2021 Hot New Things: Darcy Ellis, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University
Each summer DA profiles a selection of the top design graduates coming out of our tertiary institutions. We welcome these talented emerging professionals to our industry, learn about their passions, […]
3 years ago by Louise Kellerman
5 minutes with… Bron Thomson
With the creative sector seriously affected by coronavirus pandemic fallout, the Semi Permanent event has been repurposed and reformatted to meet new objectives, inspire and help ‘reboot’ our industry. On […]
3 years ago by Louise Kellerman
5 minutes with… Raul Sarrot
Ahead of his Wellington workshop on Friday 25th September 2020, we spoke to Raul Sarrot about The Value of Strategy in times of flux and disruption, staying ahead of the […]
4 years ago by Louise Kellerman
Fresh From the Field — Viva La Vulva by Stevie Elliot
Stevie Elliot is a Wellington-based designer at Teacher Talk, and founder of Viva la Vulva. After witnessing a birth she wanted to create a product to say “Congrats, mama, you […]
4 years ago by Louise Kellerman
5 minutes with… Dana Fridman
Dana is a UX designer with a background in psychology and design. She currently works as programme director for User Experience Design at Victoria University’s School of Design Innovation. Dana […]
4 years ago by Kate McGuinness
Smells Like Fresh Print — Team Talk Coasters
Brought to you by B&F Papers, the Smells Like Fresh Print series celebrates the beauty and tactile qualities of recently created, selected print projects. This installment features 15 unique coasters […]
5 years ago by Louise Kellerman
5 minutes with… Nick Kapica
We chatted with Nick Kapica, Principal at Isthmus Group ltd, about working at the interface between visual and urban design. What is your background and how did you get into […]
5 years ago by Louise Kellerman
Wellington’s Most Thoughtful “Out of Office” Space
Out Of Office is Wellington’s newest, most thoughtful space for hire, designed to enable quality thinking. Fraser Callaway, Matt Innes, Oliver Ward and Geoff Cranko have reinvented what it means […]
5 years ago by Louise Kellerman
Wellington: DA Conversations Autumn 2019 — Meet the Panel
This Autumn’s DA Conversations are back to celebrate 10 years of Design Assembly, the home of New Zealand design. To understand where we are going, we must know where we […]
5 years ago by Louise Kellerman
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.
Everyone is welcome.
7 Leeds St, Te Aro, Wellington
Design Assembly – connecting all New Zealand visual designers since 2008
Wellington: DA Conversations Spring series — Meet the panel
This Spring’s DA Conversations are back to discuss ‘Diversity in Aotearoa, New Zealand Design — what does it mean and why does it matter?’. In October Emma Ng, writer and […]
6 years ago by Louise Kellerman
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.
How to run a profitable, successful design business
Saturday 10th November
10am—3pm
Victoria University of Wellington, Faculty of Architecture and Design, Room LT2
$350 Professional / $250 Design Assembly Friend / $95 Student + GST
(Not a DA Friend? Details on how to sign up can be found here).
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!
You may like to know:
- How to quote a project accurately
- How to charge by ‘value’ rather than by ‘hours’ to maximise profitability
- How to avoid time blowouts on projects
- How to tell if ‘urgent’ really is ‘urgent’
- How to work with contractors and still make a profit
- How to balance design aesthetics with client demands
- How to deal with difficult clients
- How to make sure you get paid
- How to manage long-term projects
- How to handle a reactive and unpredictable work environment.
It’s up to you! Send in your burning questions with your registration and we will answer as many as possible during the workshop.
About the facilitator: Sarah has walked in your shoes! She has spent 25 years in design and advertising account management, which included 10 years running her own, successful graphic design business. These days Sarah works for 3rdeye Consulting and specialises in supporting account managers and strengthening agencies. She is also the author of the brand new book “How to Wrestle an Octopus: an agency account manager’s guide to pretty much everything” — soon to be published.
Terms and Conditions: If you cancel your ticket more than 8 days ahead of the workshop, 100% of your ticket will be refunded. Within 7 days of the workshop, 50% of the ticket price will be refunded or you can transfer your ticket to another Design Assembly workshop within a year.
Fresh from the Field — Skinnies Kids Sungel by 2di4 Design
This week’s Fresh From The Field features the typography, packaging and campaign for Skinnies Kids Sungel by 2di4 Design. If you have new or recent work that you would like […]
6 years ago by Louise Kellerman
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 lineup of panellists including:
Johnson Witehira — artist, designer and academic with a focus on Maori and identity and co-Founder at IDIA: Indigenous Design and Innovation Aotearoa
Angela Meyer — Director at Double Denim
Janelle Rodrigues — founding partner and the Creative Director at Creature
Nick Kapica — Designer and educator
Our convener for this session will be Emma Ng — writer and curator specialising in art and design.
