Design Assembly NZ

Crunch louder than the competition. 🔥

In this week's Fresh From The Field, Onfire Design shares their spicy new identity for Ingham's Buttermilk Fixx, bringing punk-inspired attitude, craveability, and serious shelf impact to the fakeaway category.

From gritty textures and oversized food photography to a tone of voice full of swagger, this is packaging designed to turn heads.

Read more:
https://buff.ly/Tm9pb0Q

Want to see your work featured on Design Assembly? Fresh From The Field is a free benefit for Design Club members. We'd love to showcase your latest project, campaign, collaboration, or creative work.

Submit here:
https://buff.ly/tJgzdWN

Two countries. One creative conversation.
Trans Tasman edition of Join The Dots on 30 June, 12–1pm NZT, as we bring together creative leaders from both sides of the ditch for a conversation about our industries, communities, challenges, and opportunities. Come Join the Dots with Carol Mackay and Greg Branson from the Design Business Council, Liz Archer an Australian Designer, Louise Kellerman, DA Founder, and Mark Easterbrook, Creative Director and Copywriter.

This is a free online event for Design Club members.

Have a question you've always wanted to ask? Send it through when you register and be part of the conversation.

Haven't received your member access code? Email [email protected] and we'll send it through.

Register now to save your spot:
https://buff.ly/rXoIhKy

Can't make it live? Don't worry. We'll record the session and add it to the Design Club online library so you can watch it later.

How do we help more girls see themselves as creators of technology?

In today's From The Edges feature, we speak with Poornima Meegammana about Bridging the Gap, a research project exploring how designed XR experiences can build girls' confidence, curiosity, and interest in technology.

Combining design, storytelling, immersive technologies, and gender equity, the project invites girls to actively shape the learning experiences created for them, rather than simply participate in them.

Read the full feature and discover how design can help create more inclusive pathways into technology.
https://buff.ly/NkPyXR9

The finished product often gets the spotlight, but the process is where the story happens.

This month's Through the Lens feature, created in partnership with Truestock, celebrates the people behind the work, from traditional crafts and creative practices to collaboration, learning, and making across Aotearoa.

Featuring imagery from talented local photographers, this collection is a reminder that meaningful work is built one step at a time.
https://buff.ly/6voWp8w

What if movement wasn't about performance, but about restoration?

In our newest From The Edges feature, we speak with Linlin Chen about Hā, an interactive wellbeing project that uses motion tracking, digital storytelling, and inclusive design to reimagine movement as an act of care.

Developed as part of her Master of Design at the University of Auckland, Hā explores how technology can support wellbeing, accessibility, and emotional connection, particularly for people often overlooked by mainstream fitness platforms.

Read Linlin’s full feature:
https://buff.ly/b7zSOZ9

There's something special about getting designers together around a table with coffee and a few good questions.

Thursday we had our Coffee Club in Tāmaki Makaurau hosted by Louise, founder of DA, where conversations ranged from first jobs in design and lessons learned from clients to what the future of a creative career might look like.

We want to say thank you to everyone who joined us, from long-time members to those attending for the first time. These gatherings are a reminder of the value of community, shared experiences, and making time to connect with others who understand the joys and challenges of creative work. 🙏

We're grateful to everyone who continues to show up, contribute, listen, and help make Design Assembly such a welcoming community, both now and through the many years of conversations, connections, and support that have shaped it. 💛

What happens when poetry, image-making, and silk come together as a form of design research?

In our first From The Edges feature, we speak with Qianying Li from AUT about Woven Silence, her practice-led PhD project exploring the experiences of "leftover women" in contemporary China through poetry, visual communication, and installation.

It's a thoughtful conversation about culture, identity, language, and the role design can play in creating understanding across boundaries.

Read the full feature:
https://buff.ly/tzKyNwN

Ever wondered how the design community across the ditch compares to ours?

For this special Trans Tasman edition of Join The Dots, we're bringing together voices from Aotearoa and Australia to discuss the opportunities, challenges, similarities, and differences shaping our creative industries.

Join Carol Mackay and Greg Branson from the Design Business Council, Liz Archer-Fisher, Head of Operations at The Edison Agency, alongside Louise Kellerman and Mark Easterbrook, as they compare notes, share insights, and explore what we can learn from each other.

📅 Tuesday 30 June
🕛 12 – 1pm NZT
💛 Free for Design Club members
💲 $45 +gst +fee for Non-members

Register now and be part of the conversation:
https://buff.ly/LpdCh1r

If you're a Design Club member and haven't received your member discount code, please email [email protected] and we'll get you sorted.