Design Groups Sydney

SydDT #132: State of the Design Nation with Ben Crothers & Min Kong

We’re lucky to have Ben Crothers and Min Kong sharing their reflections as a couple of the judges for the 2026 Good Design Awards. This has been a SydDT tradition since 2018 and a time to reflect on the state of the design nation… full of interesting observations, insights, and trends. [Good Design Australia](https://good-design.org/) has a proud history that dates back to 1958 and they’re passionately committed to recognising, rewarding, and promoting the importance of design to business, industry, government and the general public… and the critical role it plays in creating a better, safer, and a more sustainable and prosperous future. Come join us for some fun conversations with interesting people in and around the design thinking community. New members are welcome! **SPEAKERS** **[Ben Crothers](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencrothers/)** **Principal Facilitator, [Bright Pilots](https://brightpilots.com/). Good Design Ambassador** Ben has been a designer since before Netscape ruled the www, and is currently a facilitator and design strategist at Bright Pilots (his online training and facilitation business), where he teaches teams of all sorts about design and facilitation methods, running strategic workshops, and generally helping teams get un-stuck. Previous to Bright Pilots, Ben was Principal Designer at Atlassian, a Design Director at Second Road (a strategic innovation consultancy), plus some assorted startups, agencies, and government departments. Above all, Ben wants everyone to be just as good at the whiteboard as they are at the keyboard, to be better at thinking, communicating, and solving problems together visually. He’s the author of a few books, including Presto Sketching: Simple Drawing for Brilliant Product Thinking and Design. **[Min Kong](https://www.linkedin.com/in/minkong/)** **Associate Design Director, [Caon Design Office](https://caondesignoffice.com/). Good Design Ambassador** Min is a strategic designer with nearly two decades of experience shaping physical products, services, and environments across aviation, transport infrastructure, healthcare and consumer sectors. Her approach brings together strategic thinking, experience design, and industrial design expertise to uncover opportunities for innovation and improvement and translate complex business and customer needs into high-quality, tangible experiences with real-world impact. At Caon Design Office, Min currently leads customer experience design across major Qantas Airways aircraft programs, including the flagship Project Sunrise A350 fleet. Min’s work has been recognised through multiple design awards, including the Australian Good Design Awards and Red Dot Design Award. An active member of the design community, Min taught industrial design at UNSW for over a decade and has served on multiple design award juries. **EVENT SPONSORS** This event is brought to you by [Thoughtworks](https://www.thoughtworks.com/), [Shapeshifters](https://www.shapeshifterscreative.com.au/), [Bright Pilots](https://brightpilots.com/), and [Dynamic4](https://dynamic4.com/). We take photos and record our events for documentation and promo purposes. Just let us know if you prefer not to be featured.

Networking Drinks #33

Christmas is just around the corner! Come join us once again at **The Art Syndicate**, a unique wine bar and gallery nestled in Surry Hills for a relaxed evening blending local drinks and meaningful conversations. **Event info:** ✅ Discover amazing NSW wine, beer and spirits. ✅ Expand your network of designers & make connections that last. ✅ No formal talks or speeches *Check out my reviews on this page to see what others are saying!* **Venue information:**
 You'll find us at this art gallery & wine bar in Surry Hills. They exclusively offer a curated selection of NSW-based wine, beer and spirits! There is even art for sale! **Check them out on socials:** https://www.instagram.com/theartsyndicate.com.au/ **How to find us:**
 We are on Bourke Street, a short walk from Oxford Street or Central Station. **Join our What'sApp group:**
 You'll find this link in the "Event Chat" section of this page :D Cheers, Josh

SydDT #133/Design Connection #8: EOY Design Megameetup

For our final SydDT for 2026, we’ll be reflecting on and celebrating the year that’s been. A good chance to connect with the community and welcome plenty of new people. New friends and old. We’re doing this one as Design Connection #8… another in our design megameetup series with our friends from the CCX and EUX meetups. This continues our tradition of EOY megameetups since 2018. Come join us for some fun conversations with interesting people in and around the design community. This will sell out fast… be quick 😃 More details soon... **DESIGN CONNECTION** Design Connection #8 is another in our design megameetup series. **Design Connection** is a collective of three Sydney design meetups… [Ben Pecotich](https://linktr.ee/benpecotich) from [Sydney Design Thinking (SydDT)](http://syddt.org/), [Adam Faulkner](https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamfaulkner) from [Enterprise UX (EUX)](https://www.meetup.com/enterprise-ux-sydney/), and [Kevin Wilkins](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinjohnwilkins) from [Creative Customer Experience (CCX)](https://www.meetup.com/sydney-creative-customer-experience-ccx/), with [Susan Wolfe](https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanjwolfe) and [Vera Chan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/verawatychan) being the backbone of Design Connection 😃 We take photos and record our events for documentation and promo purposes. Just let us know if you prefer not to be featured.cc

TIME TO UNPACK THE PURPLE PAINT AGAIN

Lindesay Christmas Gift Fair

Welcome to the next 2026 AWS Sydney Well-Architected Meetup!