At Credenza Shared Space — 16th October from 6pm onwards, with the conversation kick-starting at 6:30pm.
Tickets: $25 Professional / $20 Design Assembly Friend / $15 Design Assembly Student Friend + GST
(not a DA Friend? Sign up here)
If you would like to get yourself ready for the conversation and explore the topic beforehand, here’s a few links you may find useful:
- How diverse are we? Here’s what you told us
- It’s time to catch up: Issues of diversity and representation
- How to encourage diversity in the design industry on Creative Bloq
- Diversity & Inclusion in Design: Why Do They Matter? on Aiga
Design Assembly wouldn’t exist without the support of our amazing DA Partners:
BF Papers | Portfolio Recruitment | mychillybin
Auckland: Doubling Down with Double Denim Directors
Friday, 26th October
10:00am—4:00pm
Objectspace
13 Rose St, Ponsonby,
Auckland
Full day (includes both sessions): $350 Professional / $250 Design Assembly Friend / $150 Design Assembly Student Friend + GST
Single sessions each: $200 Professional / $150 Design Assembly Friend
(Not a DA Friend? Details on how to sign up can be found here).
Recommended for Marketers, Strategists, anyone wanting to be pushed so … EVERYONE REALLY.
Double Denim’s Directors are coming to Auckland for a full-day workshop & talk consisting of two sessions, which are also available to purchase as individual sessions. Session one is ‘How to make Impact’ with Anna Dean and session two ‘Unlocking the 23 trillion dollar economy’ with Angela Meyer.
Double Denim is a strategic creative agency that uses gender intelligence for political, commercial and social good. ‘Think ‘Single White Female‘ meets ‘The Mighty Boosh‘ — if it had a cosmic love child with the band Van Halen’ — says Directors Anna Dean and Angela Meyer, who are in the business of making corporate cool with a track record for innovative, behaviour-changing strategies.
Anna and Angela are also behind the Ace Lady Network, bringing together 4000+ women (and sometimes men) through constructive conversations on topics ranging from feminism, politics, sex, generosity and life in general for women in the 21st century.
Schedule:
10am—12pm Session 1: ‘How to make Impact’ with Anna Dean
We live in an age where all content is up against the ‘casual smartphone flick’ – a reality of the digital tsunami we’re all living under in 2018. Anna Dean is an experienced impact producer and has a slate of NZ films under her belt, and will talk to what it means to create “meaningful engagement” in this mobile information age.
12:00—2pm: Q&A session and lunch break
2—4pm Session 2: ‘Unlocking the 23 trillion dollar economy’ with Angela Meyer
Angela Meyer is all about gender intelligence. In this session, she’ll share key insights from Double Denim’s pioneering research into the female economy. With women responsible for 80% of all purchasing decisions and 78% of women saying that great customer service is the most important factor when choosing a retailer, this session will highlight ways you can disrupt design to put women in the picture and access the $23 trillion dollars global female market. Practical and useful advice to make you think.
About Anna and Angela:
Anna Dean has changed the name of a capital city.
In a nutshell: Not everyone can turn online buzz into real-world results, and vice versa. Anna Dean can. By knowing how to make the right noise with the right people, she’s in the business of making corporate cool.
Reason for being? Anna cut her teeth in the art world – helping friends’ projects get the attention they deserved. A Golden Bay girl at heart, she also has a deep connection to the land and is never afraid to plunge into the sea. Social issues, like the gender pay gap, also get Anna fired up.
Claim to fame? TV3’s David Farrier described Anna as a “marketing genius” after she changed Wellington to “Vellington” for the launch of What We Do in the Shadows.
Angela Meyer often surprises, sometimes shocks and always delivers.
In a nutshell: She has a track record for innovative, behaviour-changing strategies. She’s not afraid to make hard decisions in the name of high-impact results.
Reason for being? Many of Angela’s personal projects are about helping women realise how ace they are; she started the Real Hot Bitches international dance troupe. Ange’s happy place is in nature, and she will fight fiercely to defend it.
Claim to fame? Ange is known for having wild adventures – like that time she and her husband, along with their one-year-old baby, bought a boat in the Caribbean and sailed it through the Panama Canal and into the Pacific. Things didn’t end so well. Want to know more? Why not read Sea Fever, the book she wrote about it.
Angela is a finalist in the 2018 Women of Influence Awards.
Terms and Conditions: If you cancel your ticket more than 8 days ahead of this event, 100% of your ticket will be refunded. Within 7 days of the event, 50% of the ticket price will be refunded or you can transfer your ticket to another Design Assembly workshop within a year.
