Expert knowledge for initiatives across multiple agencies

Over a decade of working in Wellington’s creative agencies, I collaborated with public services, Crown entities, agents, and state-owned enterprises to enhance government communications through strategic design. My work spanned brand and visual identity refreshes, publication design, UI design for digital platforms, and campaign execution. These projects helped government agencies communicate more effectively, ensuring materials were functional and engaging for diverse audiences.

Open magazine displaying pages about "Te Kotahitanga: 2004-2008" summary report with text and photos, a booklet on top with cover title and a monochrome image of a person raising their hand.

Understanding the audience

Every project required a customised approach to connect with different audiences, from policymakers and educators to the general public. Teacher resources needed to be practical and engaging, while formal documents—like annual reports, strategic plans, and policy guidelines—had to be clear and easy to navigate. Digital platforms needed an intuitive design for seamless public access. The focus was on making information clear, accessible, and easy to use.

A 2010 Ministry of Education annual report booklet partially open, with a beige cover titled 'report' and an orange interior page reading 'Our performance two'. Light decorative patterns are visible on both pages.
Open book with graphs, charts, and financial tables on multiple pages, including a page titled "Appendices three" in orange design.
Three educational reports with black and white images of children engaged in activities. The covers focus on mathematics, science, and key findings, with colored bands in blue, green, and orange respectively. Each report is published by the New Zealand Government, highlighting trends in Year 5 achievements in mathematics and science from 1994 to 2006, based on the TIMSS study.
A person holding a booklet titled 'Digital Continuity Strategy Consultation Draft' by Archives New Zealand, dated September 2008, alongside an image showing open pages of the booklet featuring sections titled 'Introduction' and 'Vision.' The design has colorful abstract shapes on the cover and interior pages."

Strategic approach

I focused on making complex information easy to understand while keeping designs visually engaging. Strong typography, structured layouts, infographics, and user-friendly design helped turn dense reports and data into clear, accessible formats. Whether it was a printed report or a digital platform, the goal was always to make information easy to navigate and digestible and meet the needs of the audience and government stakeholders.

A multi-page brochure titled 'Nau mai, haere mai. Welcome' about New Zealand's Charities Services, including benefits of being a registered charity, role of Charities Services, registration process, and images of people participating in charity work.
Two infographic panels displaying charity data for New Zealand regions. The left panel highlights volunteer and paid hours, major beneficiaries, and activities in the religious activities sector. The right panel showcases charity statistics for Manawatu-Wanganui, including the number of charities, sectors, and financial data.
Brochure pages showing New Zealand's culture market and audience engagement, with charts and photos of audience members.
Brochure titled 'Audience Atlas New Zealand 2014' with fireworks cover, open to pages showing data charts and graphs.
Spiral-bound booklet with dancers on cover, wearing red outfits, titled 'Getting on Board.' Open pages inside display colorful designs with text, including sections on board practices, legal framework, and an image of a person wearing a black blazer with a red skirt.
Cover and pages from a report titled 'Envisioning the Avsec of Tomorrow, Today', featuring New Zealand's aviation security details including statistics, infographics, and maps. A security vehicle and airplane are pictured on the cover.
Promotional materials featuring New Zealand's explosive detector dogs. Includes a card with a dog, a flyer about the Civil Aviation Authority, and two banners with different dogs highlighting 25 years of service. Website avsec.govt.nz visible.

Responsibilities

  • Designing structured, engaging publication layouts for government documents by integrating infographics and typography to present complex data clearly and effectively. This included developing high-impact layouts for reports, discussion documents, and policy guidelines, such as:

    1. Annual reports and strategic documents: Designed clear and accessible reports for agencies such as the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Law Commission, Road Transport Forum, New Zealand Telecommunications Forum, ACENZ, CAA, Creative NZ, Mental Health Commission, and Federated Farmers.

    2. Magazines and brochures: Created engaging editorial designs for publications, including Currents (MFAT), Rise (MSD), Fire and Rescue (NZ Fire Service), and InnovateNZ Awards of Excellence (ACENZ).

    3. Education and policy resources: Developed user-friendly education resources and consultation documents for the Ministry of Education, Archives New Zealand, and Federated Farmers.

  • Leading brand and visual identity development for E tū, GCSB, NZSIS, Charities Services, and New Southern Sky (CAA) to provide a refreshed and updated look that positioned organisations effectively—whether through entirely new branding or subtle refinements to maintain public recognition.

  • Applying UX/UI design principles to improve accessibility across government websites and digital platforms, including the Department of Internal Affairs Charities Services and New Zealand Parliament’s Festival of Parliament campaign site.

  • Developing and executing high-impact public campaigns, including promotions for the Alexander Turnbull Library, New Zealand Parliament’s Festival of Parliament, Aviation Security Services’ Detector Dogs collector cards, Road Transport Forum and ACENZ conference material.

Cover and inner pages of the 'Eating and Activity Guidelines for New Zealand Adults' published by the New Zealand Government. The cover features people shopping at a market, and the inner pages contain text and charts about diet and activity recommendations.
Open booklets displaying pages with text about eating and physical activity guidelines, including bullet points, tables, and colorful headings. Some pages include photos of people walking in nature and playing sports.
A collection of promotional materials for thanksalex.co.nz featuring a brochure, postcards, and a poster. The brochure poses the question "Who's Alex?". Postcards include vintage portraits and artwork. A humorous poster reads "We don’t collect wigs but we’re interested in your head and shoulder pics"
Webpage banner with text 'Thanks Alex' and 'Your Story Our Story', featuring images of an owl, a drag queen, a jar, postcards, and a deer.

Impact

  • Enhancing clarity and engagement across government print and digital platforms.

  • Strengthening brand recognition and trust through refreshed visual identities.

  • Driving increased engagement with public campaigns, such as those for the Alexander Turnbull Library, by delivering visually compelling and accessible designs.

  • Improving access to government resources by streamlining UX design for digital platforms.

Festival of Parliament poster showing event dates from July 27 to August 5, featuring illustrations of parliamentary buildings in colored sketches. Includes website link and social media icons for updates.