Articles

What is planet-centric design?

Chris Jackson founded We Create Futures in 2018 as an alternative to the traditional design agency business model and innovation approach. After speaking on our Wellington Spring conversations panel Chris wrapped up the key questions and themes that arose. He generously allowed us to republish the article here; Planet-centric design – What is the role…

4 days ago by

Place: Osborne Shiwan 19 Oct–30 Nov 2019

The spaces we inhabit provide fertile ground for creative exploration and the DA team were excited to see Objectspace is set to exhibit Place: Osborne Shiwan from the 19 Oct–30 Nov 2019. This exhibition acts as a love letter to the city Lloyd Osborne and Shabnam Shiwan reside in. Tāmaki Makaurau is our home, an…

1 week ago by

Food For Thought: Planet-Centric Design

Designers often focus on the end-user. But what does it mean to care for people and place in equal measure? How do we conscientiously and empathetically design with the planet in mind?  At our Auckland spring conversation evening conveyor Eddy Royal prompted the panel to define what it means to design in a planet-centric manner…

3 weeks ago by

Wellington – DA Spring Conversations 2019 : Meet the panel

Design Assembly is delighted to present our DA Spring Conversations 2019 series taking place in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in September. Planet centric design – What is the role and responsibility of the designer? Have you ever wondered how your job as a designer impacts our planet? Do you want to reduce your carbon footprint…

1 month ago by

Present Tense : Wāhine Toi Aotearoa / Britomart Works on Paper

Poster call and exhibition hīkoi gathers and champions Aotearoa New Zealand women* designers   Silk-screen posters, RAMP Gallery, May 2019 / Photo: Jinki Cambronero Present Tense : Wāhine Toi Aotearoa Britomart Works on Paper, Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland 18 September – 16 October, 2019 Opening hui Tuesday 24 September 2019, 18h00 Gather at corner of Customs St…

1 month ago by

Tips for breaking into Industry.

There is no doubt landing your first design job can be difficult – no matter how rigorous your rationales, polished your portfolio and enthusiastic you are – there is a tonne of other design students vying for the same roles as you. A lot of advice design graduates receive is cliched ‘Believe in yourself’, ‘Think…

1 month ago by

5 mins with…Paul Russell — Speaker at Spring Conversations, CHC 2019

Ahead of Design Assembly’s Spring Conversations Christchurch Event, we spend 5 Mins With… Paul Russell from Kallan & Co Pacific.  Tickets still available here Thursday 19th September 6 – 8pm XCHC, 376 Wilsons Rd, Waltham, Christchurch   What’s your background and how did you get into working in design? Design has been a 15 year…

1 month ago by

5 minutes with… Imogen Zino

In July DA spoke with the multidisciplinary team behind Good Health Design, about their research initiatives and how visual design can support our communities wellbeing. Today (ahead of their upcoming symposium) we spoke with masters student Imogen Zino about her research for this project and the event.   What is your background and how did…

1 month ago by

The cost of acquiring new clients

Ahead of our 31 August Auckland DA Workshop: ‘Keeping the pipeline filled: sales for creatives‘, our workshop facilitator – Sarah Ritchie – shares valuable intelligence on appreciating the real cost of new business development. Sarah has spent 25 years in design and advertising account management, which included 10 years running her own, successful graphic design business. These…

2 months ago by

Speaking of fictions, 5 minutes with… Erik Brandt

Ahead of Semi Permanent, 15-17 August 2019, Mike Barrett spoke with celebrated Typographer Erik Brandt about graphic design umami, danger, family legacy, his upcoming book and first trip to Aotearoa. Erik Brandt is a graphic designer and educator who has been active since 1994. He is currently Chair of the Design Department and Professor of…

3 months ago by

5 minutes with… Richard Shed

Ahead of his upcoming UX gym workshops on Design Thinking and Service Design, we spoke with facilitator Richard Shed. Richard is a design lead with over 18 years of experience in the fields of product, service and interaction design across both Europe and New Zealand. Richard currently works with Thoughtfull Design Auckland where he has…

3 months ago by

Ramp Festival internship gives Wintec student real world experience and creative connections

Third-year Wintec design student Courtney Cavanagh was selected to be an intern at Area Design to work on Wintec’s Ramp Festival campaign and rebrand under the guidance of the design agency. What has been valuable from this experience, what have you learnt, what have been the highlights? This placement has been really valuable as I…

3 months ago by

5 minutes with… Good Health Design

Design Assembly recently got the opportunity to chat with AUT’s embedded multidisciplinary Good Health Design Team, about their research initiatives and how visual design can support our communities wellbeing. What is your background and how did you get into design? We are currently made up of designers (e.g. communication, product, digital, media), but also have…

