Stuff - NZ

Overview
Pou Tiaki is a platform by Stuff dedicated to national news coverage that centres voices often underrepresented in mainstream media across Aotearoa. It foregrounds stories from Māori, Pacific, LGBTQIA+, disabled, Asian, and culturally diverse communities, with the broader aim of shifting narrative authority and representation. I was commissioned to develop a series of editorial illustrations that could support this intent—providing visual narratives that are considered, culturally aware, and editorially precise.

The Challenge
Working within a live news environment required balancing immediacy with care. The illustrations needed to respond quickly to evolving stories while maintaining a high level of cultural sensitivity and accuracy. This meant navigating the risk of visual stereotyping, particularly when representing communities that are frequently mischaracterised in media. At the same time, the work needed to translate complex, and often emotionally charged, subject matter into imagery that was both accessible and respectful. Consistency across the platform was also critical—establishing a recognisable visual language without flattening the specificity of each story.

Approach

The work was shaped by close collaboration with journalists and editors, ensuring a clear understanding of each story’s intent, tone, and potential sensitivities before any visual direction was developed. Rather than imposing a consistent stylistic system, the approach prioritised responsiveness—allowing each illustration to be guided by the narrative it accompanied.

Symbolism and metaphor were often used in place of literal depiction, particularly when representing people or communities, to avoid bias and create space for more inclusive interpretation. Visually, the illustrations were executed in a clean vector format to ensure clarity and adaptability across digital contexts, while still allowing for variation in composition, pacing, and tone depending on the story.

Applications
The illustrations were published across Stuff’s digital platform, including article headers, inline visuals, and social media formats. Their flexible, responsive nature allowed them to perform across different scales and contexts, from quick-turnaround news pieces to more considered feature stories. The work also supported editorial workflows by providing timely, story-specific visuals that could be deployed without the need for stock imagery, contributing to a more intentional and context-aware presentation of content.

Outcome
The illustrations were published as part of national news coverage on Stuff, reaching a broad audience across Aotearoa. This scale of distribution positioned the work within a highly visible public context, where visual framing plays a direct role in shaping how stories are received and understood. By contributing to reporting that centres underrepresented communities, the work supported a more inclusive and considered media landscape at a national level.

It reinforced editorial illustration as a form of interpretation—one that operates alongside journalism to influence tone, context, and perception. Within the constraints of a fast-paced news environment, the project demonstrated how responsiveness and cultural awareness can be maintained without compromising reach or impact.

Illustration
Print