• Interview

Women in Design . . . Zoe Ikin

10 months ago by Jess Lowcher

For the month of March we are shining a special spotlight on Aotearoa women designers – from their work to their stories. Join us for our inaugural Women in Design DAY | Design & You event coming up on 22 Mar 2024.

In this series, we celebrate New Zealand Women in Design as they share their work and processes and we learn more about their day-to-day routines, diverse career pathways, and how they achieve balance. Today we chatted with Zoe Ikin, Head of Experience Design for ASB Bank.

What or who were your early creative influences?

I grew up in a creative household – both of my parents worked in design, we spent weekends going to art galleries and our house was filled with interesting furniture, objects and design publications. 

Can you describe the creative path you took to get to where you’re at now?

I studied a Bachelor of Design at AUT then worked for 13 years in strategic brand agencies before shifting into corporate design leadership in 2021. Alongside study and work I’ve always pursued my own design/making enquiry — travel and writing about design destinations, making furniture, ceramics etc. 

What does your typical workday look like? (we are keen to hear about the extraordinary routines/juggle of women in design.) 

I’m so grateful to be able to work from home 2 days a week. On those days I like to do the school pick up so that I can show our kids I’m interested in what they’ve been working hard at, too. I’m not the only one at ASB managing this juggle, and so it’s not unheard of to block 30 minutes out and make up time in the evenings. 

Other days I head to ASB’s North Wharf headquarters which is great to connect with colleagues in person. My role is to create the environment for great design work to happen. This includes hiring strong talent, making sure teams are appropriately resourced, facilitating design ceremonies, and implementing frameworks to ensure quality is consistently achieved, at scale. I also manage a team of reports so I enjoy dedicating time to chat with them one on one, to help them get the most out of work. 

We use a nanny and after school care to take the pressure off the juggle, and keep extra curricular activities to the weekend. In the evenings we catch up at the dinner table, and take the kids out for a scooter around the block before bed. Then I’ll squeeze in a workout, make school lunches, catch up on work or head to the woodturning studio to make progress on some personal projects. I don’t watch TV, lol. 

What barriers have you come up against ( or have seen ) within the design industry throughout your career and how has that affected your work?

Lack of flexibility is the barrier I see most. Work hours and school hours do not align! I saw most agencies go straight back to the studio after the initial Covid lockdowns which was a missed opportunity to normalise hybrid work, and really hard for parents trying to manage two roles. I’m incredibly grateful for the flexibility I have at work — it means I can now work and contribute to the economy full time.

Do you have a project that is memorable because it challenged you, if so what lessons did you learn from that work?

Less of a project, more of a career shift. In August 2021 I moved from working in a very familiar agency environment to a very foreign corporate environment. Three weeks later Auckland went into lockdown for 3 months. I needed to learn new systems, a new subject matter, get to know new people and still make an impact, while homeschooling two young kids. It was a lot, I think I’m still recovering. I learned to ask people for help and give things a go — everyone appreciates that, and it’s the fastest way to learn. 

What does career/creative success look like to you?

Career success has looked different at different stages for me. When I was a practising designer, success was creating quality work, building trusting relationships with clients, sharing recognition with the team, and generating a profile based on that work. Now, success for me is enabling others. My impact is broader, measured through building strong, happy design teams who produce great work and are respected in the organisation. 

The worst piece of advice I’ve received is…

I’ve either erased it from memory or I’m yet to receive it…

The best piece of advice I’ve received is…

Look for inspiration at the peripheries of the subject you’re working in. While working on the Fisher & Paykel brand transformation at Alt Group we become experts in everything from Vitra’s photographic art direction to San Francisco sourdough bakeries in order to build that brand.

What do you hope for the future of design in Aotearoa NZ?

I hope our design schools can keep up with a rapidly evolving industry. They’re in a really challenging position of needing to equip students with skills before businesses even know they need them. 

Finally, where can we see more of your work and connect with you?

If you’re an ASB customer you’ll experience new features through our digital channels that I have played a small part in. You’ll see my personal design projects on my Instagram and you can find me on LinkedIn too. 

BIO:

Zoe Ikin grew up in a design household in Mt Eden, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. From a young age she was surrounded by objects, exhibitions and publications that represented her parents’ interest in design culture. This early exposure inspired a career in design, and after graduating with a Bachelor of Design from AUT in 2007 she spent over a decade working in multidisciplinary design and brand studios. As a Design Director at Alt Group (2011–21), Ikin worked on large-scale brand transformations, which combined her broad interests in brand, graphic, industrial and experience design. In 2021 Ikin shifted into design leadership and is now Head of Experience Design for ASB Bank. She still considers herself a ‘design maker’ and has ongoing personal enquiries in furniture, architecture and woodturning, as well as encouraging her two young daughters’ creative interests.