The Design Kids
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I’ve been working at The Design Kids for a wee while now, and something I often get asked is “what even is The Design Kids” and “what do you do there?”. I thought I’d let you in on what I do at TDK!
The Design Kids is all about connecting creative students and graduates to the industry. It’s a scary world out there, especially when you’re fresh out of studying (or are almost there) and you know what you want your next creative job is but you don’t know how to get there, or you don’t know what creative job you want to do at all. Networking and job hunting is really daunting (heck, I’ve been through that process half a dozen times and it’s still confusing!), and when you’re trying to do it with no support it can be a nightmare.
That’s where The Design Kids come in! For the past eighteen months I’ve been volunteering (part-time, on top of working full-time and freelancing part-time too!) with The Design Kids as a City Host for the Wellington branch. My role as a Host is to run a monthly meet-up, and help facilitate the Wellington part of the TDK website and the Wellington Facebook group. I’m helping connect creatives in their early part of their career to the industry and to each other!
Running meet-ups require a lot of work but they are also super rewarding. Our meet-up falls on the first Tuesday of every month, #TDKTuesdays, so that all branches across the globe can run theirs all at once - it really creates a fun sense of community!
The #TDKTuesdays events can really be anything, as long as it brings creative people together! I’ve run workshops, studio tours, dinner or drinks, portfolio reviews, panel talks, and studying/working bees.
Having the ability to collaborate with companies and creatives across Wellington in order to make these events possible has been fantastic.
Being able to connect with Design Leads and Project Coordinators of varying creative companies I look up to is super inspiring, as I get a bit of insider knowledge on how their companies work. I also love collaborating with freelancer creatives to facilitate workshops, as I get to work with creatives outside of my own discipline and learn new skills. And a special treat is being able to reconnect with old tutors or lecturers of mine when I ask if I can use the university campus as a location for an event! (Shout out to the College of Creative Arts at Massey University!)
The main reason The Design Kids exist is for the students and graduates! At every #TDKTuesdays event (and on Facebook!) I get people approaching me to ask about what it’s like to work as a creative full-time, or how to get started with freelancing, or tips for job hunting/interviews. These ‘kids’ are just so excited and keen to learn and absorb everything you tell them, plus you’re never too old or advanced to learn yourself!
My cycle of being a Host for The Design Kids will be coming to an end later this year, which is unfortunate, but it means that someone else will be able to grab the reigns and turn it into something they love too! I can’t wait to see what TDK Wellington turns into next year.
If you’re interested in becoming the next TDK Wellington Host, send me an email or DM/message me and we can chat! And if you’re just keen to join the Wellington chapter and start attending our #TDKTuesdays events and get involved with the online discussions, join our Facebook group, it’s free! Or check out to see if there’s a TDK city near you on our website!
- Louise x
