You can be cautious or you can be creative, but there’s no such thing as a cautious creative – George Lois, American art director and designer.

The omnipresent brand guidelines document is championed as crucial to the success of a brand. Where once these artefacts existed for consistency, Amanda takes the view guidelines instead limit expression for in-house designers – and can get in the way of communicating with your audiences. Referencing recent Fire and Emergency work from the in-house team, Amanda will make her case for why guidelines are merely that, a guide – and how behaving more like our Agency partners can make the difference between achieving desired results or getting lost in the noise.

About Amanda

Amanda is a Design Professional actively contributing to some of New Zealand’s most-loved brands incl. Trade Me, Whittaker’s, Kiwibank, ACC, Z Energy, Radio NZ, and Education NZ. Amanda's work is varied and rich, spanning all facets of corporate and government identity initiatives, digital transformation programmes, and internationally marketed consumer-goods brands.

Whether creating autonomously or leading the team, she is known for the insight she brings to her work and in seeing new ways forward. Amanda previously worked as Head of Design at Assignment Group and Senior Designer at Clemenger BBDO Wellington.

Paul and his team of 13 designer and marketers manage the MBIE master brand and up to 70 sub-brands across seven large and diverse groups.

The team work on approximate 1,000 projects per annum with a mixture of engagements with external agencies. Paul will explain how the 70 brands are managed with internal clients and external agencies and how his team use policies, and products to maintain and build brand equity.

About Paul

Paul has worked both agency and client-side in his 27 year career, starting at Saatchi & Saatchi Wellington at 20 years of age and then starting The Church, the world’s first design agency with a structured mentoring programme for young creatives in 2001. Paul helped to bring over and launch Semi-Permanent, which grew to become New Zealand’s largest creative conference in 2004 and eventually sold The Church to Designworks (STW Group) in 2013. In 2014 he began his career client side with Careers New Zealand, the Tertiary Education Commission and currently the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

A Kiwi icon born out of a rebellious can-do attitude, Trade Me undertook a systematic brand refresh that would fold the brand seamlessly through all its products and channels.

The in-house knowledge of our internal designers and the creative superpowers of external agencies were combined to develop and roll out systems that helped everyone champion the new brand. Although this happened in 2016, it led to numerous learnings that Roxy continues to carry into her work with other teams and brands.

About Roxy

Roxy is a creative problem solver and leader with a passion for making life better for people, products, and brands through human-centred design and clear communication. She believes design storytelling has the power to make a meaningful, positive impact on people and our world. Roxy has experience leading in-house teams, designing for creative agencies and notable clients, freelancing for small family companies, and is currently Head of Design at Snapper Services Ltd.

About Rebecca

Rebecca is an experienced Brand Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry.

 A strong sales professional skilled in brand strategy and management, photography and content production, Government communications, above-the-line and through-the-line advertising, marketing, apparel, and creative writing.