The idea was to rework one of the most iconic symbols in international sport, the All Black’s Silver Fern logo - to create a simple, clear symbol of mourning that required no words to be understood.

To lose Jonah Lomu, one of the greatest players to ever wear that famous shirt, was to see a part of the fern break away forever – from a fern of twenty-three fronds, each one representing a player in a twenty-three man international match day rugby squad.

Most importantly, we wanted to create a dignified and gentle image, one that would reflect the personality of the great man himself.

Because for such a giant of a man, and for all his obvious physical strength, Lomu had a gentle spirit, a softness the creative needed to capture, as well as his irreplaceable loss to New Zealand rugby.

The image takes the colours of the New Zealand All Blacks and turns them into a symbol of mourning. The fern has 23 fronds, each representing a player in an international match-day rugby squad.

The 11th frond, a reference to Lomu’s playing position, slips away to signify the irreplaceable loss Lomu was to New Zealand rugby. It falls in a downward motion, suggesting a tear rolling away from the eye.

Underneath, Lomu’s name and birth and death years are set plainly in white using Helvetica bold – maintaining simplicity, while ensuring prominence.

The fern was edited to re-create it white out of black, with one of the fronds removed, re-scaled and re-arranged to create a final image that could maintain its impact across multiple sizes – an image that would be dignified and gentle, to perfectly reflect the personality of the great man himself.

Having been briefed to enhance the Irish Examiner’s sporting reputation, the resulting creative quickly became a global phenomenon when it appeared on the Irish Examiner’s social media channels - as it was embraced by sports fans around the world.

Its reach and cultural impact criss-crossed four continents.

- Reached approximately 6 million people worldwide

- @irishexaminer trended across four continents

- Praised by New Zealand Prime Minister John Key on national television.

- Adopted by Lomu’s family, with his sons and pall bearers wearing the image on the day of his funeral.

- All image copyrights transferred to the Jonah Lomu Legacy Trust, established by New Zealand Rugby Players Association (NZRPA), to care for Lomu’s sons.

- PR conservatively estimated at €750,000.

- Coverage in over 50+ articles across international news websites including Ireland, France, Italy, South Africa, UK and New Zealand.