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Men In Trees: A Look at the Annual Portuguese Cork Harvest

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This is the second piece in a series exploring cork from designer and educator Daniel Michalik. As a prelude to this series, Michalik produced a beautiful photo gallery documenting the cork harvest.

One morning in mid-July, I drove out to the cork forest of southeastern Portugal with Joana Mesquita and Raquel Castro of Corticeira Amorim (the world's leading producer of cork stoppers) looking for cortiçadores: the men and women that spend three months a year stripping bark from cork oak trees. What I found was an industry unlike any other—one that is predicated on environmental and cultural stewardship as a means to economic success. A natural resource that grows more robust and healthy with regular and responsible development.

Portugal is the world's single largest supplier of cork, producing over 53% of all exports of cork stoppers and related products. This small country boasts almost 1 million hectares of cork forest. Of these, many are wild, natural forests like the ones I have visited. It is estimated that Portugal's cork forests absorb 14 million tons of CO2 from the atmosphere every year. A cork oak is harvested every 9 years, and the forests are on yearly, rotating harvest cycles. While one area is harvested, the others are left alone to grow.

cork-2_land.pngcork-2_land2.pngCork trees as seen from a balloon over the Alentejo region of Portugal, near the town of Beja, 2 hours SE of Lisbon.

Trees damaged by human hands will not produce profitable raw material, so a unique model of natural material sourcing has developed in which profitable extraction leads to numerous environmental improvements. Forest protection (and protection of related habitats) is the key to maximizing the profitability of the yearly cork harvest. It is estimated that dozens of species would be extinct were it not for the cork forest, including the Iberian Lynx and Imperial Eagle. The concentration of biodiversity within the European cork forest makes it one of the world's best models of wildlife conservation.

cork-6_cross.pngTrunk showing inner bark that carried nutrients, with two consecutive harvest cycles, spanning 18 years. The inner bark is kept from damage during harvest, as healthier trees make for more profitable forests (and better environmental conditions overall).

The cork forest, or montado, is a hot, dry place in the summer. Daily temperatures easily run past 35 °C (95 °F) and the dust and flies are incessant. Still, between May and August the cortiçadores work from dawn to dusk at a brisk, almost manic pace. Speed is key because at any other time of year the bark grips fast to the trunk, making any harvest impossible.

We followed the farm manager into the forest, parked our suffering Peugeot in a dusty lot, and climbed into a tiny work van that bumped along impossibly twisted dirt paths, through unforgivingly thick brush, followed by a hike through the brambles to a ridge overlooking the montado. All around us were the cork trees in various stages of being denuded.

We found roughly 30 men working in teams of 2-3 to harvest a dozen or so trees in the area. Some balanced like tightrope walkers on narrow branches, effortlessly swinging their razor-sharp axes and flipping tubes of bark off the branches. Others worked around the main trunks, swinging as high above their heads as possible. They removed 5-meter long sections of cork in a single piece. The bark from an entire tree trunk would be removed in two sections; an entire tree could be stripped in 15 minutes.

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Forthcoming Book on White in Design

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Designing with white is not for the faint of heart. In addition to the sheer maintenance required of a white environment, the absence of color brings form sharply to the forefront, meaning you can think of, love or criticize nothing else.

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Linda O'Keeffe, the former Creative Director of Metropolitan Home magazine, has assembled a photo-heavy tome called BRILLIANT: White in Design that "explores the full spectrum of colors and characteristics inherent in white, exploring how it is used and viewed in art, design, architecture and nature."

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Containing more than 250 photographs showcasing a wide range of residences, retail stores, hotels, spas and offices worldwide, Brilliant: White in Design considers the different aspects of white, a color with unmatched versatility, in a collage of text and imagery. The angelic sister of beige, white is at once stark and glamorous, marrying design styles from different eras and sensibilities flawlessly....

Brilliant is a testament to a color that has retained vibrant appeal throughout the centuries, yet remains prominent in the architecture and design of the present. The book contains projects from across the globe, including France, Japan, Spain, England, Mexico, Canada, South Africa, and the United States. Featured architects and designers include Orlando Diaz-Azcuy, Barbara Barry, Tony Duquette, Anouska Hempel, Zaha Hadid, Syrie Maugham, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Richard Meier, Juan Montoya, Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz, Hugh Newell Jacobsen, Jean Nouvel, Oscar Niemeyer, John Pawson, Andree Putman, David Rockwell, Philippe Starck, Kelly Wearstler, Marcel Wanders and Vicente Wolf. Brilliant also celebrates both up-and-coming and established artists such as Lynn Davis, Andy Goldsworthy, Ann Hamilton, Robert Ryman, Martha Schwartz, John Waters and Rachel Whiteread.

