

Hard Luck Design was formed in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic as an initial side hustle. Now, we're collectively fulfilling our creative passions working alongside cool people, creating cool stuff.
'Hard Luck' is slang derived from the classic sports saying. For many it means you've made a mistake and to try again. For us, we resonate with the importance of learning from your mistakes.
We are a pasifika-led creative studio
Design is what you'd call our speciality. Our design work includes:
- Brand Identity
- Graphic design
- Website design
- Motion graphics
Production is where we push boundaries. Our Production work includes:
- Photography/re-touching
- Filming/editing
- Animation(basic)
- Content creation
Communication is a strength is always needed. Our communication work includes:
- Communication & Marketing strategy
- Social media planning
- Publications
- Proofing
WHAT DO WE DO
We have our strengths but we are learning everyday and growing as creatives. If you want the baseline here it is
the faces of
Hard Luck design
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Maria Philp
Maria is a visual messenger. She is of Fijian and Sāmoan descent and enjoys telling stories as well as coming up with unique creative solutions.


Telia Lepa
Raised in the mighty Waikato and hailing from Savai’i, Sāmoa, Telia is passionate about using her skillset to enact positive change for her people across the motu.


Christian Munokoa
Born and raised in South Auckland with both Cook Island and Māori heritage, he loves to connect with like-minded people about all things creative.
Our why
Hard Luck is a culmination of different interests, cultures and experiences - these differences have helped form our ‘why’. We aim to create meaningful change around how the creative industry approaches Pasifika-led design.
We believe that culture and design are intertwined and should not be isolated from one another, while we see the importance of challenging the creative industry to operate in a way that doesn’t separate culture from design. Overall, we want to uplift the mana of our people by empowering them to communicate their stories in their own personal and unique way.