DA Workshop Wellington: ‘Wine & Type’ with Nicole Arnett Phillips and Sarah Maxey — Thursday 20th September
O’Wine & Type’
with Nicole Arnett Phillips and Sarah Maxey
20th September
6—9pm
Victoria University of Wellington,
Faculty of Architecture and Design
139 Vivian Street
Te Aro, Wellington, 6011
Early bird (ends 14th September) $69 Professional / $49 Design Assembly Friend (+ GST)
$89 Professional / $69 Design Assembly Friend (+ GST)
(Not a DA Friend? Details on how to sign up can be found here).
Typography (like language) is expressive as well as functional. We most often think of the expressive qualities regarding volume, tone and voice. But type can equally convey a mood, an event, a sense of place, time and culture. Type also expresses sensory characteristics like taste and smell.*
So, what lettering style comes to mind when indulging in your favourite wines? Think about the robust boldness of Shiraz, the crisp refreshment of a Sauvignon blanc, the light spice of a Pinot Noir, the smoothness of a Merlot, or the delicacy of sparkling Pinot? All of these sensory characteristics have their own aesthetic.
After a brief introduction of themselves and their work, Nicole and Sarah will guide participants through a wine tasting, drawing based workshop where they 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!
You’ll learn lettering techniques, some of the science behind typographic allusion, play with identity ideas, and get insight into a leading agencies approach to beverage branding. You’ll swill, sniff (and probably slug!) a few wines over nibbles, meet other designers, have the ability to ask questions and visually explore the qualities of four wines we will sample through the event.
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About the facilitators: Nicole Arnett Phillips (TypographHer) introduces herself as loving letters, layout and ink, but the accomplished document designer and printmaker confesses she enjoys wine *almost* as much as type & print! After collaborating with Sarah Hyndman on gathering data for her type tasting research in 2015. Nicole hosted three food, wine and type matching dinners in Australia, and two wine & design drawing workshops before she moved home to New Zealand in December 2017 (where she has spent the summer reacquainting herself with her favourite NZ wines)!
Graphic designer Sarah Maxey’s distinctive work has graced publications worldwide, including the New York Times and many literary books. She was Design Manager for Bloomsbury Publishing in London in the mid-90s, and has run her own studio since. She has won numerous awards, including the 2011 BEST Awards Purple Pin and a Certificate of Excellence from the International Society of Typographers.
*Based on the groundbreaking research by Sarah Hyndman (Type Tasting), in collaboration with Charles Spence’s (Professor of Experimental Psychology & University Lecturer, Somerville College, UK).
Terms and Conditions: If you cancel your ticket more than 8 days ahead of the workshop, 100% of your ticket will be refunded. Within 7 days of the workshop, 50% of the ticket price will be refunded or you can transfer your ticket to another Design Assembly workshop within a year.
Fresh from the Field – Havana Brothers Cold Press Juice by Good Eye
This week’s Fresh From The Field features packaging design for Havana Brothers Cold Press Juice by Good Eye If you have new or recent work that you would like to share […]
6 years ago by Louise Kellerman
Design Assembly Pub Quiz, Wellington, July 24th, 2018
The DA Annual Pub Quiz is back for its third year in Wellington! 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 Wellington.
Prices
— Professional (1 x table booking, seats up to 7 max.) $195+GST
— Design Assembly Friend (1 x table booking, seats up to 7 max.) $175+GST
(Not a DA Friend? Click here for details on how to sign up.)
Includes nibbles on every table to start your night right.
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 […]
6 years ago by Lana Lopesi
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 your current projects, use what you learn as a base for further study, or develop a case study to showcase for potential employers. No previous design or digital experience is required.
Schedule
- Day 1 | Introduction to User Research More details
- Day 2 | Introduction to Information Architecture More details
- Day 3 | Design Part I Designing for people More details
- Day 4 | Design Part II Designing for systems More details
- Day 5 | Introduction to Prototyping & usability testing More details
Who is it for
No prior knowledge is required to do this course, it is suitable for absolute beginners. However the course is primarily aimed at:
Digital designers
Web, interaction and UX designers who want to build on their UX skills, put into practice approaches they have read about, adopt a user centered design approach or better their understanding of the principles behind common UX design methods.
Graphic designers
Traditional designers who want to transition into digital design or learn how to work better with their UX colleagues.
Novices and graduates
People new to the industry looking for the opportunity to learn and practice user experience design and use that experience to gain a foothold into the industry.
Strategists and analysts
Senior practitioners who want to gain an understanding of the principles of user experience design and experience how those principles are practiced on the ground.
Developers
Developers who want to build on their UX skills or learn how to work better with their UX colleagues.
Product owners and project managers
Product owners and project managers who want a better understanding of how a user experience design approach can get them better outcomes on their products and projects.
