Maria Francesca Melis

Portfolio | Instagram | Linkedin

Maria is an Italian-born illustrator and graphic designer who grew up in Sardinia, a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.

Her work is heavily influenced by medical and botanical vintage illustrations. The tradition of Sardinian decorative art is a fundamental component of her research and in her work, there are often representations of clothes and fabrics that recall ancient embroideries and textures of the rich cultural heritage of the island she comes from.

In New Zealand, where she has lived for some years, she has the opportunity to come into contact with the indigenous Māori culture and in particular the concept of “Kaitiakitanga”, which invites us to reflect on the relationship between humans and the natural world and the one that this peaceful population considers it an imperative responsibility to protect the environment.

Specialization: Illustration, Branding, Packaging, Editorial design

Jarrod Dobell

Behance | Instagram

Jarrod likes to use vibrant colours and play with nostalgic themes. His work is fun and light-hearted. He likes to work in multiple mediums and to experiment with software to add interest to his designs.

Specialization: Illustration, Branding, Animation

Leah Gifkins

Behance | Instagram

Leah can create something beautiful with a simple form, strong ideas and a clear vision. She looks for ways to step outside her comfort zone and create designs that have both form and function. Leah is interested in packaging, branding and publication design. She has Pinterest boards dedicated to colour swatches and typography.

Specialization: Branding, Publication Design, Product Design

Mohini Patel

Instagram

Mohini is a designer from Whangamata who now resides in Auckland where she illustrates and obsessively watches TV dramas and listens to music in equal measure. She’s a great collaborator and always has an ear out for her team, and keeps spirits high. Proficient in Illustrator and InDesign, particularly she enjoys branding, layout, and illustration.

Specialization: Illustration, Branding, Layout, Product

Sarah Jeon

Behance

Sarah is a graphic designer who has a creative spirit in illustration, publication and editorial design. Her aesthetics originate from seeing the innocence of a child and the liveliness of colours inspires her in creating works. She loves to make connections with people. Connection always leads to creative inspiration especially being around good people who spread positive energy, it encourages and strengthens one another.

Specialization: Illustration, Publication, Editorial Design

Zahra Darvish

Portfolio | Instagram

Zahra is originally from Persia where she lived till the age of 9 before moving to Australia then to Auckland in 2008. She is a graduate of Yoobee Colleges and is a hard-working, reliable, and kind person with a mind full of creativity. She is passionate about unique designs and thinking outside of the box.

Prior to catching the design bug, she had a career in Dental Technology which mostly involved creating various dental prosthetics. She received a Bachelors in Dental Technology at Otago but after 5 years of work, she realized her true passion is in the design world. Art has always been a passion of Zahra’s ever since she was young and now she gets to live it.

Specialization: Illustration, Packaging, Branding, Animation, Editorial design, UX/UI Design

Zoe Dawson

Portfolio | Instagram

Zoe is an Illustrator and Graphic Designer from Auckland. She was born and raised in Matamata and moved to Auckland when she was 17. Originally doing make-up, she later decided to pursue Graphic Design as it suited her personality and interests a lot more. Zoe has always been into art for as long as she can remember, most likely thanks to her Dad, who is also very artistic. She finds inspiration from everything around her.

Zoe has experience using Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, XD, After Effects and Dimensions. She enjoys learning and creating in various graphic design fields.

Specialization: Illustration, Branding, Packaging

Milan Nooijen

Behance

The perfect life for Milan would be catching all the best sun-set spots on long road trips, spending quality time with friends and family, and spending his days designing fun illustrative pieces of work for people!

Specialization: Illustration, Branding, Ads / Campaigns

Yazmin Cauty-Stott

Instagram

Yazmin was born and raised in the North-Shore of Auckland. She has always been the artsy kid – all the way through school, and to this day! She still loves to create. Right out of high school, Yazmin planned to pursue further study in graphic design but ended up studying a Bachelor of Creative Technologies as she has a passion for video games and their creation process. She got to her final year before spontaneously deciding to change direction and pursue graphic design instead.

Her strongest skills lie in Illustrator, InDesign and After Effects, but she wishes to learn more and become a master of many artistic applications so she can create many different things.

Specialization: Illustration, Branding, Packaging, Animation, UI/UX