The book is being released today, and should be available at the link above.

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The Nest Learning Thermostat

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Today marks the launch of Silicon Valley startup Nest Labs' Learning Thermostat, a device that is exactly what it sounds like and much more: a thermostat that learns from user behavior to create a custom heating and cooling schedule. Company founders Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers—who spearheaded the design and engineering of the iPod, respectively—found it "unacceptable... that the device that controls 10 percent of all energy consumed in the U.S. hadn't kept up with advancements in technology and design."

According to the U.S. Department of Energy and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, the annual energy bill for a typical single-family home is approximately $2,200, with heating and cooling (HVAC) accounting for approximately half of the bill. The programmable thermostat, developed in the 1970s, promised to help people conserve energy, but 89 percent of owners rarely or never set a program (source: ACEEE, 2010). The devices are simply too complicated. In fact, Energy Star revoked its certification of all thermostats in 2009 when it became apparent that people weren't actually engaging with programmable thermostats to reach their proper functionality.

Nest addresses the programming problem through a combination of sensors, algorithms, machine learning, and cloud computing. Nest learns behaviors and preferences and adjusts the temperature up or down accordingly, making you comfortable when you're home and saving energy while you're away. Nest also provides people with tips and information to help them make energy-saving choices.

Thus, the Nest Learning Thermostat sets new standard for climate control: while the device learns continuously throughout its lifetime, the first week of operation is purely a schedule acquisition period. The UI/UX is vaguely iPod-like in its intuitiveness: rotate the (brushed aluminum) outer ring in either direction to adjust the temperature.

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Wi-Fi connectivity allows for remote control via network devices—i.e. laptop, smartphone or tablet—as well as metrics and syncing with weather.

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Along with requisite temperature sensors, the Nest is also equipped with activity and ambient light detectors so it knows when you're home, so a (secure) mobile app also allows for even remoter control.

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"Graphic Design: Now in Production" at the Walker Art Center Through January 22, 2012

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This past weekend saw the opening of the Graphic Design: Now in Production—an extensive new exhibition that examines the remarkable growth of the field over the past decade—at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, MN. "This major international exhibition explores how graphic design has broadened its reach dramatically over the past decade, expanding from a specialized profession to a widely deployed tool."

WalkerArtCenter-GDNIP-Buchanan.jpgPeter Buchanan-Smith - Best Made American Felling Axes (2009)

This phenomenon is attributable to several factors, from the advent of Web 2.0 to the accessibility of software tools to "innovations in publishing and distribution systems," which has enabled "people outside the field... to create and publish visual media." Conversely, "designers are becoming producers: authors, publishers, instigators, and entrepreneurs employing their creative skills as makers of content and shapers of experiences."

Graphic Design: Now in Production explores design-driven magazines, newspapers, books, and posters as well as branding programs for corporations, subcultures, and nations. It also showcases a series of developments over the past decade, such as the entrepreneurial nature of designer-produced goods; the renaissance in digital typeface design; the storytelling potential of titling sequences for film and television; and the transformation of raw data into compelling information narratives.

WalkerArtCenter-GDNIP-Eatock-FeltTip.jpgWalkerArtCenter-GDNIP-EatockFeltTip1.jpgDaniel Eatock - Felt-Tip Print (2006) & Pantone Pen Print (2006)

The curatorial team consists of Ian Albinson (artofthetitle.com), Andrew Blauvelt (Walker Art Center, Jeremy Leslie (9magCulture.com), Ellen Lupton (Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum) and Armin Vit and Bryony Gomez-Palacio of Brand New. Together, they've selected works from over 200 designers, dating to no earlier than 2000, for the massive exhibition, which runs until January 22, 2012.

Graphic Design: Now in Production is the largest museum exhibition on the subject since the Walker's seminal 1989 exhibition Graphic Design in America: A Visual Language History, and the Cooper-Hewitt's 1996 comprehensive survey, Mixing Messages: Graphic Design in Contemporary Culture. Appropriately, this exhibition is being developed jointly with the Cooper-Hewitt.

WalkerArtCenter-GDNIP-Illenberger-Sex.jpgSarah Illenberger - Infographic for "The Truth about Sex" for Neon Magazine (2008)

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Tonight: Hand-Eye Supply Curiosity Club presents Patrick Short of Comedy Sportz

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Tonight, Core77 is excited to present Patrick Short, General Manager of Portland ComedySportz, to the Hand-Eye Supply Curiosity Club hosted at the Hand-Eye Supply store in Portland, OR. Come early and check out our space or check in with us online for the live broadcast!

