‘Kia ora and welcome to Design Assembly Conversations. In this series we talk to Aotearoa NZ designers, hear their stories and celebrate their work.’
 
Heath Lowe is Executive Design Director and a founding partner of Special in New Zealand, now with offices in Wellington, Sydney, Melbourne, Los Angeles and London.

For more inspiring stories of designers and their work, visit https://designassembly.org.nz/
 
Hailing from America’s Midwest, his career began in the US and Europe working alongside some of the world’s most ambitious companies — Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Miller Brewing Co., Foot Locker — to bring their unique vision and products to market and connect their brand cultures to, well, real culture.
 
His way of working encourages the listening and thinking it takes to define a brand’s purpose and the customer needs that inform a product’s promise. The goal: to design experiences that matter. Whether it’s brand identity or packaging design, pop-ups or digital activations, this approach leads to work and results that make a difference to audiences, businesses, broader communities and culture.
 
In his thirteen years behind the wheel of Special’s design business, Heath’s teams have been behind the award-winning work that has helped to position New Zealand brands like ecostore, Karma Cola, Royal New Zealand Ballet and Rockit apples among the best in the world. And work that has endeared hearts and homes to local brands as diverse as The Oyster Inn, Tip Top, Molenberg and the Green Party.
 
Done right, it’s a great way to spend an honest day’s work.

DA Conversations Podcast with Heath Lowe

Kia ora and welcome to Design Assembly Conversations. In this series we talk to Aotearoa NZ designers, hear their stories and celebrate their work. I’m Louise and today I’m talking to Celeste Skachill from StudioC.

Celeste is the founder of StudioC, a Wellington-based creative studio, and is an expert in delivering design for communities.

Co-design, which is all about actively involving key stakeholders in the design process, is Celeste’s passion. She believes great design improves people’s lives in some way - and that’s always her end goal. 

Working remotely and from StudioC’s 10sqm bush studio headquarters, Celeste and her team collaborate and work closely with organisations such as Zealandia, Te Papa and Red Cross to co-design clear, relevant & engaging brand experiences. Ones that truly connect with their audiences.

Celeste’s design story started early in her childhood growing up in the far north, Kaitaia she was always at the beach creating artworks in nature in the sand. Apart from a short blip where she thought she might become a sky dive instructor, she  always knew she wanted to pursue a creative career.

She went on to study Design at Massey University, thinking she would train to become a perfume label designer. After working on campaigns and a range of creative deliveries at Open Lab, her career path led her to become an Experience Designer at Te Papa where she worked on the design of events and exhibitions including Bug Lab, and Toi Art.

When Celeste’s good friend suddenly passed away, followed by her grandmother, she was forced to re-evaluate things. She knew she wanted to escape the traditional way of working - but how?

An experienced and ever-curious designer, Celeste decided to apply some of the co-design tools she used for client projects, such as persona maps to speed ideation, to her own life and to starting a business.

The process sparked a series of radical events, including quitting her 9-5 and launching StudioC Design with her partner Glen. They built a tiny studio in the bush in Upper Hutt with their own two hands, developed a team of six alongside a Collective of freelance creatives, and started focusing on truly intentional work. 

StudioC provides end-to-end creative delivery grounded in co-design for purpose-led teams, especially in Conservation, Education, Healthcare, Social and community services, and the GLAM sector (galleries, libraries, archives and museums).

Being surrounded by stunning landscapes, native trees, birds and wildlife was a recipe for success for business. A few years on and Celeste’s radically different work environment fires her up daily, to help others think outside the box, maximise opportunities for change, and design experiences people love.

For more inspiring stories of designers and their work, visit https://designassembly.org.nz/

DA Conversations Podcast with Celeste Skachill

Kia ora and welcome to Design Assembly Conversations. In this series we talk to Aotearoa NZ designers, hear their stories and celebrate their work. I’m Louise and today I’m talking to Gideon Keith from Studio Seven.

Gideon Keith is the founder and creative partner at Seven - an independent strategic brand agency based in Tamaki Maukarau.

Gideon is a creative director and designer with over 30 years experience leading teams to create award winning work that connects brands with their audiences.

He has worked with clients across Australasia, Asia, Europe and North America.

As an international award winning designer, typographer and mark-maker, He is accomplished across a wide range of mediums from brand development; advertising; digital and experience; and art direction and design of countless publications.

For more inspiring stories of designers and their work, visit https://designassembly.org.nz/

DA Conversations Podcast with Gideon Keith

Kia ora and welcome to Design Assembly Conversations. In this series we talk to Aotearoa NZ designers, hear their stories and celebrate their work. I’m Louise and today I’m talking to Emme Jacob from Maynard Design Consultancy.

With a background in graphic design and a passion for wayfinding, Emme is interested in connecting people to place through meaningful environmental graphic solutions. Her wayfinding experience spans social housing, aviation, public realm and cultural centres, grounded by a belief that every person deserves inclusive access and connection to place.
 
Emme brings with her experience in brand and identity, and enjoys approaching wayfinding by creating thoughtful narratives that conceptualise place – creating logical yet surprising work, suited to local people. Through strategic wayfinding projects, Emme enjoys the challenge of balancing functional and intelligent systems with considered design outcomes, ensuring solutions are genuinely empathetic to those they serve.

For more inspiring stories of Aotearoa New Zealand designers and their work, visit designassembly.org.nz

DA Conversations Podcast with Emme Jacob

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