Design Groups Melbourne

Design Like a Pro: A One-Day Canva Workshop in Melbourne

**Overview** Master Canva to create professional, on-brand social media designs with hands-on practice in templates, branding, media, and content planning. **Ready to secure your spot? 🎯 Register now and complete your payment securely via Stripe Checkout!** [Click Here](https://buy.stripe.com/eVq00jgyK46OgOcgCE2oE44) **Program Details** **Duration**: 1 Full Day (8 Hours) **Delivery Mode**: Classroom (In-Person) **Language**: English **Credits**: 8 PDUs / Training Hours **Certification**: Course Completion Certificate **Refreshments**: Lunch, Snacks, and beverages will be provided during the session **Every Confident Designer Has a Day One. This Could Be Yours.** For general enquiries or booking your slot, contact us at: [info@mangates.com](info@mangates.com) +61 (0) 2 80155605 **Course Overview:** **The Design Gap No One Talks About** Their feed looked fine. Not bad, just forgettable. Every post used the same template, the same stock photo style, the same font picked at random months ago. Nothing looked broken, it just never quite looked like theirs. That's the gap most people hit long before they ever open a design tool properly. Not a lack of creativity, just a lack of the right skills to translate an idea into something that actually looks professional. **The Moment Design Stops Feeling Like Guesswork** Picture this: someone opens Canva, pulls up a template, and instead of leaving it as-is, adjusts the colors to match their brand, swaps the font, repositions the text, and exports a post that finally looks intentional. That's not talent. That's a skill, and it's exactly what this one-day workshop is built to teach. **How the Day Unfolds** * **Module 1: Getting Started with Canva** — They explore Canva's interface and workspace, and start recognizing the right formats for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. * **Module 2: Essential Design Principles** — They practice layout, spacing, and alignment, and start noticing why some designs feel balanced and others feel off. * **Module 3: Templates, Branding & Customization** — Through a role-play, they learn how to select and personalize templates, layering in brand colors, fonts, and logos.\ * **Module 4: Creative Social Media Graphics** — A case study pushes them to design posts for real engagement, using effects, transparency, and story formats. * **Module 5: Using Images, Icons & Media Tools** — A simulation has them working with stock photos, icons, and overlays until the visuals feel sharp and intentional. * **Module 6: Editing, Resizing & Content Variations** — A group brainstorm surfaces quick techniques for resizing and repurposing one design across multiple platforms. * **Module 7: Exporting & Publishing Designs** — By the end of the day, they aren't just experimenting, they're exporting polished designs and building an actual content calendar. **What Changes By the End** Attendees leave able to: * Understand Canva's interface and essential tools * Use design principles for professional visuals * Customize templates for brand identity * Create platform-specific social media graphics * Work confidently with media, icons, and effects * Resize and repurpose content for different platforms * Export and publish polished, high-quality designs **Who Finds Themselves Here** * Social media beginners * Entrepreneurs and small business owners * Marketing and communication teams * Students and freelancers * Content creators and influencers * Anyone wanting to design without advanced software **Real Practice, Not Passive Listening** Every attendee works hands-on with real design projects, live, in the room. The scenario above isn't hypothetical, it reflects exactly what happens to most people who walk in without a design background and walk out designing with confidence. **Bring This to Your Organization** Picture an entire marketing team producing consistent, on-brand visuals without waiting on a designer for every post. This workshop is available as a customized in-house session, on-site or virtual, with group pricing for teams ready to build that capability together. 📧 Contact us today to schedule a customized in-house session: [corporate@mangates.com](mailto:corporate@mangates.com) **©2026 Mangates Tech Solutions Pvt Ltd. This content is protected by copyright law. Copy or Reproduction without permission is prohibited.** **FAQs** **1\. Do I need any prior design experience to attend?** No, this workshop is built specifically for beginners with no design background at all. **2\. Do I need to install any software before the session?** No, Canva works directly in your browser, and the workshop will guide you through account setup if needed. **3\. Will I actually create real designs\, or is this mostly a demo?** You'll create real designs throughout the day, working hands-on with templates, branding elements, and export formats. **4\. Can I use this for my own business or brand\, not just generic templates?** Yes, Module 3 focuses specifically on customizing templates with your own brand colors, fonts, and logos. **5\. What if I need designs for multiple platforms\, not just Instagram?** Module 1 covers formats for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and Module 6 teaches you to resize one design across all of them. **6\. Does the course cover video content\, or just static images?** Yes, Module 5 covers working with videos alongside stock photos, icons, and illustrations. **7\. Will I learn how to use Canva's AI tools?** Yes, Module 6 introduces Canva's AI tools for quick adjustments and content variations. **8\. I run social media for my company\, will this help with content planning\, not just design?** Yes, Module 7 covers preparing content calendars using Canva folders, alongside exporting and publishing your designs. **9\. Can this course be customized for our marketing team specifically?** Yes, group sessions can be tailored to your organization and delivered on-site or virtually, with group pricing available. **10\. What do I actually walk away with at the end of the day?** Practical skills across Canva's full toolkit, templates, branding, media, resizing, and exporting, plus a Course Completion Certificate.

