Events List
Past Events
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Keep an eye on this page, follow us on social media or sign-up to our email at the bottom of the website for all the upcoming events and workshops near you.
- February Queer Design Assembly
- March DA Conversations speaker or panel events
- May DA Women in Design
- June DA Pub Quiz
- July DA Portfolio Speed Dating Review
- August DA Women in Design
- September DA Conversations speaker or panel events
Throughout 2020, Design Assembly will running a series of ONLINE events in response to the national plan for events and workshops during Covid-19 alert levels. We will aim to hold in-person events and workshops as we can.
September 2018
DA Workshop Wellington: ‘Wine & Type’ with Nicole Arnett Phillips and Sarah Maxey — Thursday 20th September
Nicole Arnett Phillips and Sarah Maxey will guide participants through a wine tasting, drawing based workshop where participants will use visual language to convey the characteristics of New Zealand’s wine culture in a series of guided briefs (to design a sequence of wine labels). It is a social and interactive evening, sure to delight the senses!
Find out more »UX Gym Workshop Wellington: UX Intensive Week — A week long introduction to user experience design
This course combines all our one day courses into a week long deep-dive into experience design. It takes you through a full digital UX project from initial research to finished design. The week is designed to give you an understanding of the principles behind a modern user centered design process and practical experience of some of the most common activities you will encounter in a typical user experience project. With this course you can apply what you learn immediately to…
Find out more »October 2018
Auckland: DA Masterclass — Packaging Design with Matt Grantham
Through his own journey, Matt will guide you through the importance of developing and communicating a compelling brand story on ‘pack’. Understanding the client / their business, their products and consumers, to be empathic to them as well as the retail environment the product will live in. To dissect what the client wants to achieve while keeping an eye on opportunities they might have overlooked.
Find out more »Auckland: DA Conversations — Spring 2018
Join us for our DA Conversations Spring Series in Auckland and Wellington, where we look at 'Diversity in Aotearoa New Zealand Design' — what does it mean and why does it matter? With a very special line up of speakers.
Find out more »Wellington: DA Conversations — Spring 2018
Join us for our DA Conversations Spring Series in Auckland and Wellington, where we look at 'Diversity in Aotearoa New Zealand Design' — what does it mean and why does it matter? With a very special line up of speakers.
Find out more »Auckland: Doubling Down with Double Denim Directors
Double Denim's Directors are coming to Auckland for a full-day workshop & talk consisting of 2 sessions: 'How to make Impact' with Anna Dean and 'Unlocking the 23 trillion dollar economy' with Angela Meyer.
Find out more »November 2018
DA Workshop Wellington: How to run a profitable, successful design business
Design Assembly is delighted to present design and advertising account management expert Sarah Ritchie for this half-day business workshop in Wellington.
Find out more »Wellington: DA’s End of Year Wrap Party 2018
Save the date for DA's End of Year Wrap Party in Wellington: Thursday 29th November at Fortune Favours. Join your fellow designers and creatives and celebrate the end of the year and the start of summer with us.
Find out more »Auckland: DA’s End of Year Wrap Party 2018
Save the date for DA's End of Year Wrap Party in Auckland: Thursday 29th November at Ponsonby Social Club. Join your fellow designers and creatives and celebrate the end of the year and the start of summer with us.
Find out more »December 2018
Christchurch: DA’s End of Year Wrap Party 2018
Save the date for DA’s End of Year Wrap Party in Christchurch: Thursday 13th December at XCHC (Exchange Christchurch). Join your fellow designers and creatives and celebrate the end of the year and the start of summer with us.
Find out more »February 2019
DA Workshop Christchurch: How to run a profitable, successful design business — Wednesday 20th February 2019
Are you a self-employed designer? A design agency account manager? Or do you run a small design agency? You'll know that maintaining great client relationships is just as important as producing great design work to guarantee financial success—but working with clients and ensuring your work remains profitable can be two of the biggest challenges you'll face. In this fully-interactive workshop we'll hit the issues head-on and tackle the tough questions that YOU want to ask. The power is in your hands!
Find out more »DA Korero | Summer – Hawke’s Bay
Design Assembly and our regional host Coast & Co are excited to bring to Hawke’s Bay — DA Korero | Spring. Like the autumn event, it is a casual opportunity to get the creative community together and have a chat about all things design.
Join us at the Common Room, Hastings on the 27th of February from 5.30pm for a quiet beverage or two.
