiseHI has built a platform that provides resources and shares perspectives, successes, and failures of local creators, entrepreneurs, and leaders.
Jason Antonio, a Partner and Designer at DTL, and a RiseHI Board Member shared, “Hawai‘i has no shortage of talented kānaka who have forged successful careers here in the islands. RiseHI`s efforts to share their stories with our keiki are vital in demonstrating that they too can thrive and succeed here at home.”
To assist with their mission, RiseHI is hosting their 2nd Annual Golf Tournament on May 22nd at Hawaiʻi Prince Golf Club and invites participants of all skill levels! To register, check out @risehawaii. Our teams from DTL and ʻĀina Archaeology will see you there!
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #risehawaii #risehi
Hauʻoli Lā Makuahine to our makuahine, tūtū, aunties, cousins, and all other maternal figures in our lives.
Hāʻawe i ke kua; hiʻi i ke alo.
A burden on the back; a babe in the arms.
Said of a hard-working woman who carries a load on her back and a baby in her arms.
ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #401
Mahalo for your compassion, wisdom, and endless support ❤️
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #mothersday #hauolilamakuahine #makuahine
This Mental Health Awareness Month we hope to remind our Hawaiʻi community that mental health matters. To support our friends and family, to honor our kūpuna, and to uplift our keiki, we first have to take care of ourselves.
Our well-being can often be aligned with how we engage with our culture, pilina, and ʻāina. To assess our complete well-being, we must consider our values and beliefs. We encourage you to utilize the following mental health tips to assist this month and beyond.
It`s our shared kuleana to support one another in our mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional health.
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #mentalhealthawarenessmonth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealth
Make Music Day is a chance to celebrate our artists, our islands, and each other. This year is @makemusichawaii fifth season, and we encourage artists across the pae ʻāina to participate for this milestone. June 21st isn`t reserved for seasoned professionals; it`s a day for everyone, regardless of background or skill level, to immerse themselves in the joy of mele.
Venues looking to host musical performances and musicians looking to perform can register at hawaii.makemusicday.org. Artists will be matched to available venues or each party can coordinate performances entirely on their own!
We`re excited to sing and dance along with all the incredible performances. Make Music Hawaiʻi Day events are free and open to our communities. Stay tuned for event schedules and artists on makemusichawaii.org.
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #makemusichawaii #makemusicday #letsmakemusichawaii
Today we celebrate the birthday of Eddie Aikau, a surfer, lifeguard, navigator, hero, and friend 🏄🏽♂️ He was a legend for his surfing skills, challenging some of the biggest waves, and became the first official lifeguard of Waimea Bay in 1967, saving numerous lives during his career.
In 1978 he joined Hōkūleʻa for a voyage to Tahiti, but the canoe capsized soon into the trip. Eddie paddled back toward Hawaiʻi in search of help for his crew members, but was lost at sea.
The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational celebrates his legacy, held on the shores of Waimea Bay. The contest will run if wave face heights consistently reach 40 feet, and this has only occurred 10 times since 1984.
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #theeddie #eddiewouldgo #hauolilahanau #eddieaikau
May Day is Lei Day in our islands, first celebrated in 1928 at the Bank of Hawaiʻi in downtown Honolulu with a lei competition and the crowning of the first lei queen. May 1st was officially established as Lei Day in 1929, and Hawaiʻi has been honoring it since.
Show your love for the culture and tradition of lei today by making, giving, or wearing lei. Hauʻoli Lā Mei! 🌺
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #leiday #mayday #maydayisleiday
#DTLWorkFlow ✨ Working on a commercial for @inpeacehawaii with one of our interns, Caleb!
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii
#DTLProjectHighlight ~ DTL collaborated with @themarinemammalcenter in 2018 to bolster educational initiatives for the ʻīlioholoikauaua (Hawaiian monk seals). DTL created a Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign, delving into key issues and crafting messaging to raise awareness and promote the protection of Hawaiian monk seals. This involved orchestrating an internal visioning workshop and conducting insightful interviews with thought leaders.
Our efforts culminated in a comprehensive PSA campaign spanning television and radio spots, printed advertisements, and social media content featuring the esteemed local personality, @pashyn. This campaign’s primary objective was to enlighten visitors and locals on the importance of maintaining a respectful distance from Hawaiian monk seals, whether on the beaches or in the water.
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #marinemammalcenter #hawaiianmonkseal
Hauʻoli Lā Honua 🌎 Happy Earth Day!
He aliʻi ka ʻāina; he kauwā ke kāne
The land is chief; man is its servant
ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #531
Let us remember today and every day of our kuleana to protect and care for our ʻāina just as it has for us so that it may thrive for generations to come.
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #earthday #alohaaina #malamaaina
Hawaiʻi`s rich landscape has long been a backdrop for film and television, yet often misrepresented by media stereotypes. Our sister firm, @kumauproductions, works to reshape these narratives by offering culturally informed solutions and opportunities for production companies, leveraging expertise in Hawaiian language, history, and culture.
Their recent projects, "Hōkūleʻa: Finding the Language of the Navigator” and @chaperonefilmhawaii, will be featured at the VC Film Fest (Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival), the largest festival of its kind in Southern California and the premier showcase for the best and brightest of Asian Pacific cinema.
The 40th edition of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival will be held from May 1st to May 10th, and tickets can be found at festival.vcmedia.org/2024/.
Mahalo to Kūmau Productions for their dedication to uplifting and celebrating our ʻāina, kānaka, and moʻolelo. It fills us with pride to see more AANHPI individuals both behind and in front of the camera.
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #hawaiifilms #vcfilmfestival #vcfilmfest #filmfestivals
Help us wish a Hauʻoli Lā Hānau to Michelle, our executive assistant at DTL 🎉 Her aloha and positive impact on our team is like a lei pīkake, sweet, fragrant with generosity, and longlasting!
#dtl #dtlhawaii #strategy #planning #branding #communications #design #culture #community #hawaii #hauolilahanau #dtlbirthdays