Tuesday, Oct. 25th
6PM PST
Hand-Eye Supply
23 NW 4th Ave
Portland, OR, 97209

ComedySportz' Patrick Short has led corporate improv workshops since 1989; with the help of the international Applied Improvisation Network, he's developed a series of workshops for Design Thinking. Improv theory and practice clearly illuminate the mindsets needed for project and team success. Sample what improv can bring you in a fun, fast-paced hour that just might change how you see everything.

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Patrick Short (General Manager, Workshop Designer and Lead Teacher) began with ComedySportz in 1987, as General Manager and performer/teacher for ComedySportz-San Jose. Mr. Short also worked for 13 years in the high-tech industry as a sales consultant and marketer of manufacturing and distribution software solutions. He received the Master of Fine Arts in Stage Direction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1986 and is responsible for day-to-day operations of Viewers Like You, LLC. A member of the Applied Improvisation Network, Patrick designs our Corporate Training Workshop Syllabi, wrote the chapters on corporate training for the ComedySportz Manual and still teaches our ComedySportz 101 classes.

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DesignPhiladelphia 2011: Better Blocks Philly

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bbp-qol2.jpegInstallation of the Philly Works Quality of Life map

Better Blocks Philly is a community-driven design project that took place throughout DesignPhiladelphia, which just wrapped up on Sunday. Inspired by the original Better Blocks Dallas, the goal of this project was to create a more pleasant and safer pedestrian environment by utilizing vacant retail spaces, employing traffic calming strategies and hosting community events. This project took place along several streets in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood in Southwest Center City, Philadelphia. Catalyzed by SOSNA (South of South Neighborhood Association), Better Blocks Philly joined forces with Philly-based urban planning & landscape architecture firms WRT and Brown & Keener.

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The foundation of Better Blocks Philly was focused on how to make the streets safer with traffic calming strategies, utilizing techniques new and old to the urban grid—chicanes (curb extensions) that shift traffic to create an S-shaped path of travel), mid-block crosswalks provide more frequent crossing opportunities near major pedestrian destinations, additional loading zones were created in front of a busy YMCA, and bump-outs (curb extensions) that protrude into the street either mid-block or at an intersection to prevent parking at intersection corners, reducing the street crossing distance, and when located at crosswalks, improving the visibility of pedestrians to motorists.

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Nanovo's Communist-Era Vintage Objects are Retro Czech Chic

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As an American it's easy for me to find websites and stores loaded with vintage American objects, and you needn't look further than our auto industry to see designers wistfully looking backwards. But I'm keen to see this vintage hankering taking place in other countries as well, particularly ones that had completely different political systems.

So I was psyched to come across Nanovo, an online retailer selling Communist-era Czechoslovak design items. It's run by Jirka Mrázek and Adam Karásek, two twentysomething Praguers who scour thrift shops throughout their country looking for ID gold from the 1960s, '70s and '80s: Furniture, lighting, tableware, electronics and more. The website currently contains nearly 150 items all photographed and catalogued; some of the designs look as if the designers were definitely peering over the Iron Curtain while others look as if they've landed here from outer space.

The online Czech magazine Czech Position has a profile up on Mrázek and Karásek detailing what they do:

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mo: Flexible Bike Share and Urban Mobility System

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What if you were rewarded for biking to work each day? What if your city had a fleet of bikes and cars integrated with its public transportation system. Introducing mo, a new concept in urban mobility. The team at LUNAR Europe teamed up with the University of Wuppertal and Green City e.V. to concept a full urban mobility system for Munich, Germany that could be scaled for cities around the world.

The mo system, at it's heart, is a fully integrated share model which connects existing public transportation options with rental vehicles: bicycle and cargo bikes, electric bikes and cars. The fleet is spontaneously accessible allowing citizens to transport bulky goods or jet-set speed off for a quick breath of country air. A smart phone app allows users to book a vehicle, use location-based services to locate a hub, organize group meetings and access user information. And the best part of all? The more you bike, the more rewards you accumulate. mo rewards bicycling (even on your own bike) with a point system based on miles biked that can be put towards electric bike charging stations or even car rentals.

