Art and design graduates are being ‘treated as slave labour’


Dezeen Wire:
 UK broadcaster Channel 4 reports that a backlash is forming against the prevalence of unpaid internships in Britain, which are particularly popular with graduates in the creative industries.

A number of websites have been set up by graduates and campaigners offering advice to those partaking in internships and rallying support for campaigns that call on the government to introduce tighter regulations – Channel 4 News

Extraordinary Coffee Workshop

Intelligentsia gathers growers from all over the world in Los Angeles
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As the movement to recognize coffee as a serious foodstuff continues to grow, expert farmers from around the world are sharing production methods as a way of increasing quality and as a chance to experiment with new ways of cultivating beans. Intelligentsia, one of the leading artisanal coffee purveyors, is helping to foster these relationships with their Extraordinary Coffee Workshop (ECW), which we recently got to experience in L.A.

The three-day event brought together Intelligentsia growers, producers, co-op managers and top baristas for lectures, discussions, demonstrations and, at one point, a roasting competition. Participants were introduced to Cropster, a system used to support, track and manage farm information, before finishing off the weekend with a six-course dinner with coffee pairings.

What began as a meeting of industry people from Africa, Mexico, Central and South America, transformed into a virtual United Nations of the specialty coffee industry at the ECW, much like the past two ECW workshops in El Salvador and Colombia. According to Geoff Watts, Intelligentsia’s VP and green coffee buyer, “Farmers from Honduras met with growers from Kenya at the ECW in El Salvador. They took what they learned about their approach to processing coffee back to Honduras, did some experiments trying to replicate the Kenyan process. The results were spectacular. They put that coffee into the Specialty Coffee Association annual Coffee of the Year competition and got third place.”

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VP of strategy Kyle Glanville notes, “These guys have become fast friends. After this they go and visit each other and they check out each other’s farms. Our quality has definitely gotten better as we’ve grown. I think a huge part of that is that the producers are not content to just follow tradition, they are actually talking to each other and troubleshooting and improving.”

Experimental farmer Camilo Merizalde hosted the first ECW at his farm in Popayan, Columbia. One of Intelligentsia’s most important direct trade relationships, the workshop prompted Merizalde to visit the farms of the attendees, from Brazil to Bolivia and beyond. Glanville explains, “He went to Ethiopia and then other places, like Yemen, on a fact-finding mission, to compile the world’s best practices, to find out about new varietals, and he has really dramatically changed his farm over the last few years as a result. He’s gone from being a high-quality producer who tries to get a lot of volume to deciding that his farm is going to be a super farm.”

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The L.A. workshop this year gave the growers a chance to experience roasting, cupping, and coffee making at the Intelligentsia cafes in Venice, Pasadena, and Silver Lake. National roasting manager Gabriel Boscana points out, “This is the first time for most of the growers to see what we do in the café. For a lot of them they now understand how seriously we prepare their coffee. We showcase it every day in a little cup. For them to see how much love we put into it is meaningful. For us it was humbling. It puts pressure on us to make their coffee taste good all the time.”

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“A weekend like this helps make this world a little bit smaller,” says Devin Pedde, the educator at the Silver Lake Intelligentsia coffee bar. “We are meeting people who produce the coffee we have been drinking for years. For the producers to be able to get together to talk about their shared struggles of cultivating the land and pruning the trees helps them share tips and tricks. Basically we all want to drink really good coffee and we want to make sure the people who grow good coffee are compensated for it. Everyone learning to improve is really the goal of this workshop.”

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Sarah Kluth, green coffee manager and buyer, reiterated the effectiveness of such a gathering. “We can not overestimate the power of collaboration and that exchange of ideas. A lot of these producers live in mountainous areas, high altitudes, in countries that have poor infrastructures. They don’t have massive paved roads to their houses. You think about that in terms of neighbors and in terms of ideas or communication. They can be isolated within their countries, even with a tradition of how to grow coffee. To get in the same room with all of these other growers and to get them to exchange ideas is incredibly powerful.”

In addition to coffee-making the growers were treated to a road trip to Saarloos and Sons Vineyard, north of Santa Barbara, to explore the kinship between coffee farms and vineyards. Roaster Sam Sabori sums it up: “I was talking about coffee with one of them and he said, ‘Oh I am the producer.’ I told him that I learned so much from his coffee. I can ask the farmers about the dilemmas they face when processing the coffee then I can tie that to my roast and then to the cup and have a taste. It really comes full circle.”

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At the end of the ECW weekend Charles Muriuki from Kenya—a country Watts calls “the gold standard” for coffee—reflected on his first trip to the United States. At the end of a six-course meal at Intelligentsia Pasadena pairing dishes with coffees, he burst into a Swahili song from his childhood, “Kwaheri” or “Goodbye my friends goodbye.” As Muriuki proceeded to lead the group in a sing-a-long, it quickly became apparent that at this business meeting of the major players in the world-wide specialty coffee market, the participants have become much more than colleagues—they have developed a deep bond based on their shared commitment to coffee. “When you get the sense that there are 50 of us here from 15 different countries and we are all working towards the same thing, it creates a sense of family,” said Watts. “It creates a sense that people can advance a lot quicker in solidarity with each other.”


Flotspotting: Raul Gonzalez Podesta’s Retina-Bending Renderings

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Raul Gonzalez Podesta of Buenos Aires, Argentina, has been working for design consultancy Design Plus since 2005, completing both a Bachelor’s and Masters in Industrial Design though apparently it’s taken him as much time to discover our sister portfolio site, Coroflot.

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Of course, we’re more than happy to have him: Raul’s got mad software skills, from Rhino+Vray to Solidworks and Creative Suite. The results are as nice as any consumer product renderings that I’ve seen, and if some of the designs are almost overrefined, they’re always impeccably executed.

Flotspotting-RaulGonzalezPodesta-breathalyzer.jpgThe Soberlink Breathalyzer is one of Raul’s many outstanding designs

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Shoe of the Week: The Suede Clog Bootie

imageWe found it! The perfect fall bootie! Effortless and chic for day or weekend wear, this suede bootie from Madewell totally fits the bill! Whether you’re in collage, in an office or in a car on a the way for a vacay getaway, these pretty, little numbers will be your sole companions for a long time to come!

Click to see them in all their glory!

Hollo

A modular cabinet from the budding Italian furniture-maker Homecode
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The young Treviso, Italy-based company Homecode puts a twist on traditional design with its latest project, Hollo. The basic solid cabinets feature removable modular front doors that come in a wide variety of designs. Simply pop them off their hinges with a handful of screws, and use the piece of furniture as a blank canvas to change the mood of a room.

The customizable patterns come from an elite roster of international artists and designers including Gruppo 407, Julie Joliat, Matteo Cibic and more, all coordinated by art director Andrea Magnani. Their contributions elevate the level of design in a functional cabinet without the added price. Calling itself “the T-shirt of furnishings,” Hollo blends irony and style with easy-to-change convenience and affordability, not to mention the work of an actual T-shirt designer. In addition to graphic artists and illustrators, Hollo has worked with Abiscuit Accident on graphics applied to both furniture and shirts.

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Made entirely in Italy, Hollo ships flat-packed to reduce waste during transit. Choose from the ever-growing range of designs at Hollo’s e-shop, where cabinets are available for €389 and sets of replacement doors for €199.


Winterhouse Second Symposium on Design Education and Social Change

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In October 2010, the Winterhouse Institute brought together 13 representatives of undergraduate or graduate institutions who taught social design in isolated courses or built programs around this area for a special symposium on design education and social change. The goal was to share insights, strategies and concerns about a discipline that has experienced dramatic growth in recent years, yet remains, in its teaching, research and community-oriented practices, inchoate if not chaotic. It was agreed that the first symposium’s participants formed the kernel of a valuable network, and that any subsequent meeting should increase the number of attendees while drilling down on several dominant themes.

