Articles

MāoriGrl, Kōwhai and Ngā Tohu o Te Kawerau a Maki: Some Things to See This Matariki

Written by Lana Lopesi Graphic Matters is a monthly column on issues and ideas related to New Zealand Design Culture Every year in mid-winter Matariki rises into the sky, providing us here in Aotearoa with a time of reflection and new beginnings. Our national Matariki celebrations seems to grow in strength, scope and size every…

4 days ago by

Spotlight – Harry A’Court from Inject Design, Wellington

Written by Kate McGuinness The team at Wellington studio Inject Design pride themselves on producing fresh and exciting work for global brands such as Hell Pizza, Fat Freddy’s Drop and the Wellington Chocolate Factory. Kate McGuinness took the opportunity to interview founder and creative director Harry A’Court to find out what goes on inside their…

1 week ago by

Permission to be Creative: 7 things I learned from 7 years of the 100 Days Project

Written by Emma Rogan Supported by Creative New Zealand Emma Rogan is a contributor to Aotearoa Design Thinking 2018, a series of commissioned critical design essays published by Design Assembly and funded by Creative New Zealand. First 100 Days Show In 2011 I was stuck in a rut with work and felt restless. I looked around…

3 weeks ago by

Spotlight – Janelle Rodrigues from Creature, Wellington

Written by Kate McGuinness Creature, are an award-winning Wellington agency, specialising in brand, visual identity, campaigns and marketing communications. Kate McGuinness recently spoke to creative director Janelle Rodrigues, one of the agency’s founding partners, to learn about how this studio continues to thrive in a fast-paced industry. Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects. Photography: Andy Spain. Kate McGuiness:…

3 weeks ago by

5 Minutes with… Illustrator, Melissa Boardman

Design Assembly recently got the opportunity to chat with illustrator Melissa Boardman to find out more about her delicate work with native birds and her environmentally sustainable practice. Can you tell us a little bit about who you are, what your background is, and how you first got started in the industry. I’m based in…

4 weeks ago by

Graphic Design & Photography: Yuki Sato

Design Assembly recently got the opportunity to chat with photographer Yuki Sato to find out more about his photography and passions. This article is proudly brought to you by mychillybin. Can you tell our readers a little bit about who you are and what you do. My name is Yuki Sato, I’m a freelance photographer. Studio-based…

1 month ago by

Our Wahine, Are we there yet? And WANTOK: Celebrating Women during Suffrage 125

Written by Lana Lopesi Graphic Matters is a monthly column on issues and ideas related to New Zealand Design Culture This year marks 125 years since New Zealand were “vigorously campaigning to achieve the right to vote and would finally win that right in September of 1893”. To mark that accomplishment and the subsequent achievements…

1 month ago by

5 Minutes with… Illustrator, Sandra Morris

For the occasion of the Botanical Art Worldwide exhibition now on, Design Assembly got the opportunity to chat with Sandra Morris to find out more about her work as an illustrator. Can you tell us a little about yourself? I am an award-winning children’s author and illustrator, the director of the Sandra Morris Illustration Agency, a nature…

1 month ago by

The emergence of Modernism: an etymology of beauty, harmony, excellent and good.

Written by Kelly Gilchrist. Starting with the term beauty, this four part series, explores the use and interpretation of the terms beauty, harmony, excellent and good. With a focus on the texts and journals collected by Robert Coupland Harding, Kelly will explore Harding’s understandings and intentions behind his late nineteenth century use of the four…

1 month ago by

Showing, Sharing, and Beyond: Design Exhibitions in Aotearoa

Written by K. Emma Ng Supported by Creative New Zealand Emma Ng is a contributor to Aotearoa Design Thinking 2018, a series of commissioned critical design essays published by Design Assembly and funded by Creative New Zealand. This article is the second in a four part series on design and its support structures that enable us to nurture,…

2 months ago by

“looking into the rear-view mirror”: Peter Haythornthwaite, Design Generation 

Written by Lana Lopesi Graphic Matters is a monthly column on issues and ideas related to New Zealand Design Culture We’re in the last few weeks of Peter Haythornthwaite: Design Generation a major survey exhibition of “one of New Zealand’s most influential industrial designers” currently on at Objectspace. Curated by design historian Michael Smythe, the exhibition…

2 months ago by

Hot air: A Monthly Rotating Roundtable — What is Aotearoa New Zealand design? 

