2022 year in review: Design content highlights from our Design Assembly community.
As we come to a close on 2022 we took a trip down memory lane. Here’s a 2022 snapshot highlighting some of the design work, interviews, and connection with our Aotearoa NZ design community this year . . .
Join the community, get access to discounted events and workshops, and share your work by becoming a DA Friend.
2022 Highlights – Design Work:
A small sampling of the design work from our community this year.
WATCH: Under the Hood August 2022 with creative studios, Milk and Libby & Ben.
Two creative studios each walked us through a recent design project from brief to delivery.
“Our main challenge was exploring the intersection between accessibility and design. How do we create a brand that is emotive, thought-provoking and engaging, visually contemporary and design-driven, but that also meets high-level accessibility requirements?”
Fresh From The Field – ‘Auckland Transport Brand & Culture’ By ‘Ira’
Fresh from the Field is a weekly article series sharing the fresh and inspiring work of our Design Assembly community.
Ira walk us through their recent work helping to develop the first ever set of Māori principles adopted by Auckland Transport as brand values.
Inspired by waka navigation, the carefully co-designed taurapa artwork expresses the role of cultural values and Te Ao Māori to the brand of Auckland Transport.
Fresh From The Field – Patriot Brains opening title – Pixelpush
Utilising wacky, miniature puppets and some of the most highly debated Australia/New Zealand cultural references, the team at Pixelpush share their design thinking behind the 20 second title sequence created for Patriot Brains.
From the Edges – Romina Abasto, Masters in App Design at Wintec
In our ‘From The Edges’ series we feature Aotearoa NZ Academic Design Projects.
In this article, we talk with Romina about her Masters project, ‘Goal No Plastic’ a social platform conceptual app to get users involved in the environmental problem through sharing and finding ideas that help to reduce the consumption of single plastic-use products.
Fresh From The Field — Berg – By Marx Design
Fresh from the Field is a weekly article series sharing the fresh and inspiring work of our Design Assembly community.
Marx Design take us deep into their strategic thinking and design response behind the brand identity work for Berg, a water-based alcoholic seltzer.
Building off of the idea that there is more to this drink than meets the eye, Marx’s design – which ended up winning first place at the 2022 Dieline Awards in the ‘Beers, Ciders and Malts’ category – includes the above/below divide of a floating iceberg with a textured hard edge illustration style, that stands out from a distance and gives the pack a tactile feel when up close.
2022 Highlights – Design Community:
Interviews with Designers of all sorts – from motion designers to product design – within our DA Community.
In motion with . . . Renee Jacobi, Daylight.
The In motion with series shines a light on some of the people who breathe life and action into design, Aotearoa NZ’s motion designers.
We sat down with Renee Jacobi of Daylight who shares a bit about her non-linear career journey, a recent favourite project she’s worked on, and tips for anyone considering diving down the motion design career path.
“I feel very lucky to have started my career in this field as a concept artist, illustrator, animation director and animator all in one. It’s meant that I’ve had a lot of creative control over the projects I work on.”
DA Conversations Podcast with Stephen McCarthy
Kia ora and welcome to Design Assembly Conversations. In this series we talk to Aotearoa NZ designers, hear their stories and celebrate their work.
Stephen is founder and co creative Director of McCarthy Design based in Ōtautahi Christchurch. He’s been designing for over 25 years, worked in small and large studios, made 5 albums in band Pine touring Internationally and has a passion for design for social impact having helped shape wellbeing response work after . . .
Design Careers: From Brand/Marketing to Product Design at Auror, here’s how one designer made the switch.
The idea of making a career transition can feel a bit daunting at times. That’s why we sat down with one of our DA Friends – William Lee from Auror – to chat about how he navigated making the switch and the key takeaways from his journey so far as a graphic designer turned product designer.
“I felt that most of my graphic design skills were transferable . . . One area of note that I had intentionally spent time getting into was understanding and creating clear and robust design systems . . .”
Meet our Friends . . . ZURU Edge
From playing fetch with the office pups to creating disruption in consumer goods categories, here’s what the inhouse creative team at ZURU Edge get up to during their work week.
“There is definitely a focus on wellbeing and maintaining a good work-life balance, so when we’re not taking a break to play fetch with one of the office pups, ZURU also gives us plenty of opportunities to get out from behind the desk!”
2022 Highlights – Design Connections
A few fun moments gathering together with our community during some of this year’s design events and workshops.
We exist to inclusively connect, educate, and inspire our incredibly talented and passionate New Zealand designers. With the help of our community, we’ve gathered the insights and ideas that have contributed to many great conversations about what goes on here, how it happens, and why it matters.
Join the community, get access to discounted events and workshops, and share your work by becoming a DA Friend.
Special thank you to our DA Partners this year:
