Alphero

Introducing Kayla Kautai: Android dev with a not-longer-hidden talent for design and typography. Pretty epic stuff.

Two weeks ago, we asked and answered a big question: Is brand dead? As both our Creative Director Matthew Harrop and Tracksuit co-founder and CEO Connor Archbold told us, brand is here to stay. Our new events series, Talk Futures with Me, hosted by Alphero Auckland Director Amanda Cardinale, invites a small group of Auckland executives around the breakfast table to ponder the big questions about our digital future. We've distilled that power breakfast into three insights, captured in the first edition of our white paper. So: what's the opportunity for brand in an agentic world? 1) Your audience is now human and machine 2) Brand will be defined by behaviour, emotion, and intent 3) Where agents falter, brand flourishes Matt sums it up nicely: "When the agent controls the head, the brand must control the heart." Huge thanks to Connor and Matt for leading this conversation. Want the full white paper? Let us know in the comments. P.S. We've got another breakfast coming up in February... hit us up if you'd be keen to get on the list.

Our attention has become currency, and everyone wants a share. Our content strategist, Brydie Wilson, explains why less is more here: https://lnkd.in/gHZud7n7

Joshua Lovell-Smith, our senior web dev, had a life-changing conversation with ChatGPT recently. And when we say life-changing, we mean there’s a possibility it played an instrumental role in saving his life by A. convincing him to buy a blood glucose meter and, B. getting him to the hospital before he slipped into a diabetic coma. This one’s personal. Thank you for sharing, Joshua. Read Joshua’s story: https://lnkd.in/gB57FVvx Disclaimer: If you’re experiencing similar symptoms or have any health concerns, we recommend you see your healthcare professional ASAP.

Apply for one of our roles? Or any role for that matter? Before hitting send, read this advice and insight from our CEO and founder Caroline Dewe.

Would you recognise your brand if it walked past you on the street? Our (newly promoted!) senior designer, Harry Simpson, unpacks how the role of brand is evolving alongside technology, beyond visual identity and interface. Because it all changes the moment your brand can hold a conversation of its own.  Harry’s exploring how to build in your brand’s behavioural idiosyncrasies by design, and what this means for the future of digital experiences. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g_a6Q2nD

Hey Wellington! We’re at the Public Sector Network Government Innovation Showcase today, joining the conversation on what next-gen government could look like. Attending? Look for our banner and say hi to Craig Eades!

We're absolutely thrilled to announce that Alphero has won a prestigious Australian Good Design Award in the Digital Category: Web Design and Development for our work on MyCreativeRights! The recognition for this project, which helps protect the rights of New Zealand writers and artists through an accessible digital platform, is a huge honour. The Good Design Awards Jury had incredible things to say about our work: “As AI threatens the rights of writers and artists globally, MyCreativeRights is helping protect creatives by combining legal tools, education and expert support in one accessible digital platform. This is a nicely crafted platform that brings clarity and energy to a local government website. The visual identity is welcoming, and the user experience is well considered. Simple but effective design and solves a real need in a customer focused way. This project truly sets a new benchmark for good design in this category. Well done.” This award is a testament to the power of design to solve current, real-world problems and set new benchmarks for the industry. A massive shoutout to our incredible team and of course Copyright Licensing New Zealand for making this project possible and a success! #GoodDesignAwards #WebDesign #DigitalTransformation #MyCreativeRights #Alphero #NZTech

Day 4 SXSW Sydney dispatch from Matthew Harrop Kieron Norfield and Julieanne Gilchrist... Startup insights from the top, multiple doom warnings, Notion's founder on what makes us human, and Matt chose a talk about death over Tyra Banks and her ice cream startup. Priorities, eh? The Kitesurf (we use and love Kitesurf AI!) talk delivered actual insights. Exceptional technical talent is the decisive advantage, emerging ecosystems should amplify their unique cultural advantages rather than copy Silicon Valley, and critically, AI's value layer requires defensible differentiation or you're just a feature. Solid. Then came the doom parade. A UNSW professor warned that US tech wants to take our jobs and funnel wealth back to tax havens. Deepfakes will erode institutional trust through "Continued Influence Effect", even when you know something's fake, the damage is measurable and hard to reverse. Publicis Sapient showed us a 6-year-old sobbing over losing her AI teacher. Kids coerced by AI into suicide. Economies collapsing. His parallel: we invented the steam engine before establishing thermodynamics, and we've done the same with AI. Great quotes, terrible vibes. Notion's founder shifted the energy. His breakdown of what makes humans unique in the age of AI: taste, capability, and agency. AI is making our capabilities less special, so the real magic is in our taste and our ability to make things happen. Agency is a muscle we need to work. A Bell Labs quote landed: "You can create anything you want as long as it's beautiful or useful." Matt ended his day with a session about death, which he said was both rewarding and enlightening. Whereas Kieron and Julieanne went to see Tyra Banks, The Harvard Business School grad and former supermodel, talk about Smize and Dreams, her ice cream-meets-entertainment company. Highlight of the day? Seeing Tyra enter the stage on a miniature motorised car. 🚗 🍦 💅 To process everything, the trio ended their day at a David Lynch-inspired bar attached to a cinema. Perfection. 🍸

Day 3 dispatch from SXSW Sydney! Matthew Harrop Kieron Norfield and Julieanne Gilchrist got around for more talks and hit the innovation expo. Tim Cadogan (GoFundMe CEO) presented 'What I learnt about my product when my town burnt down.' Tugging at heartstrings by talking about his LA fires experience and surviving an Australian bushfire. Effective, but transparently so. QuantumDetect's diamond chip presentation was the surprise of the day. CEO Jim Rabo and COO Rupal Isman showed how quantum sensing is commercially viable now, while quantum computing remains years away. The insight? The sensitivity that plagues quantum computing is actually perfect for sensing. Their diamond chip measures magnetic fields with quantum precision. Applications include GPS-denied navigation (critical with jamming in Ukraine), underground mineral detection, portable MRI devices, and eventually phones and wearables. Quantum sensing could become as common as GPS. And then an inspiring session with director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters, Freaks and Geeks) who reminded us what leadership really looked like: "My role is to create a safe environment." Simple. Essential. Then we hit the innovation expo. More to process there. 🐱 🥤 Day 3? Heartstrings got pulled, quantum tech got real, fun with quirky and weird tech (cats! cute juice machines!) and leadership got defined in six words.