Articles

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…

6 days 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…

2 months 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…

2 months 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…

3 months 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,…

3 months 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…

3 months 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…

4 months 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…

7 months 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…

8 months 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…

9 months 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…

10 months 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…

10 months 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…

11 months 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…

11 months 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,…

1 year 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…

1 year ago by

Design Project Management: Is a cost blowout redeemable?

Ahead of our upcoming Auckland DA Workshop: Running a successful project: on time, on budget, and on brief. Our workshop facilitator Sarah Ritchie shares valuable intelligence on time and cost blowouts on design projects. Sarah has spent 25 years in design and advertising account management, which included 10 years running her own, successful graphic design business. These…

1 year ago by

Field Guide — Future Directions By Kerryn Smith

As any freshly graduated design student can tell you the first challenge you will face out in the real world is finding work in your chosen profession. It can be daunting to take the plunge and start your professional career; something that will define your life for years to come. Starting off, the job hunt…

1 year ago by

5 Minutes with… Sarah Ritchie

Ahead of Design Assembly’s upcoming half-day workshop on “how to run a profitable, successful design business” on Wednesday 20th February 2019 in Christchurch, we spoke with design and advertising account management expert Sarah Ritchie to learn more about her book ‘How to Wrestle an Octopus: an agency account manager’s guide to pretty much everything’ the writing…

1 year ago by

Summer Reading — Aotearoa Design Thinking 2018

Written by Lana Lopesi Aotearoa Design Thinking has been somewhat of a two year experiment here at Design Assembly testing our ability to write and appetite to read deeper thinking about design and its ideas. Over these two years I have had the privilege of working with an amazing group of writers to massage some…

1 year ago by

How to work with clients who micro-manage

Written by Sarah Ritchie You’ve created a masterpiece of an event poster for your client. Your client asks you to make the headline bigger, move an item from the bottom to the top, change out the picture and – while you’re at it – change the colours too. All of a sudden your poster (lovingly…

2 years ago by

Saving money on print

Written by Sarah Ritchie Your client has come to you saying they have to cut back their print budget, and can you help them? Without a moment’s hesitation you should say “yes”! Why? Because there is always a way you can save money on printing. Let’s explore some of those ways. Print on demand How…

2 years ago by

Alternative Routes: An Interview with Katie Kerr

Written by Lana Lopesi Supported by Creative New Zealand Lana Lopesi is the editor of 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 final in a four part series of future focused articles canvasing prominent conversations within the design community.…

2 years ago by

Ideas on Diversity

Written by Lana Lopesi Supported by Creative New Zealand Lana Lopesi is the editor of 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 third in a four part series of future focused articles canvasing prominent conversations within the design community.…

2 years ago by

A Few Choice Voices: Different Ways of Talking About Design

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 last in a four part series on design and its support structures that enable us to nurture,…

2 years ago by

 

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