Our teams have the best AI tools but nothing changed

[Josh Centner](https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcentner/), Principal PM, Seek: will be taking us through this topic building on some discussions from ProductCamp. **Our teams have the best AI tools but nothing changed** Most organisations now have AI tooling across their product and engineering teams. Most of them are moving just a little faster then they were two years ago. The tools aren’t the problem. The operating model underneath them is. Build is no longer the bottleneck. The new constraint is coordination: how teams align on what to build, how functions like legal, security, and design stay genuinely involved without becoming the gate everything stalls behind, and how leaders shift from approving decisions to setting the conditions that let good decisions happen without them. This session draws on a live transformation across a large technology organisation, redesigning not just how teams build, but the entire system from idea to customer impact. We’ll cover the three things that actually have to change for AI tooling to translate into speed: – how work gets defined before it’s built – how specialist functions engage without creating queues – and how the PM role changes when coordination overhead drops and intent has to survive further and faster than ever before. This isn’t a talk about tools. It’s about what your organisation needs to look like for the tools to matter. Our fabulous sponsors: **Netwealth** Netwealth is one of Australia's leading wealth management platforms, providing technology and investment solutions for financial advisers and their clients. Since 1999, we’ve focused on innovation and challenging the status quo, building digital products that help Australians see wealth differently and achieve better financial outcomes. At the heart of Netwealth is a culture of curious, collaborative, courageous, optimistic, agile and genuine people who are passionate about solving meaningful problems and creating better experiences for customers. For more [about careers](https://www.netwealth.com.au/web/about-netwealth/careers/) at Netwealth.

IGNITE Endurance Run Club - Brighton

Bayside’s newest run club and endurance team, IGNITE Endurance is launching from Brighton! Join Coach Nick Carling for weekly coached run sessions, personalised training plans and 1:1 coaching opportunities for runners and triathletes of all abilities. $19/wk access to coached group sessions, first session free. About Coach Nick: Level 3 Performance Running Coach Level 3 Performance Triathlon Coach Cert III & IV Fitness Currently completing Diploma in Sport 18th Coaching experience Ex-Pro Triathlete

Welcome to the next 2026 AWS Melbourne Well-Architected User Group Meetup!