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"POPI" Umbrella by Massimo Battaglia

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Italian industrial designer Massimo Battaglia goes by Givingshape for his independent line of product design work. We were fans of his "Pratonzolo" desktop organization solution from earlier this year, and his latest design, "Popi," is also worth a gander.

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It's essentially an umbrella that folds into its own handle, purportedly solving "all the problems related to foldable umbrellas improving comfort and portability." The advantages are twofold: the handle is larger and more comfortable, and the umbrella doesn't require a separate storage solution since it keeps its own case dry. "Operation is simple: just pull the top cap and pull out the umbrella as if it were a common folding umbrella to close it again just do the reverse."

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Incase is seeking a Product Photographer in San Francisco, California

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Product Photographer
Incase

San Francisco, California

Incase, the global lifestyle brand and leader in carrying solutions and innovations, is currently looking for a Product Photographer to work in their award-winning design and development studio located in the SOMA district. He or she will be responsible for shooting all product photography to be used in print and online and working with various teams to ensure quality and consistency across the product imagery.

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Designing Conversations at MoMA's Talk to Me Symposium

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With the title Talk to Me, the design exhibition currently on view at MoMA is naturally required to include some lectures, talks and curated conversations around and about the content. That content, which includes recent design work using and addressing technology to communicate, is fantastic, but also takes some time and focus to get through. The objects, videos and concepts on view are both about, and often require, the complexity and delight of communication and interaction. Simply, it's not a show one can merely peruse (great stimulation = quick brain drain). Lucky for us, MoMA Senior Curator Paola Antonelli hosted a Symposium last week in which, appropriately, several designers, artists and activists talked about the works in the show, design and communication.

The event kicked off with a keynote conversation and presentation with Antonelli, Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich of Radiolab, writer Steven Johnson, and Eyewriter co-designer Zach Lieberman. In a loosely-guided discussion, they talked about designs, both in our everyday and the exhibition, which address the increasingly blurred line between human and machine. (One irresistable highlight being "Hi, a real human interface" by Multitouch Barcelona that we wrote about last week.)

The Radiolab guys talked about their uneasy attraction to "Julie," the perky and friendly computerized voice of the Amtrak customer service system. (Watch this Saturday Night Live skit where Julie mingles at a party, and you'll get it.) And of course, with it just released a week prior, Siri, Apple's new assistant-on-demand living in the iPhone 4S quickly came up. They also discussed a few more blatantly attractive (by way of being cute) responsive robots: the talking stuffed animal Furby, and Kacie Kinzer's Tweenbot, which is in the exhibition.

furby.jpgFurby

tweenbot.jpgKacie Kinzer's Tweenbot

With a simple cardboard body, with big red wheels, two rectangle arms, and paunch belly, topped off with two big black eyes and a smile, the Tweenbot is an endlessly interesting design prop for studying human behavior. Its robotics are totally simple—it rolls. Forward. The key element is its flag, which implores anyone nearby to help it get to where its going. Everyone who sees it smiles, nudges it along, turns it around when it hits a wall. Onstage on Tuesday, Antonelli started it up, and it was saved from falling off the stage a few times.

Radiolab also played a clip from one of their episodes, in which computer scientist Joseph Weizenbaum discusses his invention, ELIZA, a computer therapist. The therapist voice (again female) conducts a conversation with the user by merely repeating back what has been said in a different way or question form. (i.e. Person: "I feel sad today." Computer: "Why do you feel sad?") Weizenbaum found that his employees, even knowing that it was a program, couldn't tear themselves away from talking to it.

With Siri, Julie and ELIZA in mind, Antonelli, Abumrad, Krulwich and Johnson discussed the fast-approaching line of questionable ethics that these robots-disguised-as-humans raise. Johnson pointed out that "one of the biggest fears of humans is mistaking the robot for humans." Are people being deceived by these technologies and designs? Have we lost control to them? Hasn't that always been the fear with new technologies?

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Cape Town to become World Design Capital 2014

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wdc_capetown_2014.jpgThe International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) announced today, that the City of Cape Town (South Africa) has been designated the World Design Capital (WDC) 2014.

Cape Town is the fourth city (after Torino, Seoul and Helsinki) to hold this biennial appointment and marks the first for the African continent.

For Cape Town, the WDC appointment comes exactly two decades after reaching democracy. Cape Town's vision of design is based on socially responsible design, sustainability and innovation, with a focus on enhancing the city's infrastructure to make it a more liveable African City.

Cape Town won the nomination in a short list that also included candidate cities Bilbao (Spain) and Dublin (Ireland).