Ten months later, the Winterhouse Second Symposium on Design Education and Social Change was convened. This symposium’s 28 participants included seven members from the charter event; the chairs of two new graduate programs in social design; the co-founder of an international NGO; a leader of K-12 design education; an emeritus dean of architecture who is building a consortium of international design schools focused on social urbanism; two administrators of grant programs for design and social change projects; key educators at institutions or programs that had not been represented at the first symposium; a design journalist specializing in business innovation; and the headmaster, dean of faculty and summer portals director at the Hotchkiss School.

The themes that carried over from the previous event and served as a springboard for conversation were:

  • Charting new academic social-design programs and initiatives
  • Forming partnerships between educational institutions, foundations and NGOs
  • Establishing metrics for the efficacy of social design programs
  • Navigating educational requirements and goals while contributing to social welfare
  • Exploiting media platforms for disseminating information about social design
  • Defining social design
  • Outlining opportunities for meeting and collaboration
  • New ideas and proposals for collective action

Read the full report at Change Observer!

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Hot One Inch Action Returns to Hand-Eye Supply – Submit Artwork Now!

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After an absolute blast at Hot One Inch Action’s summer show at Hand-Eye Supply, we couldn’t be more pleased to announce their return to our Portland store on December 1st. What’s more, they are accepting submissions now until Nov. 16th, so submit your tiny art work for the show at their website.

For those of you who missed it the first time—Conceived by Jim Hoehnle and Chris Bentzen in 2004, Hot One Inch Action is the original, one-night only show of button art and social interaction from Vancouver, BC.

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Hot One Inch Action reproduces the tiny art of 50 local artists on one inch buttons. At the show, we sell mixed packs of 5 buttons for $5. If you want a specific button, you’ll either have to take a chance and buy more mixed packs of random buttons OR trade with the other people at the event.

With none of the pretentiousness of a regular art show, everyone interacts out of necessity—”I want that button!”—and the evening becomes a relaxed and fun event for people of all-ages.

Hot One Inch Action is now accepting artist submissions for all of its 2011 shows (Seattle, WA, Vancouver, BC, and Portland, OR). It’s free to submit and chosen artists receive 20 free copies of their button. Each show highlights and showcases local artists from their respective cities, all Portland artists, designers, photographers and button enthusiasts are encouraged to submit! The submission deadline for the Portland show is Wednesday November 16 at 12pm (noon).

Thursday, Dec. 1st
Admission is free. Mixed packs of 5 buttons are $5.
6PM – 9PM PST
Hand-Eye Supply
23 NW 4th Ave
Portland, OR, 97209
RSVP on Facebook

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Exhibition: Ghost of Gone Birds

London’s Rochelle School in Shoreditch is currently hosting an exhibition of images of 300 extinct birds created by artists including Jamie Hewlett, Ben Newman, Sir Peter Blake, Ralph Steadman, Margaret Atwood, Rob Ryan, Kai & Sunny, Le Gun (The Tragic Death of the White Gallinule, shown above) and Billy Childish…

The show, entitled Ghosts of Gone Birds, runs until November 23 and has been created in aid of BirdLife International‘s Preventing Extinctions programme. Over 100 artists were invited to choose an extinct bird and produce a piece of art inspired by that particular bird and celebrating its glory days. Birds celebrated in the show include the Dodo, the Matinique Amazon Parrot, the Black Mamo and the Great Auk. Here is a selection of some of our favourite works in the show:


Jamie Hewlett’s illustration of a Hawaiian Crow


This Bishop’s ‘O’O is by Ben Newman


Sculptor Harriet Mead created this King Island Emu


The Great Auk – as imagined by Bruce Pearson


Dead As A Dodo, by Sir Peter Blake


Jack Teagle‘s painting of a Black Mamo


Billy Childish created this image of a Reunion Owl


This is one of three pieces by Kai & Sunny designed to be shown as a triptych

This is the Pallas’s Cormorant by Ralph Steadman who, rather than simply pick one bird, has illustrated 100 birds specially for the exhibition

Ghosts of Gone Birds runs until November 23 at the Rochelle School, Arnold Circus, London E2 7ES

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CR in Print

Not getting Creative Review in print too? You’re missing out.