Hi Architects, Welcome to our next AWS Melbourne Well-Architected User Group Meetup for 2026, including more exceptional speakers and topics! :-D At each meetup we covered off various pillars in detail, best-practices and insights from industry leaders that specialise in the Well-Architected Framework. And giving away drones, of course. 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: * **Shilin Wu, Principal Solution Architect — VeloDB / Apache Doris** **Cost-Efficient Real-Time Analytics on AWS: Storage-Compute Separation with Apache Doris** Real-time analytics have a reputation for being expensive — you pay for fast storage you barely use, and for compute that sits idle overnight. This session walks through VeloDB / Apache Doris's storage-compute separation architecture on AWS, showing how to push warm data down to S3 while keeping sub-second query latency on the data that matters. We'll round off with a **live demo** querying billions of rows against S3-backed storage, soattendees can see the latency-vs-cost trade-off in action rather than on a slide. * **Pankaj Reddy, Head of Engineering - Simplicity KiwiSaver** **The next thing that matters (orientation theory continued..)** The talk explores mental models for how an agent decides what matters next, and how that shapes its orientation before it acts. It connects this idea to the Well-Architected pillars of Operational Excellence, Reliability, Security, and Performance Efficiency, showing how better orientation can lead to more deliberate and effective agent behaviour. * **Mystery Speaker** **Generative AI Cost Optimisation** Cost Optimisation is essential but with all the anecdotal stories of massive token budget blowouts, staying on top of Generative AI best-practices is essential to avoiding these scenarios. This month's menu will include: * Pizzas * Beer: Nastro Azzurro * Wine: Big and red 🤤 NB: Please check in up the stairs from the ground floor to the Mezzanine Level. So come join us at 5:30 for a 6pm **SHARP** 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) in

Melbourne Character matched dating designed for first timers

An inviting virtual speed dating night designed for Melbourne singles, taking place via Zoom. We are a friendly neighborhood group where you can connect with authentic people living nearby. Look forward to brief individual conversations, organized by age group, all while relaxing in your own space. Sign up here: [Reserve your place](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=656.0&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Melbourne&groupurlname=mountain-biking-theory-and-trail-tactics&face_v=3.0) Selecting RSVP indicates your interest. To participate in the sessions, please complete your registration at the link provided above.

Elevating Your Research Through Software Development

**Elevating Your Research Through Software Development** **Date:** 22nd September, 2026 **Time:** 5:30 PM (networking and refreshments from 5:30 PM; talk begins at 6:00 PM) **Where:** DiUS, Level 3/31 Queen St, Melbourne Research projects often begin with a collection of scripts and files that become increasingly difficult to manage, reproduce, and share. Adopting software development practices and structuring research projects like software packages can help address these challenges while improving the quality, reproducibility, and impact of research. In this meetup, we’ll explore how package-based project structures can transform analytical workflows, using real-world examples from COVID-19 vaccination policy analysis and scabies transmission modelling in the Netherlands. The talk will demonstrate how treating research code as software enables more efficient collaboration, easier reuse, and faster translation of analyses into real-world decision-making. We’ll also discuss how emerging AI tools, such as Claude Code, can help researchers build resources that extend the reach of their work beyond its original scope. Come along if you’re interested in reproducible research, scientific programming, data analysis, or research software engineering, or if you’d like practical guidance on creating more structured, reusable, and collaborative research projects!

XR Open Lab Melbourne

**XR Open Lab** is a technology focussed community event bringing together people working with Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, immersive learning, spatial computing and interactive technology. **Co-hosted by Immerse Australia, SIGGRAPH Melbourne Chapter and RMIT University,** **For more information and to register your attendance use this link - [https://events.humanitix.com/melbourne-xr-open-lab-september]** XR Open Lab is designed to be more than another industry presentation. It’s a place to see what people are building, try emerging XR experiences, share ideas and get constructive feedback from the community. Whether you have a finished product, an early prototype, a research project, an immersive learning experience or simply an idea you want to explore, XR Open Lab is an opportunity to bring it along and join the conversation. ## **What to Expect** The XR Open Lab will feature a guest developers, creators or technology practitioners sharing their expertise and what they are working on, followed by an open, hands-on session where participants can demonstrate projects, test experiences and discuss ideas with others working across the XR ecosystem. Members of the Melbourne ACM SIGGRAPH Chapter will also be attending, bringing together the XR community with people working across computer graphics, interactive technologies, digital creation and related fields. With support from RMIT, the event also creates an opportunity to strengthen connections between industry, education, researchers, developers and emerging XR talent. You don't need to be exhibiting or presenting to attend. Come along to: * See new XR projects and demonstrations * Try emerging immersive experiences * Show something you're currently building * Get feedback on an idea or prototype * Meet developers, educators, researchers and XR practitioners * Make connections across Australia's immersive technology community **For developers** who would like to demo their XR App, register your interest at the ticket checkout. Demos numbers are limited. Demos will run one on one with other developers interested in your app after the main presentations, bring your own headset and mobile Screen share. **XR Open Lab is about participation, experimentation and conversation — not polished presentations.** If you're building, researching, teaching or simply interested in what's happening in XR, we'd like you to be part of it. **For more information and register attendance use this link.** **[https://events.humanitix.com/melbourne-xr-open-lab-september]** ### XR Open Lab **See it. Try it. Shape it.**

