Curious Design NZ

29/09/2022

We are on the hunt for a designer/creative artworker with a broad range of skills to complement our team.

These include visualisation of concepts, creating final artwork files and creative retouching. If you have some illustration ability and cursory web knowledge, all the better!

A great design aesthetic is very important, as you will not only collaborate with other designers, but there will be occasions where you will be solely in charge of creating relevant design collateral.

The ideal applicant would have a minimum of 2-3 years of experience in the branding and packaging fields, but if you have the core skills and are genuinely motivated, this is an ideal opportunity to showcase your potential and grow & adapt into the role.

Being a small agency, you will be an integral part of the team, and your voice is guaranteed to be heard.

If you are interested, please send your CV and portfolio to [email protected]

25/05/2021

Wake up and smell the coffee ☕️

When we first met our clients Stefan and Paul, their vision was to reinvent Avalanche Coffee Cafe Style and build more personality into an already successful, but slightly tired brand.

Cue some quirky characters, conceived by the team at Curious and perfectly illustrated by Moses Illustration, interacting with the dominant Avalanche ‘A’ icon ➰

16/11/2020

A silver lining to the year of 2020…as always we appreciate the fantastic clients that are game to come on the journey with us - that’s you harkerherbals! Thanks also to Best Design Awards for continuing to champion the design community here in Aotearoa.

29/09/2020

You're the best.

Thank you Best Awards New Zealand for judging Curious a worthy finalist!

Our Harker Herbals Children’s Syrups packaging can’t claim to be ‘top of the class’ just yet, but we’re absolutely honoured to be in the mix!

Harker Herbals came to us to help them put some fun into family health. Having tasted success with the Be Well range of adult syrups amongst the discerning millennial market, the brand saw an opportunity to align the Children’s variant with the new, modern feel of Be Well. The question was “how do we develop beautiful, sustainable packaging that resonates with young parents – communicating Harker’s quality and values – whilst engaging and delighting kids who’ll be taking it? It swiftly became obvious that the answer lay in a fine balance between efficacy and playfulness.

01/03/2020

Turning over a new leaf

Living Foods is a family run horticultural business specialising in fresh cut salad greens.
Having supplied produce to the retail and food service sector for over 25 years, our client decided that it was time to turn over a new leaf and create their own brand. Thus Garden Fresh sprang to life.

Along with all of the popular greens, Garden Fresh has added a fresh take to the category with the introduction of an exotic Summer Butter lettuce and their unique Metro Mix and Watercress & Fancy blends.
And with all of their produce being grown and packed in both the North and South Islands, they have also ensured maximum freshness for consumers-wherever they are in New Zealand.

Curious’ brief was to create iconic branding and packaging that reflected the love and care that the good people at Garden Fresh invest in their business. A contemporary edge was also requisite to capture the fresh and innovative thinking, which is such a core part of their philosophy.
These objectives were achieved by firstly devising an instantly recognisable lockup device that could be utilised across all forms of communications. The Garden Fresh name has been cleverly placed in a watering can illustration, which immediately sets a personalised, nurturing tone to the brand.. A stark contrast to the corporate, commodity driven focus of their competitors.

The packaging was then carefully considered, as it is an absolutely essential component to the success of the brand. Of course the Garden Fresh marque features prominently throughout, but it has been ingeniously interwoven with stylised splashes to house the variant names and strengthen freshness cues. Each product has then been allocated its own signature colour to help consumers navigate the range easily and choose their favourites with minimum effort when repurchasing.
Finally a generous amount of ‘clear space’ has also been introduced around the bold graphic elements to create balance and showcase the succulent produce inside.

Fresh thinking at its best.

21/01/2020

Sweet write up in Design Assembly NZ today about our work creating the me|today brand!

This Fresh From The Field by Curious Design features a beautiful warm palette, sophisticated typographic treatment and a nod to old-school apothecary aesthetics while ensuring these premium products are fresh and distinctive in the wellness category. If you have new or recent work that you would lik...

09/12/2019

Living your best life through great design by me|today and Curious.

17/09/2019

Great to see the team here at Curious have made Shillington Design Schools 10 Best Creatives from NZ!

Get inspired by the ten best creatives and studios from New Zealand to show the amazing design, illustration and more created in the Pacific island nation.

06/09/2019

Great to see two brands we have designed making it into the finals of this years New Zealand Food Awards. Well done The White Sheep Co & Amino Mantra!!

There's everything from hemp-based products, to sheep's milk vodka.

07/08/2019

Proud finalists in New Zealand's Best Awards this year!

17/07/2019

We’re on the hunt for a talented junior designer who has a great creative spark, is highly motivated and can be an integral part of the Curious team. We are domestically and internationally renowned for our branding and packaging, so this is an area that the successful candidate must have an absolute single minded passion for. Ideally they will have had some experience in this sphere, but if not, they need to display an ability to create clever ideas that can elicit an immediate emotional response to a consumer. We’ll then teach and mentor them on the technical side, which will be a huge benefit for advancing their career. Some skills on the digital side would also be beneficial.

Being part of a small team, it will mean that the designer will immediately become a really important part of Curious’ structure. They will help our senior designers realise a vision in some instances, but they will also be given their own projects to work on-which will range from initial brain storming and concepting, development of existing brands through to a small degree of finished artwork where necessary. There will also be an opportunity to interact with clients directly, attend press passes and the occasional photo shoot.

A vast degree of experience is available for the candidate to tap into within Curious, so the other members of the team are always available for mentoring and advice. Equally though, they will be given time and space to ensure that they develop their own voice. We believe that every person plays a huge role in the continuing success of Curious, so their thoughts and challenging ideas will always be welcomed.

Email your CV & portfolio to [email protected]

09/07/2019

Our work for The Cool Gardener featured in Design Assembly NZ today!