Hi Architects, Welcome to the next 2026 AWS Sydney Well-Architected User Group Meetup! Each month we cover off AWS best-practices across all pillars and give away drones - lots of drones 🥳 **Please also note that AWS Security now requests a company name and company email where it is available. If you are a student, please list your institution and your student email address at that institution 👍** We'll be announcing more speakers on [https://well-architected.me](https://well-architected.me/) and previewing presentations during the coming weeks - our speakers and details this month include: * **Michael Taylor, Lakebase Specialist, Databricks** **How Lakebase provides a well-architected platform for next generation application and AI development.** Come and hear how Databricks experts show how customers run applications and agents on Lakebase; serverless Postgres governed by Unity Catalog. See instant branching, scale-to-zero, point-in-time recovery and synced tables in action. The Databricks team will also give a first look at LTAP; one open, governed copy of data for transactions and analytics, with no ETL in between. * **Mystery Speaker** **The AWS AI Competency - can automation support?** Achieving the AWS AI Competency can unlock many benefits for AI customers. In this talk, we explore if achievement of a competency can be automated. This month's menu will include: * Pizzas * Beer * Wine: Big and red 🤤 So come join us at 5:30 for a 6pm start, followed by beer, wine, pizza and friendly networking after our talks :-) Tired of Linkedin’s "thought leadership”, spam and advertising? Join https://well-architected.me/ , the AWS community built for architects, developers and cloud professionals. * Connect with experienced AWS practitioners * Preview upcoming AWS Meetups and relive past content * Create and review beautiful AWS case studies in minutes * Prepare for AWS certifications with curated quizzes * Show your manager and reports you’re well-architected (Please note that by registering to attend you agree to your details being shared as and where required with Amazon Web Services and AWS Well-Architected User Group partners)

🌴Relaxing Tropical Island Retreat, Indonesia🌴

Red Light, Incarceration & Jacaranda Blooms

WINDSOR GARDENS CHATSWOOD

Life Drawing on Saturday MORNINGS in Marrickville with fantastic models

WELCOME IN 2026 \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- We're back up and running our weekly Saturday life drawing sessions Join us each Saturday for Drawn Together - Sydney life drawing group for a dynamic and inspiring life drawing session in Marrickville. Whether you are a seasoned artist or a beginner, this event offers the perfect opportunity to have fun practicing figure drawing a in a supportive and creative environment. Go to our [booking page](https://www.scratchartspace.com/book/#!/Saturday-MORNING-Life-Drawing-Untutored/p/221095835) to see who we have booked to model. Immerse yourself in a morning of creativity and artistry as you sketch, draw, and bring your ideas to life. Connect with fellow art enthusiasts, exchange techniques, and explore the world of life drawing. Don't miss out on this chance to enhance your skills, unleash your creativity, and be part of a vibrant community dedicated to creating and perfecting our art. Book online [here](https://www.scratchartspace.com/book/#!/Saturday-MORNING-Life-Drawing-Untutored/p/221095835).

Online Photography - The letter S

🎨 She Sees Art — 2026 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year

🎨 **Shake things up and you'll see new colours.** **Please note: She Sees Art is a women-only group and event. Women of all backgrounds are welcome.** Why not mix up your weekend routine by joining like-minded women to explore art, discover new perspectives and enjoy a coffee and good company along the way? We'll start with coffee and a relaxed chat before heading to the **Australian Museum** to explore the **2026 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year**. The exhibition celebrates the natural world around us, showcasing spectacular flora, fauna and landscapes from Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea. 🎉 **THIS EVENT IS NOW FULL!** Thank you to everyone who has RSVP'd! We've reached our group limit for this visit to the Australian Museum, so RSVPs are now closed. If you'd like to attend, you're welcome to join the waitlist on Meetup. If a place becomes available, someone on the waitlist will have the opportunity to join us. Thanks for your understanding. **ART FOCUS** Nature photography · Wildlife · Landscapes · The natural world **WHERE WE'RE GOING** ☕ **Meeting point: Hydeaway Cafe, Hyde Park** 120 Elizabeth Street, Sydney NSW 2000 We'll meet here at **10:00am** for coffee and a relaxed chat and will leave for the museum from this point at 10.30am. The walk to the museum is \~8 minutes. 🎨 **Art destination: Australian Museum** 1 William Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010 We'll meet outside the museum at **10:40am** before heading in to explore the exhibition together. **Can't make the coffee? No problem!** You're very welcome to meet us outside the Australian Museum at 10:40am. * Women of all ages welcome * No art knowledge required, just curiosity! * Free to attend — exhibition entry is free; everyone pays for their own coffee and food **Coming on your own?** That's completely fine! She Sees Art is about enjoying art and culture together and getting to know other women in a relaxed, welcoming setting. I'll share any final updates, including what I'm wearing so you'll know who to look for, in the Meetup group chat. **Questions?** First time joining us, or have a question about the event? Feel free to email me at sheseesartsydney@gmail.com. I'm happy to help! I can't wait to see you all! 📷🌿 *Cover image: Fairyfloss by Lewis Burnett, Australian Museum*