DA Women In Design Evenings – Auckland
Join us for an informal evening of drinks and food as we come together for relationships to be made, nurtured and supported. Free to attend, spaces are limited. Everyone is welcome. Thursday 28 February 2019 6pm - 8pm Hello Beasty 95_97 Customs Street West, Viaduct Harbour If you would like to hold DA Women In Design events in your local region please contact louise@designassembly.org.nz Design Assembly – connecting all New Zealand visual…
Find out more »DA Women In Design Evenings – Wellington
Join us for an informal evening of drinks and food as we come together for relationships to be made, nurtured and supported. Free to attend, spaces are limited. Everyone is welcome. Thursday 28 February 2019 6pm - 10pm Fortune Favours 7 Leeds St, Te Aro, Wellington If you would like to hold DA Women In Design events in your local region please contact louise@designassembly.org.nz Design Assembly – connecting all New Zealand visual…
Find out more »DA Women In Design Evenings – Christchurch
Join us for an informal evening of drinks from 27seconds and nibbles as we come together for relationships to be made, nurtured and supported. Free to attend, spaces are limited. Everyone is welcome. Thursday 28 February 2019 6pm – 8pm Junk & Disorderly Christchurch 105 Orbell Street Sydenham If you would like to hold DA Women In Design events in your local region please contact louise@designassembly.org.nz
Find out more »March 2019
Make No Small Plans
Join No Small Plans lead author and project director Gabrielle Lyon to hear about the behind the scenes adventures involved in reinventing a 20th century Chicago urban planning textbook as 21st-century graphic novel.
Find out more »DA Workshop AKL: Intellectual Property & Commercial Practice for Designers
Intellectual Property & Commercial Practice for Designers Tuesday 12th March 2019 6.30pm - 9pm Studio One Toi Tū 1 Ponsonby Road Meeting Room 6 Auckland City $149 +GST Professional / $99 Design Assembly Friend +GST / $39 +GST DA Student Friends (Not a DA Friend? Details on how to sign up can be found here). Recommended for Studio Owners/Directors, Account Managers, Independent contractors & freelancers Who owns the copyright in that logo you've just designed? Is that logo able to be…
Find out more »UX Gym Workshop Auckland – UX Crash Course: A hands on introduction to user experience design
Get hands-on experience of a digital UX design project from start to finish in this intensive one day workshop. This course is designed to give you an understanding of the principles behind a modern user centered design process and practical experience of some of the most common activities you will encounter in a typical user experience project. The day is designed so you can apply what you learn immediately to your current projects and also use what you learn as…
Find out more »Wellington: DA Conversations — Autumn 2019
Design Assembly is delighted to present our DA Conversations Autumn 2019 series taking place in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in March.
Find out more »Auckland: DA Conversations — Autumn 2019
To understand where we are going, we must know where we have come from.
This year Design Assembly celebrates ten years of supporting our community. We're taking this milestone as an opportunity to look back at the last ten years, investigate where visual design currently is and to question what the future holds for New Zealand's visual design industry and culture.
UX Gym Workshop Wellington – UX Crash Course: A hands on introduction to user experience design
Get hands-on experience of a digital UX design project from start to finish in this intensive one day workshop. This course is designed to give you an understanding of the principles behind a modern user centered design process and practical experience of some of the most common activities you will encounter in a typical user experience project. The day is designed so you can apply what you learn immediately to your current projects and also use what you learn as…
Find out more »April 2019
Wellington: Living the Freelance Life — Conversations for the Self-Employed
Tuesday, April 2nd 6pm—8pm Out of Office Level 3/11 Vivian St, Te Aro Wellington Price: $49 Design Assembly Friend / $69 Professional / $29 Students (+ GST) (Not a DA Friend? Details on how to sign up can be found here). Design Assembly is excited to bring you an evening of conversations dedicated to those who are self-employed, celebrating the alluring yet intricate art that is freelancing. So join us for an evening lead by Annie McCulloch (Freelance Consultant at…
Find out more »Christchurch: DA Conversations — Autumn 2019
Design Assembly is delighted to present our DA Conversations Autumn 2019 series taking place in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in March. The home of New Zealand Visual Design for 10 Years To understand where we are going, we must know where we have come from. This year Design Assembly celebrates ten years of supporting our community. We're taking this milestone as an opportunity to look back at the last ten years, investigate where visual design currently is and to question what the future…
Find out more »UX Gym Workshop Auckland – Introduction to User Research
Probably no other area of design has more impact on how successful your initial design decisions are going to be than user research. Most of us aren’t designing for ourselves, and a good understanding of who our users are and what their needs are is vital for successful design. This course teaches you how to identify the best type of research for a project, how to execute your research so you get the most useful results given the time and…
Find out more »Designing a Culturally Authentic Aotearoa – DA Workshop Auckland
Designing a culturally authentic Aotearoa Friday 12th April 2019 10am - 3pm Meeting Room 5 Studio One Toi Tū 1 Ponsonby Road Auckland City $399 +GST Professional / $299 +GST Design Assembly Friend / $99 +GST DA Student Friends (Not a DA Friend? Details on how to sign up can be found here). Tēnā koutou, nau mai, haere mai! Design has a major influence in how culture, society and perceptions are shaped and defined. Globally, there is a hunger for authentic brands, experiences and connection with people and…
Find out more »UX Gym Workshop Wellington – Introduction to User Research
Probably no other area of design has more impact on how successful your initial design decisions are going to be than user research. Most of us aren’t designing for ourselves, and a good understanding of who our users are and what their needs are is vital for successful design. This course teaches you how to identify the best type of research for a project, how to execute your research so you get the most useful results given the time and…
Find out more »May 2019
Auckland DA Workshop: Running a successful project: on time, on budget, and on brief
Recommended for Account Managers, Project Managers, Creatives, Team Leaders, Studio Owners
If you are responsible for running client projects or campaigns in your studio or agency, then this workshop is for you. You'll learn how to take the guesswork out of project planning; organise your workflow; and determine the essentials to keeping a project running on time, on budget, and on brief. You'll receive practical tools and templates to help improve your planning, productivity, and profit.