Denim and Lingerie Workshop

Meditarrean.

Street Photography Ethics and Fitzroy Photowalk

We will start our Photowalk in Fitzroy with a coffee and selection of sweet and savoury treats at Smiths Cakes, and the opportunity for an informal and respectful discussion on street photography and ethics. The discussion part is optional, members are welcome to arrive for the beginning of Photowalk at 11.45am if preferred. Melbourne Walk and Shoot has run street photography specific events for a number of years, but never had the opportunity to talk about the moral and ethical decisions we all need to make when practising this art form that is street photography. So it's an opportunity to discuss street photography beyond what is legally permitted, to open it up to how we try to work with respect and accountability while dealing with issues such as privacy, power dynamics, exploitation and cultural sensitivities. This will be a discussion that is general in nature, but it would be great if people wish to outline how they developed their own sense of personal ethics and artistic boundaries! We expect widely differing experiences and opinions in the discussion, but hope it will be a learning experience for all. Please keep in mind that this is purely a discussion and **not** a set of rules on Street Photography by the Melbourne Walk and Shoot Group. **Schedule** **10.00am - Part 1** - Meet at Smiths Cakes for an informal discussion on Street Photography and ethics (optional). Order downstairs and we will have group table upstairs. **11.45am - Part 2** - Start of the Photowalk - meet outside Smiths Cakes. 11.45- 12.30 Walk along Smith Street towards Gertrude Street. **12.30pm Pitstop** at Fatto a Mano Bakery, 228 Gertrude Street. Chance to grab a coffee or savoury takeaway snack such as pastries, sausage roll, small pizza to refuel for walk ahead! 12.30 - 1.15 pm Bakery and walk along Gertrude Street towards Brunswick Street. **1.15 pm- 2.00pm** Walk along Brunswick Street to finish up at Rose Street. **2.00 pm** Event concludes We look forward to having you join us for this event. Cathrin and Ananda ' I love street photography but it's probably evil'. Ben Luu, 2024 **Discussion Resources** In regards to our street photography ethics discussion, it will be useful for members to do a little light reading prior! Here are a few resources that are helpful. **Arts Law Centre of Australia- Street Photographers Rights Info Sheet** Whilst we are focusing on ethics in discussion, it's helpful to have grounding on the legal aspects first. **Peta Pixel** **Six Ethical Considerations When Doing Street Photography by Polly Ryan** **The Michigan Daily** **The Questionable Ethics of Street Photography by Ben Luu** **[www.michigandaily.com](www.michigandaily.com)**

