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By Louise Kellerman courtesy of Design Assembly

Emma Kaniuk is an Auckland-based designer who loves searching for the latent details that can really make a project stand out.

An honours graduate from the School of Design at Unitec University in Auckland, New Zealand, she has also studied anthropology. Drawing on her keen interest in the ambiguities, contradictions, patterns and nuances of humanity, Emma creates and builds insightful brands that are based around the simple principle of “great ideas, crafted well”.

Emma’s well-rounded approach has seen her working across industries as diverse as aviation, arts, education, finance, FMCG, hospitality and television.

Emma currently works at Special Group, an independent agency with a simple ethos: to produce world class work that gets lots of attention. Prior to this Emma worked at the largest strategic brand design practice in Australasia, Designworks.

Her work has been recognised at local and international design awards for brand identity, packaging, corporate communications, graphic arts, time-based graphics and environmental projects.

What does your business card say?

Emma Kaniuk, designer. In Plantin 12 point, on a grey card stock, flooded with grey ink on the reverse side. Sort of a ‘spot the difference’ in-joke.

How long have you been in the industry for?

Seven years and counting…

What was your first job in the industry?

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to start my career with Designworks, beginning as a fellowship recipient. I called the office receptionist, Melissa, an unmentionable number of times over the three months that I had to wait to see if I had been picked. The Designworks team felt like family so it was an easy decision to stay on for the next four years, and I count myself lucky to have worked and learnt from so many talented people there.

Tell us about your journey to reach where you are today.

I flipped a coin on going to Business or Design School at University — the coin knew me better than I knew myself back then. We had a good little class at Unitec: we studied hard, drank a lot, figured out how to scam the photocopier and supported each other’s development. From there it was Designworks, and now I am very happy to be working at Special Group. Both studios have high standards of creative work and people, which pushes me to be better every day.

If I were to segment it, studying taught me how to learn, think and question, and working has taught me how to design.

How has your role changed over the years?

The biggest shift is from supporting a team to leading one. At Designworks my position was focused on design within larger teams whereas the smaller size of Special Group teams mean I am hands on with wider responsibilities. Our industry is always evolving — as we are continually looking to improve how we do things. That in itself creates change within the role of any designer: there is a constant drive to understand and engage with new thinking, technology and methodologies.

What gets you up in the morning?

Never knowing what the day might bring — the not knowing makes it interesting. Working at an agency, I get to help transform companies from all sorts of industries. I am lucky to have so many smart and inspiring clients who are making New Zealand and the world a better place with their innovations. Along the way I’ve dived into learning about all sorts of exciting things — from theatre to planes to bees and quinine.

Describe a typical work day.

With so much going on at Special Group, it is sometimes hard to qualify what makes a typical day! Our design team is a small, close-knit and wonderful bunch of people, with the only designers being Heath Lowe, a founding partner and Creative Director, and myself. Heath is an amazing designer and generous mentor, and we both share a very similar world view and design sensibilities. We always have a good handful of jobs on at any one time and so my days involve meetings, working away at my desk, directing and working with the various people who help us bring our ideas to life, loads of team discussions and debates — and with any luck, they’re punctuated with a good lunch.

How do you juggle work and personal life? Or is it one and the same for you?

Just like anyone else, there is always a bit of a juggle. But I love what I do, so at the best of times it doesn’t feel so much like ‘work’. That’s one of the great things about being a designer; personal activities often spark new ideas and help contextualise the work we do.

What do you look for in a designer when you’re looking for someone to work for you or with you?

Someone with a passion and energy for great ideas. Passion is contagious, but so is lack of passion. Simply, someone with whom I have a good rapport and mutual respect. For a designer starting out, having a great attitude and good eye for design is essential; craft and technique can be taught and honed as you go along.

If you could impart a pearl of wisdom to yourself starting in this field what would that be?

Being a Dieter Rams fan, I cannot go past his ethos of questioning everything that is thought to be obvious. Never stop asking.

Thanks for the interview Design Assembly!

• Courtesy of Design Assembly / conversations on graphic design.