Articles

Holiday Reading

Summer is here and the holidays are approaching with some pace, which for Aotearoa design means time away from the mac! Wherever you recharge over the festive season we hope there is time to relax and unwind. Many of our DA friends and partners are prolific readers so we asked a few to share their…

4 months ago by

Getting teams excited about remote collaboration

Kate McGuinness speaks to Nina Fountain, Workplace Strategist and the founder of Transformed Teams about how creatives can work together, even when we’re apart.   How can creative teams foster that ‘spirit of collaboration’ remotely? The awesome thing about creative work is the energy of creating – it is those fantastic moments when you lose…

6 months ago by

Field Guide 2020: Epub

Kia ora Friends, We are so pleased to be able to share our 2020 Field Guide with you. We originally framed this project (back in April) as “a multidisciplinary exploration of New Zealand’s post-COVID design practice”. But realise now that “post-COVID” exploration was optimistic! Rather this document gives insight into how our creative community is…

7 months ago by

HEALTHY BUSINESS: THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

On the 6th August our friends Streamtime hosted a special Recovery event with agency owners and experts to share the month to month timeline of their financial and business performance, the decisions they made to survive and what they’re planning to do next. The videos and resources are online here. Peter Czapp of The Wow…

7 months ago by

Field Guide 2020: All together now

This Field Guide article sits within a series of commissioned essays, interviews, podcasts and artworks to be published over 16 weeks on designassembly.org.nz and culminate in a downloadable PDF publication which will be distributed nationally.  We are incredibly grateful to Creative New Zealand who funded this 2020 Field Guide, which actively investigates, celebrates, nurtures and challenges…

7 months ago by

COVID-19 Resources by Maynard Design

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Maynard Design created a series of posters to help the public, businesses and healthcare providers articulate new processes and behaviours. These posters have been designed to be flexible, clear, and straightforward to utilise in a variety of scenarios. Each poster pack is free to download and print.  They are…

8 months ago by

We feel your feels

Kia ora team, Uncertainty is a huge factor in stress. The current level 3 in Auckland affects those outside the city boundaries, and we know that the full spectrum of our design community is feeling uncertain and unsettled right now while we are in this holding pattern and await updates as to what the governments…

8 months ago by

Field Guide 2020: Speaking with your ears

This Field Guide article sits within a series of commissioned essays, interviews, podcasts and artworks to be published over 16 weeks on designassembly.org.nz and culminate in a downloadable PDF publication which will be distributed nationally.  We are incredibly grateful to Creative New Zealand who funded this 2020 Field Guide, which actively investigates, celebrates, nurtures and challenges…

9 months ago by

Field Guide 2020: COVID Response & You

This Field Guide article is the first in this series of commissioned essays, interviews, podcasts and artworks to be published over 16 weeks on designassembly.org.nz and culminate in a downloadable PDF publication which will be distributed nationally.  We are incredibly grateful to Creative New Zealand who funded this 2020 Field Guide, which actively investigates, celebrates, nurtures…

10 months ago by

Meet the Makers (& educators) behind Project Make: Nathan Walker

Project Make champions the role of design and design education in New Zealand and encourages folk to make things together. We spoke with the educators about their individual journeys, collective approach to design education, what sparked the initiative and the positive impacts their teaching is having. https://project-make.com/ Today we hear from Nathan Walker: Nathan is…

11 months ago by

Turning working from home into working from your castle

This article was originally posted by Andy Wright 24 Mar, 2020 on the Streamtime blog. Andy generously shared his knowledge with our audience here. Some of the tips below apply specifically to people using Streamtime but for those of you not already using the platform there is still a wealth of wisdom on working from…

1 year ago by

Applying for your first jobs. Advice from Portfolio Recruitment.

