You’ve recently returned from many years living and working in London. Tell us about your work experience over there. What were you up to?
Shortly after moving to London in 2012 I started working for DesignBridge as a midweight designer. I loved it so much there I ended up staying for the whole time I was in London, which was about 6 years. I went from knowing hardly anything at all about packaging design, to working on brands such as Cadbury, Fortnum & Mason, Lipton, Danone and Camel.
While in London I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel to parts of Europe and to New York for presentations, print runs and photoshoots. This was really exciting and taught me a great deal about working with all kinds of people in the industry and all of the effort that goes into a project from the beginning through to the end.
What sparked your decision to return home? Hope you’re settling in ok as we head into winter. Is mum happy to have you back?
A promising job opportunity in NZ came up for my partner and that kind of got the homecoming cogs turning a bit. Then, after a very thorough and slightly ridiculous pros and cons list (double summer – tick, expensive cheese – cross) we decided that it was a good time to move back.
Being closer to family was a big part of it and being able to enjoy the more outdoorsy NZ lifestyle was another draw card. And yes Mum is very happy to have me back. Dad doesn’t mind either :)
Thanks for joining us by the way. What was it about Dow Goodfolk that appealed to you?
I was really impressed by all of the iconic and beautiful work that Dow have created over the years. And the fact that they have been around for such a long time! That is a true testament to Dow’s integrity and creative strength.
Oh and the people here are awesome, especially the women! I think it’s so important to work with talented and inspirational role models, and in this industry it can be very male dominated at the top.
Are there any specific cool things/trends/styles/inspirations/observations that you have brought back with you from the world outside New Zealand?
I have to say that many of the trends I was seeing outside of New Zealand are actually pretty much the same as what’s going on here. We’re all so connected these days, it’s hard not to be influenced by what’s going on in the rest of the world.
A big thing all over the place is that people are after authentic products and experiences – and they won’t be fooled by phony stuff! Brand stories need to be genuine, have a point of view and be distinctive. And for that reason, I was noticing that many of the big brands you find on the UK supermarket shelves are being seriously challenged by the smaller, more artisan brands. So, we were seeing lots of our big-brand clients needing to dial up their heritage and focus more on the quality of their product.
I’m seeing the same thing happening over here too. I think it’s a very exciting time right now, all over the world for the small, humble, niche brands. But yeah most styles and trends that I noticed in the UK are echoed all the way over here. If only I could say the same thing about the heating. OUR HOUSES ARE BLOODY FREEZING.