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# The PNG Chiefs Put a Country in Their Logo. Have You Spotted It Yet?
- URL: https://insights.pacificinfragroup.com/the-png-chiefs-put-a-country-in-their-logo-have-you-spotted-it-yet/
- Published: 2026-10-22T03:36:01.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-22T03:36:01.000Z
- Author: Peter Hawke
- Tags: Creative Design, Social Cohesion

Look closely at the chief’s face. Then hear the Papua New Guinean artist’s story behind the jersey that NRL stars will wear.

Papua New Guinea is staring back at you from the Chiefs’ new logo. Look at the face: the club says its shape represents the country itself.

It is a clever thing to squeeze into a badge small enough to stitch onto a jersey. From a distance, you see the chief; up close, there is a second idea to discover.

Designed by a team of Papua New Guinean graphic artists, the logo was [unveiled alongside the Chiefs’ first supporter jersey in Port Moresby on 21 October](https://www.nrl.com/news/2026/10/21/png-chiefs-launch-inaugural-logo-and-supporter-jersey--ahead-of-nrl-entry-in-2028/?ref=insights.pacificinfragroup.com). The club enters the NRL in 2028, and now supporters have a badge they can put on while they count down.

The face is only the beginning of the design’s references. The club links the feather headpiece to ceremonial plumes and national pride, the cassowary bone to courage, and kina shells to traditional wealth and trade. For artists working on an identity intended to represent a country with more than 800 languages, choosing what to include was quite a brief.

The face detail has already caught someone’s eye. In an early [discussion on Reddit’s r/PapuaNewGuinea forum](https://www.reddit.com/r/PapuaNewGuinea/comments/1xb97cx/what%5Fdoes%5Feverybody%5Fthink%5Fof%5Fthe%5Fnew%5Fpng%5Fchiefs/?ref=insights.pacificinfragroup.com), one commenter wrote, “I think the face paint in the shape of the main island is really cool.” Reactions in the thread were mixed: another liked the design but felt it “needs red and yellow in the jersey too”, while others praised the pattern or wanted brighter colours.

The jersey has its own story, and Papua New Guinean artist Tabu Pelei began it with a kundu drum. In [her interview with the ABC](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-21/png-chiefs-unveil-new-logo-ahead-of-2028-nrl-entry/107291628?ref=insights.pacificinfragroup.com), she called it “a cultural item that is found in every part of Papua New Guinea”. She was looking for a reference that people across the country could recognise.

Pelei also drew on the landscape and a tattoo from her own tribe representing sweat and tears. She connected that reference to the effort it took to get PNG into the NRL. Her work brings a shared cultural object and something deeply personal onto the same jersey.

Asked about the sporting stars who would wear her artwork, Pelei described herself as “so extremely proud and excited”. Imagine seeing a reference from your own tribe carried onto that stage.

Prime Minister James Marape connected the occasion to Sir Michael Somare’s vision of bringing the country together through sport. “Sports and music unite society,” he said in [remarks reported by EMTV](https://emtv.com.pg/pm-marape-png-chiefs-brand-is-a-simbol-of-unity/?ref=insights.pacificinfragroup.com). The ambition is clear: give Papua New Guineans a club they can rally around every week.

The launch has gone ahead with the Chiefs name still contested. [AAP reports that New Zealand Rugby’s application for an interim injunction was rejected](https://aapnews.aap.com.au/news/true-identity-png-chiefs-unveil-new-logo-amid-drama?ref=insights.pacificinfragroup.com), while the wider trademark and naming dispute continues.

For now, there is already something worth sending to a mate: a PNG badge designed by Papua New Guineans, with the country worked into its face. Once you have spotted it, see how quickly they can.

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