We know how hard it is to secure your first design job in the industry after Uni, you’re not alone in that. There are about 1000 design grads every year and not enough positions for everyone. At least not at all the same agencies. You’re a talented fish, in a pool teeming with other talented…

1 year ago by

Practical and emotional advice for Aotearoa Designers

The core tenants of DA are to connect and celebrate our community. We want all Aotearoa Designers to live well and to flourish. Usually, when we write here, the DA team operates as a collective voice. Occasionally you’ll hear direct from Lou, our amazing founder. Or one of the local hosts making a shout out…

1 year ago by

Be the change you want to see

Blutui is a web design platform for creative agencies developed by a creative agency. We spoke with our friends Blutui about embracing the accessibility challenges (& opportunities) faced by digital design practice today.     Design impacts people’s ability to participate in society. The #AccessLaw2020 lobby aims to pass legislation later this year to ensure,…

1 year ago by

Meet our friends… Streamtime, project management software for companies that don’t do boring.

In our 2019 audience survey, you identified; studio, time and project management as your biggest pain points with design practice so we are incredibly excited to be partnering with our friends Streamtime… who are on a mission to help create healthier creative businesses. Streamtime enable creatives to do what they do best (not admin!) Creative…

1 year ago by

Mentally Healthy 2020 survey launches

Never Not Creative, UnLtd and Everymind have partnered to conduct the second major study into the mental health and wellbeing of the media, marketing and creative industry in Australia (and New Zealand!) Take the survey The study follows the Mentally Healthy 2018 survey, completed by more than 1,800 participants, which identified that people in the…

1 year ago by

5 minutes with… James Fuller CEO of Hnry

In just three short years, Hnry has become Aotearoa’s fasted growing tax agent and happily call themselves your Financial Sidekick. Hnry is an ideal option for freelancers as it provides all your invoicing, payments, expenses and tax services all in one place, with no need for a separate accountant or complex software. Annie, Consultant for…

1 year ago by

Field Guide — A simple Guide to Paper

Brought to you by B&F Papers As a young designer exploring the world of paper it is important to understand many of the key properties and attributes that bring you or your clients design and concept to life. There is a large range of paper options to select from and the simplest solution is to…

1 year 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…

2 years ago by

Field Guide — Typographic Anatomy

There is plenty of Jargon (and way too many rules!) in typography which can be overwhelming when just starting out in design. You don’t need to be a specialist to typeset text, InDesign and Opentype features are making the selection and arrangement of type easier than ever. This page contains some foundational information for designers…

2 years ago by

Field Guide — Working Overseas by Kelly Gilchrist

Traveling the world is a dream, however, one that is potentially daunting. Below is a guide that informs you of the entry requirements, how long you can stay and of course, the restrictions for a number of countries you might wish to visit. Australia Since 1973 Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement has allowed Australian and New Zealand…

2 years ago by

Field Guide — Short walks & Sushi by Lindsay Yee

After graduating from design school I spent a few months “freelancing” (*cough* unemployed *cough*) before I ended  up landing a job at a massive media company in Christchurch. It started out as night work then quickly became a 9–5. The work was fine, I learnt much from just being in an office environment. Taking and…

2 years ago by

Field Guide — What the hell is UX? By Matt Gould

Ahead of our upcoming DA Design Sampler – Conversations for Teachers one of our expert facilitators, Matt Gould (Director at Lushai, co-founder of UX Gym and co-founder of UX Homegrown design conference) demystifies UX… UX is short for user experience. It describes a holistic approach to design, where design decisions are made by understanding the…

2 years ago by

Field Guide — Finding your path By Kate McGuinness

Kate speaks to three designers at different stages of their career on advice for navigating the beginnings of a design journey. Ryan Romanes Freelance Designer / Art Director 5+ industry years Ryan Romanes is a graphic designer and art director from Rotorua, New Zealand. He is currently based in Melbourne, having previously worked in Auckland,…

2 years ago by

Field Guide — How to get a job

Brought to you by DA’s partners Portfolio Recruitment We’ve put together a few tips and thoughts for design graduates, based on our experience dealing with design agencies and with grads. Have a great CV and portfolio But be honest and don’t oversell yourself. For example, we sometimes have junior designer or graduates who call themselves…

2 years ago by

 

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