In print, Creative Review carries far richer, more in-depth articles than we run here on the blog. This month, for example, we have nine pages on Saul Bass, plus pieces on advertising art buyers, Haddon Sundblom, the illustrator who ensured that Coke will forever be linked with Santa Claus, Postmodernism, Brighton’s new football ground and much more. Plus, it’s our Photography Annual, which means an additional 85 pages of great images, making our November issue almost 200-pages long, the biggest issue of CR for 5 years.

If you would like to buy this issue and are based in the UK, you can search for your nearest stockist here. Based outside the UK? Simply call +44(0)207 292 3703 to find your nearest stockist. Better yet, subscribe to CR for a year here and save yourself almost 30% on the printed magazine.

UP by Yves Behar for Jawbone

UP by Yves Behar and Jawbone

Electronics brand Jawbone have launched a wristband by San Francisco designer Yves Behar that monitors your every move then tells you what to do.

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A motion sensor in the UP wristband tracks daily activity, exercise and sleep phases, then relays this data to a smartphone app that gives advice for a healthier lifestyle.

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It also has a tiny vibration motor that acts as a silent alarm and can be programmed to nudge you into activity.

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The app includes a food diary so you can take photos of your meals and note how your body reacts.

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The wristband plugs directly into an iPhone, iPad or iPod through the headphone socket and the rechargeable battery lasts for up to ten days, fully charging in 80 minutes.

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The band has a springy steel core that’s adjusted by squeezing it around the wrist, although it also comes in three sizes.

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It’s designed to be worn 24/7 and is covered in a sweat-proof, waterproof, thermoplastic rubber.

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This time last year fuseproject and Jawbone launched the Jambox wireless speaker – watch an interview about it that we filmed with Behar in Milan on Dezeen Screen.

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See all our stories about fuseproject here.

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Here are some more details from Jawbone:


Jawbone, a leading innovator of products and services for the mobile lifestyle, today unveiled UPTM, a revolutionary system that consists of a small wristband and an engaging App for iPhone and iPod touch that work together to track your daily activity, sleep patterns, and eating habits helping you live a healthier life. UP, originally previewed at TED Global, also integrates a social experience and open content platform to motivate you with personal and team challenges tailored to help you achieve your goals.

Global health is on a disturbing and rapid decline: chronic lifestyle induced conditions such as heart disease, certain forms of cancer, and diabetes are now the leading cause of death in the US and many other parts of the world. The World Economic Forum predicts the global costs of these non-communicable diseases will reach a staggering £30 trillion over the next 20 years. Research shows that simply moving more, improving sleep quality and eating healthier can help prevent most of these lifestyle diseases, yet lasting behavior change is often difficult to achieve. Further studies have however shown that when people are aware of and engaged in their health and can stay consistently involved, they are indeed able to become healthier.

“As the global health crisis mounted, we felt a strong sense of responsibility to see if we could leverage our resources, talents, and ecosystem to try and help make a difference,” said Hosain Rahman, Jawbone CEO and Founder. “UP is Jawbone’s first step in giving people tools to become engaged as consumers of their own health. It’s a complete system designed to integrate seamlessly into one’s total lifestyle, 24 hours a day, not just the few times a week people may work out. We integrated MotionX® with our expertise in building sophisticated technology into small packages, which enabled us to craft a wearable and power-efficient band that beautifully disappears onto your body. And thanks to the success and adoption of the iPhone, millions of users already have beautiful displays and robust computing platforms in their pocket. We harness that amazing display with a fun, engaging iPhone app to bring the band to life. The result is a product experience that you will actually wear and love to keep using.”

UP by Jawbone empowers people to live a healthier life in three key ways: Measure, Engage, and Act.

MEASURE YOUR DAILY PROGRESS

One of the most basic problems in accurately tracking activity is that the sensing device must be on you 24/7 in a form factor that you won’t forget, lose, or dislike wearing. The UP wristband features a sophisticated motion-tracking engine in an attractive, durable, and water-resistant design that seamlessly and unobtrusively integrates into all your daily activities and errands – in the gym, on the trail, with a cocktail dress or business suit, and even in the shower.

