Five Minutes with Maddy Lissington
Members of Design Assembly make up a network of Friends working together to build a thriving design scene in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our ‘Five Minutes’ series profiles the breadth and depth of design practice in our network.
Our Friends at Special design for packaging, corporate, not-for-profits and startups–creating a lot of variety to develop new skills for designers like Maddy Lissington. From early on Maddy knew she wanted to do something creative. So all the subjects she took were creative, from painting, art history, graphics and art design. I she studied a Bachelor of Communication Design at AUT….
Tell us about your career background:
After I graduated from AUT, I spent 4 years working as the in-house designer at Deadly Ponies–an incredible opportunity to explore all areas of design from photography and art direction, digital & social marketing, packaging & printed collateral.
Then started at Special, where I have been working for nearly 5 years. Surrounded by so many talented and diverse creatives has helped me develop a lot as a designer. We have such a great collaborative process within our design team and across departments as well to spark big ideas or learn new ways of thinking. Special Design’s work spans across all areas from packaging, corporate, not-for-profits and startups. This creates a lot of variety to develop new skills and keeps each day fresh and exciting.
What does a typical day in your studio look like?
Currently I am working remotely from the Gold Coast. So every morning I get up for a walk or run along the beach. Each morning I check in with the team back in Auckland on a teams call to recap on projects and stay connected, before jumping into work.
My days can be quite varied depending on the projects we have on. Some days are really design focused on a single project, this is great to get stuck into their brand world and have quiet time for concepting. While other days I might be juggling lots of different projects along with internal and client meetings.
What are your favourite tools in the studio?
Figma! We have recently started using Figma a lot more in our studio. It’s such a great tool to be able to collaborate more with your teammates. I’ve also found it has helped speed up productivity and creativity seeing everything on one big artboard.
What are your favourite types of projects to work on?
I love working on projects that make a difference to the people and communities involved. I have been lucky enough to work on a couple of brand identity projects for not-for-profit organizations that do incredible things for their people – Halberg Foundation, Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa and Burnett Foundation Aotearoa. Their identities were no longer relevant and didn’t reflect the work they do or the people they support, so to create a new brand that reflects their commitment to their community is really rewarding.
I also love packaging work, working with a physical form and the restraints that come with that. Every product is always so different and has its own unique challenges. Recently we created a vibrant and modern refresh for the Fijian RTD Tribe with the locals and vibrant culture at the heart of the brand.
We also worked with the Warehouse Group on a health and beauty product, Good One. We worked across all stages of the product development from brand creation and naming to form design, production and in store displays.
What project are you most proud of?
Halberg Foundation was definitely one of the projects I am most proud of. They help ensure all young people, no matter their ability or disability, have an equal opportunity to enhance their lives through sport and recreation. The work they do for their community is amazing, but their brand was feeling dated and not reflective of the young kiwis they support.
We created a new identity, shifting their brand from a foundation to a club. We wanted to take cues from sports teams and lifestyle brands to create a brand that the kids would feel proud and excited to be a part of. After rebranding Halberg, I attended their annual games, seeing the kids so happy and proud in their new merch was so special.
Do you have any advice about our industry for emerging designers or career changers?
Connecting with others in the design community, whether that’s at a design assembly event, or reaching out to visit or intern at local studios is a great way to meet people. I also think it is great to keep up to date with new work from design studios across the world for inspiration.
Where can people connect with you?
Linkedin or email: madeline.lissington@specialgroup.co.nz