Hot Air: A Monthly Rotating Roundtable, is a new monthly series where a number of designers take on big design conversations. To kick it off we start at the only place rightful place to start, interrogating our national design culture addressing the question. This month we asked Tyrone Ohia, Emma Rogan, Johnson Witehira and Luke Wood,…

2 months ago by

Now and Then: Ethan Lowe

Written by Annie McCulloch, Portfolio Recruitment Now and Then is a series where we catch up with designers who’ve been recently placed, via Portfolio Recruitment. We get their thoughts and feedback about their new roles and their work. Our latest Now and Then is with Ethan Lowe, a Graphic Designer at Culture&Theory. Ethan! What an awesome year (and a bit)…

3 months ago by

Looking Back: BackStory the Journal of New Zealand Art, Media & Design History

Written by Lana Lopesi  Graphic Matters is a monthly column on issues and ideas related to New Zealand Design Culture The lack of written local design history is one constant concern I hear from graphic designers in Tāmaki Makaurau and Aotearoa as a whole for that matter. While there have been concerted efforts from key…

3 months ago by

Puncturing Mythology: Looking beyond the shiny myths that distract from the complexity in design in Aotearoa

Written by K. Emma Ng Supported by Creative New Zealand Emma Ng is a contributor to Aotearoa Design Thinking 2018, a series of commissioned critical design essays published by Design Assembly and funded by Creative New Zealand.  This article is the first in a four part series on design and its support structures that enable us to nurture,…

3 months ago by

Baby Steps: Building the Aotearoa Conversation

Coming into the design world as a trained critical thinker and writer, I was struck by how young and non-existent critical conversations were. In my own critical writing practice, I work from a position of believing that critical feedback, public conversation and the building of discourse is key to the health and development of any…

4 months ago by

Broadsheet, New Zealand’s Feminist Magazine Goes Digital

Written by Lana Lopesi Graphic Matters is a monthly column on issues and ideas related to New Zealand Design Culture Covers of Broadsheet Issues 1 – 15  “…I became pregnant because I wanted to have a baby; my motives or reasons are no one’s business but my own…”  — Anonymous, Broadsheet Issue 1 On January 19,…

4 months ago by

Fresh from the Field — Paper Buds by Gusto

This week’s Fresh from the Field features Gusto‘s end of year gift, Paper Buds. If you have new or recent work that you would like to share in Fresh from the Field email Lana for details. The brief: To create a fun end of year gift for our clients that showcases our creativity. A majority of our…

4 months ago by

Fresh from the Field — Graffiato by Kelly Spencer and Natasha Vermeulen

This week’s Fresh from the Field features a collaboration between Kelly Spencer and Natasha Vermeulen for 2017 Graffiato: Taupo Street Art Festival. If you have new or recent work that you would like to share in Fresh from the Field email Lana for details. The brief: This year Kelly Spencer and I were asked if we’d like to collaborate on a massive…

5 months ago by

Aotearoa Design Thinking: an opportunity to revisit 2017

Created by Lana Lopesi Supported by Creative New Zealand     In 2017 Design Assembly introduced Aotearoa Design Thinking — a series of commissioned critical design essays published by Design Assembly and funded by Creative New Zealand. Our intention was to actively discuss New Zealand graphic design practice by celebrating, growing and challenging current thought. By…

5 months ago by

Summer Festivals 2018 — celebrating NZ poster design

As summer gets into full swing, a diverse range of festivals, events, and musical activities take place around Aotearoa. We’ve selected a hanful of our favourite poster designs for summer 2018 in celebration of New Zealand and Australasian poster art: Splore Tapapakanga Park, Auckland. Designer: Hamish Steptoe Where’s My Room Tour of Aotearoa 2018: Neil…

5 months ago by

Happy Holidays with love from DA

It’s that time of year where we wind back and reminisce on the year that was while remaining hopeful for the year which is yet to come. It’s a been a big one here at Design Assembly, we have published 266 articles, which included a brand new monthly column called Graphic Matters and Aotearoa Design…

6 months ago by

Fresh from the Field — Flavour Fiend, by Onfire

Our final Fresh from the Field for 2017 features a new butter range with collateral by Onfire. If you’ve got new or recent work that you’d like to share in our weekly Fresh from the Field series email Zoë for details.   Flavour Fiend Serious About Flavour As an ex-chef, Owen Sinclair wanted to get out of…

6 months ago by

Graphic Design & Photography: Tash Hopkins

Design Assembly recently got the opportunity to chat with photographer Tash Hopkins to find out more about her work and her passions. This article is proudly brought to you by mychillybin.   The Europeans Project Hi Tash, can you tell our readers a little bit about who you are and what you do. I’m a photographer…

6 months ago by

 

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