3 months ago by

Seeing the invisible: a conversation with Refik Anadol

It’s 10 a.m. in Auckland, 5 p.m. in Los Angeles. Refik Anadol has just stepped out of a meeting, blinking into the California sun, and out onto a terrace for a quick Skype call. We’ve had a timing mix-up (iCal time-zone fails). While nominally I’m a day ahead, when Anadol starts describing his work I…

3 months ago by

5 minutes with… Raul Sarrot

Ahead of DA’s Beyond Design Thinking: Game-changing co-creation techniques to work with your clients workshop in Auckland this month we spoke with facilitator, Raul Sarrot a multi-disciplinary designer, strategist, design thinking coach, educator and researcher. His international experience has been forged over 25 years working alongside a wide range of commercial and not-for-profit enterprises in…

4 months ago by

Fingers crossed – The Stupendously Good Semi Permanent Prize Pack Giveaway

Win for you, win for a friend! Fill in your details and go into the draw for 2 two-day passes plus some super sweet SP treats. Inside each Stupendously Good Semi Permanent Prize Pack there’s something for your mind, something for the bar, something for the hangover, your shoulder, the fridge, coffee table, pantry… anyway,…

4 months ago by

Between the lines: a conversation with Shantell Martin

Some artists prefer anonymity; letting their work, and only their work, do the talking. Shantell Martin is not that kind of artist. Visit Martin’s YouTube channel and you’ll find plenty of evidence of her motivation to “make and share”. She is prolific. Her medium is the pen and the world, or, as she puts it:…

4 months ago by

Future of the Future 2019

Business is being reinvented at a pace not seen before – so what should New Zealand businesses be thinking about in order to be relevant in 20 years. Or more? That question lies at the heart of Future of the Future. Presented with Spark Lab, Future of the Future is a series of live, high-impact…

4 months ago by

Semi Permanent, 15-17 August 2019, Aotea Centre, Auckland

It’s hard to believe, but 2019 marks 17 years of Semi Permanent. That’s right, Semi Permanent, the OG of New Zealand creativity, New Zealand’s most prestigious, popular and influential creative festival, is hitting its late teens. That’s 17 years of bringing the best global design talent to local shores to share thought-provoking, inspirational and often…

4 months ago by

Stimulating curiosity for 21 years

Ramp Festival is the new name for the former Spark International Festival of Music, Media, Arts and Design. Ramp Festival Director, Megan Lyon says this innovative, annual event curated by Wintec’s School of Media Arts has been stimulating curiosity for 21 years. “We have speakers with careers in music performance, communication, design and contemporary art…

4 months ago by

Auckland Festival of Photography, 31st May to 16th June

Aotearoa’s largest photography festival is set to kick off its 16th year.  The 2019 Auckland Festival of Photography launches this week in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. This city-wide contemporary art and cultural event takes place within Auckland’s major galleries, project spaces, non-gallery venues and public sites. The programme includes a mix of emerging and established artists…

5 months ago by

Celebrating Award Winning, Trailblazing Independent Kiwi Creatives This June

CHROMACON, New Zealand’s largest biennial festival of homegrown illustrators, comic artists, toy designers, game developers and animators returns for the fourth time to Auckland’s Aotea Centre across 1 and 2 June (Queens’ Birthday weekend). Free to the public, the event will be connecting art-lovers with close to 200 of New Zealand’s best independent creators, international…

5 months ago by

5 minutes with… Michaela Webb

The Ramp Festival of Music, Media, Arts and Design (formerly Spark) is in their 21st year. Ahead of the 2019 event we spoke with Creative Director (and Ramp speaker!) Michaela Webb about her career development, taking risks, the importance of collaboration, challenges in creative practice and what we can expect this July 23rd-26th at Ramp.…

5 months ago by

Resene Architecture & Design Film Festival.

Rialto Cinemas, Resene and Clearly & Co have collaborated on a tremendous line up for the eighth annual Resene Architecture & Design Film Festival. Context is critical in design, and our most successful work is grounded in time and place. For those of us designing today, there is significant value in studying, collecting and curating…

6 months ago by

Fresh from the Field — Mental Health Awareness Week by Fly

Ahead of DA’s Auckland workshop Designing a Culturally Authentic Aotearoa this Fresh from the Field features a campaign for Mental Health Awareness Week by Fly. Combining tikanga Maori, te reo Maori and the latest research into mental health workshop facilitator Johnson McKay (Ngāti Kahungunu, Tainui Waikato, Ngāti Porou) owner and Creative Strategist at Fly, created…

7 months ago by

 

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