“The MotionX® engine inside the UP band is the result of years of technology development and innovation. MotionX is both extremely accurate and power-efficient, which is critical in delivering a 24/7 product experience small enough to wear,” said Philippe Kahn, CEO and founder of Fullpower, developer of the MotionX technology.

The UP App for iPhone ties the experience together by presenting a complete, holistic view of your health.With the “Me” screen, you can get a quick snapshot of your daily activity, how you are sleeping, and what you are eating, while the “Lifeline” feature reveals all of your prior activities (eat, sleep, move) on a continuous timeline. This unique and powerful interface allows you to see your health activity as it relates to each other over time with a simple swipe of your finger.

UP by Jawbone (wristband + App) helps you measure:

  • Activity – The band automatically measures and stores all aspects of your activity: steps, calories burned, distance, pace, and active versus inactive time throughout the day
  • Sleep – The UP band’s sophisticated motion engine automatically tracks all aspects of your sleep including hours slept, time to fall asleep, phases of sleep (deep versus light) and overall sleep quality.
  • Eat – Capturing your meals in a photo journal is as easy as taking a photo with your iPhone or iPod touch. UP tracks where you’re eating, when you’ve eaten, and even asks how you feel after you’ve had time to digest your meal making it an easy way to identify how different foods affect your body.

ENGAGE WITH YOUR FRIENDS

UP helps you stay engaged in reaching your health goals through a collection of friends and people you choose known as your “Team”. Based on the concept of reciprocal motivation, the Team structure creates an environment where individual achievements can be shared with all members so they can cheer on, motivate or compete against their Team. The Team view gives you a snapshot of how each member is progressing towards their personal goals.

The UP App also features a unique Feed screen which gives you an up to date stream of information about all the things you and your friends are doing with respect to your health.

With respect to sharing information and privacy, UP gives you easy-to-use and complete control over the data you want to share with your Team and others. You choose whether or not you want to share at all, if you want to share some things and not others or if you want to share everything – it is totally up to you.

NUDGED INTO ACTION

Throughout your day, UP subtly nudges you into action. It starts with the silent vibration alarm built into the UP band that wakes you at the best moment in your natural sleep cycle so that you get up feeling as refreshed as possible. Similarly, you can set Get Up and Move reminders that subtly vibrates the UP band to alert you when you’ve been inactive after a time period you specify – it’s an easy way to remember to keep moving.

Another unique feature of the UP system is the notion of health challenges. Challenges are a simple way to discover and learn about health activities. They help you create a personalized plan of action to start living healthier by giving you a number of options to stay engaged and motivated to action. Challenges can be individual, competitive, or collaborative across any combination of the three categories: eat, sleep, and move. Built on an open platform, any member in the UP community can create a challenge for their team. Additionally, UP members can join challenges from an ever-growing list of health professionals and organizations through the UP community.

“We think the magnitude of this health epidemic requires an entire community to affect real change and we are delighted to partner with leading innovators. There are so many great folks working on so many great ideas that we created our system as an open platform enabling health experts to connect with individuals in fun, engaging ways that have never been possible before,” continued Rahman. “We want users to find programs and challenges created by experts that are just right for them.”

Jawbone has teamed up with the DailyFeats and GE Healthymagination to create a variety of challenges UP users can sign up for at launch.

AVAILABLE ON NOVEMBER 6

The UP band comes in three sizes (small, medium, large) and seven colors (Dark Black, Dark Brown, Dark Red, Bright White, Bright Silver, Bright Red, Bright Blue) and will be available for £79.99 at Jawbone.com and Apple retailers from November 17th. From January, it will also be available through O2 both online and in store.

The UP by Jawbone App is available today for free from the App Store on your iPhone. The UP wristband is required for the app.

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Ossessione Photoshop, anche a pranzo…design by Todd Borka.
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