UX Gym Workshop Auckland – Introduction to Information Architecture
Learning how to organise, describe and present the information in your website or app is one of the fundamental skills that makes up UX design. Information architecture is the glue that holds complex digital products together and enables users to navigate and make sense of them.
Find out more »UX Gym Workshop Wellington – Introduction to Information Architecture
Learning how to organise, describe and present the information in your website or app is one of the fundamental skills that makes up UX design. Information architecture is the glue that holds complex digital products together and enables users to navigate and make sense of them.
Find out more »DA Women In Design May 2019 – Christchurch
Join us for an informal evening of drinks and food as we come together for relationships to be made, nurtured and supported. Spaces are limited to 15 people. Everyone is welcome. With thanks to our DA Friends - who help to keep DA going and growing, DA Friends attend this event for free. A small cover charge for non-DA Friends helps to cover the admin costs of running these events for the community. $25+gst per person (First drink and nibbles included)…
Find out more »DA Women In Design May 2019 – Auckland
Join us for an informal evening of drinks and food as we come together for relationships to be made, nurtured and supported. Spaces are limited to 30 people. Everyone is welcome. With thanks to our DA Friends - who help to keep DA going and growing, DA Friends attend this event for free. A small cover charge for non DA Friends helps to cover the admin costs of running these events for the community. $25+gst per person (First drink and nibbles…
Find out more »DA Women In Design May 2019 – Wellington
Join us for an informal evening of drinks and food as we come together for relationships to be made, nurtured and supported. Spaces are limited to 30 people. Everyone is welcome. With thanks to our DA Friends - who help to keep DA going and growing, DA Friends attend this event for free. A small cover charge for non-DA Friends helps to cover the admin costs of running these events for the community. $25+gst per person (First drink and nibbles included)…
Find out more »June 2019
UX Gym Workshop Auckland – User Experience Design: Designing for Screens
This practical course focuses on design for screens, from application user interfaces to web design. This course could be taken as a complement to one of our user centered design courses or as a stand alone course for designers, developers and product managers who want to learn more about making design decisions for screens.
Find out more »9th Annual DA Pub Quiz 2020
The DA Annual Pub Quiz is back for its ninth year! Join us for an evening of graphic design, arts and culture trivia — you know you want this year’s bragging rights! Pit your studio against the rest, or if you’re working independently, gather together a team of your design colleagues. Show your creative peers just how much you know, and enjoy an evening amongst the biggest design nerds in Auckland.
Find out more »8th Annual Design Assembly Pub Quiz — Christchurch 2019
The DA Annual Pub Quiz will be back for its eighth year! Pit your studio against the rest, or if you’re working independently, gather together a team of your design colleagues. Show your creative peers just how much you know, and enjoy an evening amongst the biggest design nerds in Christchurch.
Find out more »8th Annual Design Assembly Pub Quiz — Auckland 2019
The DA Annual Pub Quiz is back for its eighth year! Join us for an evening of graphic design, arts and culture trivia — you know you want this year’s bragging rights! Pit your studio against the rest, or if you’re working independently, gather together a team of your design colleagues. Show your creative peers just how much you know, and enjoy an evening amongst the biggest design nerds in Auckland. Thursday 20 June. 7pm - 10pm
Find out more »Foundation Certificates Open Day – Tuesday 25th June
Foundation Certificates Open Day Tuesday 25th June 2019 9am – 12:30pm Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design 24 Balfour Road, Parnell Auckland City CONSIDERING A CAREER IN ARTS & DESIGN OR DIGITAL MEDIA? Ensure you have the knowledge to make an informed decision about your tertiary study options in arts and design and digital media. The HOD will present an overview of the programmes. OVERVIEW 9am - Registration 9:30am - Welcome and Programme Overview 10am - Digital Media and Design…
Find out more »UX Gym Workshop Wellington – User Experience Design: Designing for Screens
This practical course focuses on design for screens, from application user interfaces to web design. This course could be taken as a complement to one of our user centered design courses or as a stand alone course for designers, developers and product managers who want to learn more about making design decisions for screens.
Find out more »July 2019
8th Annual Design Assembly Pub Quiz — Wellington 2019
The DA Annual Pub Quiz will be back for its eighth year! Save the date and join us in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. Details to be confirmed.
Find out more »DA Korero | Winter – Hawke’s Bay
Design Assembly and our regional host Coast & Co are excited to bring to Hawke’s Bay — DA Korero | Winter. Join us for an evening of conversations, exploring design projects in detail - the process, the challenges and the results. Featuring Rachel Juno from Coast and Co , Rebecca Norman, Owner/Operator of Panoply Studio and Johnson McKay from Fly Creative. Johnson joins us from Auckland ahead of his workshop on Wednesday 10th July: DA Workshop Napier – Designing a Culturally Authentic…
Find out more »