For full details click here.
Wellington: DA Conversations Autumn series — Meet the speakers
This years DA Conversations are back in Wellington with local creatives sharing their stories. In the lead up to next week’s event, let’s meet the speakers! Angela Meyer — Co-Director […]
6 years ago by Amane Cárdenas
UX Gym Workshop Wellington: User Interface 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.
NOTE: This is a design course, not a coding course although it does include a summary of the most common technologies used to implement web and UI design.
It covers:
- Graphic design for screens including layout, type management, colour and image handling.
- Making layout and design decisions for responsive layouts and various screen sizes
- An introduction to how design is implemented on the web and native apps
- Basic IA, usability and user centered design processes for UI design
- Selecting UI controls and common UI design problems
- An introduction to UI libraries
- An introduction to design software for UI design
- Modern UI design conventions and emerging trends
- Solving common UI design problems
- Best practice for documenting and managing screen design
- User behaviour and decision making for screen based designs and interfaces
Who is it for?
This course is suitable for:
- People with little or no previous experience of screen design
- Graphic designers and service designers who want to learn more about user interface and web design
- Product owners and managers who want to be able to better communicate with their UX and UI designers
If you are unsure if this course is right for you please contact us, we are happy to talk over the course with you in more detail.
No previous UX, UI, or design experience is necessary.
You will need a laptop with your graphic design or layout programme of choice although if you don’t have access to a laptop or to graphic design software let us know and we can arrange to provide some for you.
We will provide all other materials.
How does this differ from our ‘UX Crash Course’ and ‘Intro to UX’ courses?
Although our ‘UX Crash Course’ and ‘Intro to UX’ course do include a section of designing for screens their primary focus is on teaching an evidence based user centered design process. They teach a process that includes research, design and testing.
Just as our ‘User Research’ and ‘User Testing and Prototyping’ courses go deeper into the research and testing aspects of this process, the ‘User Interface Design: Designing for screens’ course is focused primarily on the design phase and goes deeper into the mechanics of making detailed user interface decisions.
DA Workshop Wellington: Applying Design Thinking to creating Māori Graphic Design — Friday 27th April
After a successful series of workshops last year, Design Assembly welcomes back Johnson McKay, Creative Director at Fly to present his half-day workshop focussing on Māori Graphic Design.
Applying Design Thinking to creating Māori Graphic Design
Friday 27th April 2018
9am—1:30pm
Credenza
40 Taranaki Street Level 2, NEC Building
Wellington
$350 Professional / $250 Design Assembly Friend / $150 Design Assembly Student Friend + GST
(Not a DA Friend? Details on how to sign up can be found here).
Nau mai, haere mai!
There is a growing demand for authentic products, experiences and connection with people and community. This has created a growing desire to authentically engage with and share Māori culture, narratives and forms of expression. This workshop is designed to help anyone who would like to explore and understand authentic Māori Design, in a supportive and accepting environment.
The workshop explores three key aspects to using Māori design:
Purpose — We review a broad spectrum of historical and contemporary case studies of Māori design to define the purpose of different forms of Māori art forms and how we can apply these to contemporary applications. Of importance is what is traditional vs modern, authentic vs inauthentic Māori design.
Protection — Gain a deeper understanding of key aspects of Tikanga Māori and how they assist at protecting and elevating Māori design in a variety of contexts. Want are appropriate design narratives and how do you add to the body of amazing work being produced without plagiarising or offending.
Partnership — We discuss four different kinds of partnership models and help attendees identify which model is appropriate for their aspirations to incorporate Māori concepts into their brand or product. Several barriers are also reviewed and solutions proposed.
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About the facilitator: Johnson McKay (Ngāti Kahungunu, Tainui Waikato, Ngāti Porou), award winning Creative Director at Fly. Johnson’s insights come from various years in creative direction for brands as diverse as Air New Zealand, McDonalds, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare and Māori Television.
Terms and Conditions: If you cancel your ticket more than 8 days ahead of the workshop, 100% of your ticket will be refunded. Within 7 days of the workshop, 50% of the ticket price will be refunded or you can transfer your ticket to another Design Assembly workshop within a year.
Off Grid 18: The Experiential City
This February head to Wellington, New Zealand for Off Grid 18: The Experiential City. Extra ‘stopovers’ in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane will help you break up your travel and experience […]
6 years ago by Lana Lopesi
Wellington: DA’s End of Year Wrap Party 2018
2018 is almost a wrap!
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.
DA’s End of Year Wrap Party, Wellington
Thursday, 29th November
from 6.00pm
Fortune Favours
7 Leeds Street
Wellington
Tickets are FREE but numbers are limited. 1 drink per person for the first 30 people that arrive.