We heart Kamakas.

This is a design love story. A story about designers getting to work with their dream client. What constitutes a dream client? To us, dream clients are companies that are not necessarily the big corporations with a lot of money. They are well-respected and beloved to many… but to us, the dream client is the one who respects and trusts us and we them. It is a special relationship that doesn’t come around often. 

Our story with Kamaka Hawaii actually began nearly a decade ago when Chris Kamaka contacted SLD for branding and design assistance to celebrate their 100th anniversary. We were so excited to potentially work on something so special, however, it did not come to fruition. It wasn’t exactly unrequited love, it was because there was another party involved. And due to the powers that be at the time, a different company was chosen instead of us. I am not gonna lie… I don’t like losing. It hurt. Especially since we felt that we would be a better choice for them. But what we have learned is that everything eventually works out for the best. 

Back to our love story—out of the blue, Chris Kamaka reached out to us at the end of 2023 asking for help. Their website wasn’t working out for them. So we set up a meeting to talk story and see how they were doing since we last saw them. We learned the COVID-19 pandemic had severely impacted sales. They had also been going through their own internal company struggles and were only just emerging from some tough times. Learning about their difficulties and their resolve to keep the company afloat was inspirational. We agreed to do whatever we could to help them not only redesign their website but to work on their branding at the same time.

Long story short, we redesigned their website and have been working with them for the past two years. As I mentioned in the beginning, this is a love story. The work we have done for them is just a by-product of our relationship. We truly love these guys. They are a family-owned, Native Hawaiian business. They are craftsmen and passionate about making the finest instruments—supplying them to our treasured Hawaiian musicians here and across the world. And I really feel the sentiments are reciprocal. They haven’t told us exactly, because you know, they’re guys. But we know it. They love us, too. How do I know? Because they include us in their most intimate business plans, share their coveted secrets, text us for feedback on various internal questions, and they even razz us. Basically family.

The result is a website we are truly proud of. From the very beginning, we wanted to create a visually striking brand identity that mirrors the superior quality, high integrity, Hawaiian craftsmanship and artistry of the Kamaka ukulele. As part of our design exploration and discovery process, we interviewed Kamaka luthiers, players and craftsmen who are continuing the tradition of excellence established by Sam Kamaka, and sharing the story of the company through the hands, hearts and minds of the Kamaka family.

We know for a fact that since launching the new Kamaka Hawaii website, they have increased direct sales, are strengthening their relationships with dealers, and ‘ukulele inquiries have been off the charts.

Now as the Kamakas gear up to celebrate their 110th anniversary in 2026, brothers Chris and Casey Kamaka reached out to us to work on their 2026 marketing campaign.

To the Kamakas, it has been an honor getting to know you all. I just wish I could play the ‘ukulele.