Hanfu Portrait Lab — Concept-Led Traditional Chinese Studio Shoot

Join us for a creative Hanfu portrait photography session in Melbourne, designed for photographers who enjoy artistic portraiture, traditional Chinese aesthetics, and collaborative image-making. **Participation Fee: approximately $146 per photographer, based on current shared session costs. The current ratio is approximately 2 photographers per Hanfu artist, with limited places available.** This is a **collaborative photography session rather than a commercial project**. The focus is on creative exploration, portfolio development, shared experience and creating strong images together in a relaxed group environment. The session will feature **5-6 models**, each presented through different Hanfu-inspired concepts exploring their own colour palette, mood, styling and visual character. The concepts provide an overall creative direction, while photographers are encouraged to interpret them through their own photographic style. Photographer numbers will be carefully managed to maintain a comfortable 1:2 photographer-to-model ratio, ensuring everyone has reasonable time and space to work collaboratively with the models. The participation fee is based on shared session costs and contributes towards studio hire, model appreciation fees, makeup, clothing and styling, event organisation, and the overall production of the session. Photographers are welcome to bring props, flowers, fabrics or other creative elements if they have a particular visual effect in mind. The session is intended to be collaborative rather than highly scripted, allowing photographers room to experiment with posing, composition, lighting and visual storytelling. Broad creative direction and an overall visual concept will be provided to help maintain a consistent artistic approach throughout the session. This event is suitable for photographers who: • enjoy creative portrait and fashion photography • are interested in Hanfu and traditional Chinese visual aesthetics • want to develop their portrait portfolio • would like to meet and collaborate with models and other photographers • enjoy experimenting with different concepts and creative approaches • are comfortable sharing shooting space and working respectfully within a group environment The focus is on creating beautiful images, exchanging ideas and giving both photographers and models useful portfolio material. Please note that the reference concepts are provided as **creative guidance only**. Individual photographers may interpret the themes differently, and final images will naturally reflect each photographer’s own photographic style. Photographers are encouraged to work collaboratively and respectfully with the models and other participants throughout the session. Shooting rotations and group arrangements may be used to ensure everyone has a fair opportunity to photograph the models. Respectful and professional conduct toward all models and participants is expected throughout the event. The session will take place in the **afternoon in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs**. Exact studio details and further session information will be provided to confirmed participants.

🎨 Street Art Photo Walk & Conversation - Fitzroy

Join us at 4:30pm for a relaxed street art walk through Fitzroy, exploring laneways, murals and hidden creative spots while conversation unfolds naturally along the way. **Where to meet:** out the back of 322 Brusbwick Street - look for the group on the footpath. We start walking at 4:45pm sharp. If you love photography, bring your camera or smartphone (charged) to snap some fun photos along the way. We often pose in front of our favourite artworks. Be prepared to be silly with us 🤪 (optional, of course.) This event is about moving at a comfortable pace, noticing what's around us, and letting conversation unfold organically as we walk. There's no need for art knowledge - curiosity is more than enough. The walk has a light structure to help things flow, but nothing rigid. You're welcome to chat as much or as little as you like, and enjoy the experience your own way. Running late? Use the map in the photos to catch us up, and keep an eye on the group as we move between laneways. **Recommended:** download the [Street Art Cities](https://streetartcities.com/) app, which we'll use to hunt down the art. After the walk (around 6pm) you're welcome to stay on for dinner nearby - completely optional. Head back to where we started and choose between: * Hecho En Mexico, 326 Brunswick Street * Yeshi Ethiopian Restaurant, 328 Brunswick Street * Tawooq Fitzroy Lebanese, 329 Brunswick Street Have a chat on the walk and decide together where you'd like to eat. Best suited to adults who are **young-at-heart** and enjoy exploring the city, being outdoors and connecting through shared experiences. Most of our members are somewhere between 25 and 50. Strictly 18+. Sometimes the day doesn't go entirely to plan - a laneway is closed, the group spreads out, the weather turns. That's part of it. Come as you are, keep an eye on the plan, and enjoy what's in front of you. Conversation's an invitation here, never an obligation. Can't wait to see who shows up. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **HOST RESOURCES:** [https://mastercoaches.net/good-conversation-club-questions.pdf](https://mastercoaches.net/good-conversation-club-questions.pdf) Print double sided. Cut up cards. Hand out at start of event. Guide people to introduce themselves to other guests eg eg talk to someone wearing the same colour or someone who is similar height.