By Louise Kellerman

Design Assembly began its life back in August 2008. As a graphic designer myself, I had always been frustrated at the lack of community for our profession, so with gentle prodding from my friend and collegue Shaun Lee, I decided to create the community I had always wanted.

This year we celebrate FIVE years of Design Assembly, in this time Design Assembly has grown to be a vibrant, action-packed community for New Zealand graphic designers / communication designers / visual designers / web designers / motion designers / graphic artists… On the edges of our community sit the extended creative community of illustrators, photographers, marketers, printers and our clients.

Design Assembly is all about community. Its about creating a strong New Zealand visual design community that will support you as individuals and studios throughout your career path, from being high school students, to tertiary students to graduates, designers, design directors, creative directors and business owners.

To date Design Assembly has engaged and supported you through events in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, CPD workshops and seminars in Auckland and a website full of relevant, engaging and ever-changing content from a passionate group of authors involved directly in our industry from all parts of New Zealand.

A core group of amazing people contribute above and beyond to Design Assembly and its activity and growth and I can’t thank you enough. (To name a few; Zoe, Lindsay, Brendon, Laura, Kaan, Carol, Corinne, Sarah and many more of you…)

And of course Design Assembly couldn’t have existed to this point and grown to what it has become without our sponsors; Portfolio Recruitment, B+F Papers, AUT University, My Chilly Bin and Workflow Max. (You guys are awesome!)

Over the first five years of Design Assembly’s life we’ve meet passionate people, created amazing connections and made life-long friends.

Thank-you to all for being part of the Design Assembly community and making it what it is today.

But the journey is only just beginning. Design Assembly has largely been a passion project for me to date.  This year I have started the journey to make Design Assembly my full-time time obsession that will see more of what you have all come to love about Design Assembly happening all over New Zealand!

With your support as the individuals and studios that make up this community, 2014 will see the start of this next phase of Design Assembly – taking you all along for the ride as I  continue to grow Design Assembly for you and with you…

Louise Kellerman, Founder and Director of Design Assembly. Inspiration is the drawing in of air.