A huge congratulations to our amazing Co-President Leigh Wood for winning the inaugural Oasis Changemaker of the Year Award at last night’s Campaign Brief Awards. The award recognises the impact, generosity, and leadership that drives positive change in our industry beyond our day-to-day. We could think of anyone else more deserving Leigh! Well done! 👏
Such an amazing turnout for our recent PADC x @northmetrotafe ‘Behind the Skull’ Commune.
If you’re interested in applying for our Artist in Residence program to design the 2026 PADC Gold Skull award, here are some tips from previous artists, @yiiiikes_ and @okidoki.au
Applications now open. Link in bio!
Woop woop! 🙌 The mornings are getting darker and the nights are getting cooler, so come join fellow creative folk for a cosy drink or three this Friday at Lawson Flats.
Our 2026 committee and subcommittee will be wrapping up their Welcome Event and rolling straight into our regular PADC-U-There, so expect plenty of familiar faces, new connections and the perfect way to kick off the weekend.
👍 Open to PADC members and friends.
📍 RSVP essential. Link in bio!
Kudos @padcskulls on the incredibly articulate championing of creativity in Perth and maintaining the legacy of the skull 💀 for future generations. Last night the @perthletterpressworkshop with Eric @nmt3dandindustrialdesign ; Kevin @nani.com.au ; Ross @okidoki.au plus guest Willy Wagtail (#djididjidi) keepin’ it real on #whadjuknoongarboodja
Behind The Skull PADC at North Metro TAFE
A room (very loved room by me, felt like home) full of creatives
We dove deep into ceramics, texture, sculpting, so much more meaning than I expected, thank you Eric!
Kevin = elevation, freedom and stars energy 🌌
Ross brought such a raw perspective.
Also… confirmed creatives + time management = not besties 😅
I’m such a visual person, days like this just hit different
💛
Our next PADCast is now live!
A recap of our Silent Commune recorded live on the SCA Rooftop. Our panel discussion tunes into the power of audio and how great sound-led production can inspire great storytelling.
Huge thanks to SCA’s Matt Dickson for hosting, Diamond Skull winner Simon Mullins, and HBF’s Rosie Spurling for their insights. Presented and produced by SCA, and proudly supported by the City of Subiaco.
Listen now. Link in bio!
Our next PADC Commune is now live. In partnership with @northmetrotafe we are taking you behind the making of our Gold Skull. 💀
It is a powerful reminder of how much creative potential exists right here in our community with every lucky recipient of the award taking away a hand-crafted and uniquely individual piece as artistic as their gold-winning work itself. A genuine artistic process!
Hear from Kevin Wilson, Ross Scotland and Eric Schneider, creators of the 2024 and 2025 Gold Skull trophies on their process, vision and craft from initial concept to the end result.
🎟️ Link in bio for your ticket!
This year’s PADC Student Skulls program is well underway with presentations underway at @northmetrotafe last week, and @curtindbe next. Huge thanks to our student leads @sandz.studio and @leedeville for leading the charge!
If you’re a student, recent grad or design educator and would like to get involved, keep an eye out on our socials or get in touch. This year’s brief is going to be bigger than ever! 🙌
PADC PROFILE 🙌
“I enrolled in design at midnight, and by the next morning, I knew I wasn’t going back.” – Sandra Lopez, Digital Designer and Developer, and PADC Student Committee Member.
Sandra had already spent three and a half years studying architecture. “I was scared to change once I’d committed,” she admits. “I’m the daughter of immigrants, and from my parents’ perspective, design didn’t feel like a sustainable pathway.” But on her first day at TAFE, learning Adobe Illustrator, everything clicked. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, I love this.’ And that was it.”
She studied for two years and won the PADC Student Skulls Award for Digital Experience. “Winning this brief at Student Skulls became a turning point. It is what sparked my interest in UX and digital design, and helped me understand where I wanted to take my career long term. I used it in my portfolio and got the job,” she says simply.
Entering industry was overwhelming. “A baptism of fire.” Later, she applied for She Codes. “It was an opportunity to learn how to build the things I was designing. It added a skill to my freelance toolkit and broadened my understanding of UX and digital design within tech. And honestly, learning to code wasn’t something I ever thought I’d be able to do.”
And even after being made redundant from her tech role, Sandra didn’t step back. She upskilled in business studies to help grow freelance opportunities, and broadened her skills in craft, finding joy again in painting after more than ten years without picking up a brush. “People joke that I collect hobbies,” she laughs. “Maybe I just follow the dopamine? But if the objective is to learn, then nothing is lost.”
As a woman in tech, she’s had to fight to have her voice heard. “There’s self-doubt, and we all have imposter syndrome, but you can’t be afraid to keep going.”
For Sandra, design is about taking abstract ideas and bringing them to life. It’s about curiosity, growth and not being afraid to pivot. “¿Por qué no los dos?” she smiles. Why not both?
Now, as Student Skulls Lead, it feels like a full-circle moment. “I get to help create that space for others, and I’m really excited about that.”
2025 Skulls Spotlight Series.
The Black Puppy stopped the room. Powerful, purposeful and beautifully executed, this campaign helped people identify the early signs of depression in themselves or in others, and encouraged them to seek support before things escalate.
It didn’t just win on the night.
It set the tone for the year.
A campaign that proved creativity can move people and make a difference.
@hello.rare@beautifulpicturesaust and WA Primary Health Alliance.
Big ideas need the right fuel.
We’re proud to welcome Howard Park as the Official Wine Partner of the Perth Advertising & Design Club and the Skulls Awards.
From pitch nights to podium moments, Howard Park will be helping WA’s creative industry celebrate the wins, the late nights, and every idea in between.
And in a special twist, this partnership comes as Howard Park celebrates 40 years of crafting some of Western Australia’s most iconic wines. A fitting match for a community built on creativity, ambition and great taste.
Here’s to big ideas, great work, and a glass raised together.
Welcome to PADC, Howard Park.
@howardparkwines@lawsonflats
📸 @d03ker@callebolmgren
2025 Skulls Spotlight Series.
Gold Winner for Integrated Brand Campaign.
High Fryer turned a real environmental issue into something impossible to ignore. A 700 metre tower of 7000 pots and pans brought the problem to life and launched a national recycling program in the process.
Big thinking, executed boldly.
By @kitchenwarehouse@berlinaustralia