> press release

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Philips' Impressive "Microbial Home Probe" Concept, Part 1

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Philips has put together a fascinating, comprehensive and holistic green home system called the Microbial Home Probe, now on display at Dutch Design week. The conceptual domestic ecosystem tackles the issues of energy, lighting, food preparation, cleaning, and human waste disposal, embodied in a series of different components, with some impressively outside-the-box thinking.

The Bio-Digester Island is moveable kitchen island that serves not only as a food-prep station, but doubles as the home's energy hub. The cutting board surface directly adjoins a vegetable waste grinder, which in turn feeds into a "digester" that uses bacteria to break down organic waste. The resultant methane gas is used to power the gas range, heat household water, and run the overhead lights.

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The Larder is both the dining room table and an indoor garden, meant to supplant a refrigerator by providing a no-electricity-required evaporative cooler in the center of the table, whose cooling action is paradoxically powered by heat from the methane digester mentioned above. Overhead, fresh vegetables are grown in varieties that depend on what the local climate will allow.

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Fully Functional Nikon Camera Costume by Tyler Card

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This DIY Halloween costume has been making blog rounds since Tyler posted it a couple days ago, but it's too good not to share here. The Grand Rapids, Michigan-based designer—a photographer by trade—has designed exactly what it sounds like: a fully functional Nikon camera costume.

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Tyler would also like to thank the "awesome beard behind the sign" Card, Adam Barr, who documented the project in a similarly DIY making-of video:

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DRC x 2011: Research Photography Workshop

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drc_workshop.jpegReporting and Images by Ciara Taylor

The Design Research Conference kicked off at IIT in Chicago with five half-day workshops. Conference attendees had the option to choose one of the following courses: Building Confidence in Design Sketching, Improv as a Tool for Prototyping, Research Photography, What4: Frame Stretching and Groundhog Day. Although I was able to see a portion of each, I spent most of my time in the Research Photography workshop hosted by Ben McAllister and Amber Lindholm of frog's Austin, Texas branch. This workshop promised to be interactive and dynamic, taking participants outside the classroom to apply the techniques learned in the workshop to the world around them.

Ben and Amber touched on the fundamentals of photography in research. This included tips on the interaction between the researcher and the user. More specifically, how to obtain permission to take someone's photo without losing the moment as well as the importance of keeping the camera visible so that you do not make your subject feel scared or dehumanized. A variety of techniques were also discussed such as photos as research data and, using photos to elicit stories or provoke thought. They also reviewed more technical photography topics, and made suggestions as to what type of lens to use, aperture settings, exposure, flash, and composition. Some key tips worth highlighting are: use a 50mm lens, do not rely on flash, utilize natural light and rely on your aperture and exposure to capture a great photo.

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Building a Successful Furniture Business, Part 5: Hellman-Chang Wonders "How Do We Take Over?"

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In Part 4 we saw Hellman-Chang attract the interest of A. Rudin, a well-established, fourth-generation family-run showroom and furniture line serving interior designers and architects. Now Dan Hellman and Eric Chang have to step up and find the cash, time and manpower to fulfill an order far beyond what they've been able to produce thus far.

And when Dan and Eric head out to visit the flagship Los Angeles showroom, they're in for a Rudin awakening.

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A. Rudin is a discriminating showroom. What do you think they saw in Hellman-Chang, versus others, that made them say "Let's go with these guys?"
Eric: I think they were sold on the brand. They were sold on Dan and myself after sitting down with us and seeing two young creative guys that were enthusiastic and fresh to the market. I think we were able to sell them really well on what we were about as a company that made them think that it was good opportunity for them to jump on it.

They're also more of a transitional showroom, whereas we're more contemporary and they felt it would be a good fit, both for their new New York showroom and to help round out their brand a little more, too. We're at a little more of a higher price point than most of their product line. So we were also bringing a lot to the table for them, I think. All in all it's a really good mutual relationship in that respect.

And now they'd placed this relatively massive order with you. How do you guys tackle this, and what were some of the problems that you had to deal with?
Eric: In the furniture industry, at least within the United States, it's industry standard that the designer/manufacturer—in this case, Hellman-Chang—produces and ships all of those pieces at our own expense. So the showroom didn't order 32 pieces and give us a big check; instead it was "We want these pieces in three months, and then we'll start selling from that." So it was a huge upfront cost for us to start that off, just tens of thousands of dollars.

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A Look at the World Design Capital Bid Videos

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By now you've heard Cape Town has won the bid to be the World Design Capital for 2014. ICSID conferred the honor on the South African provincial capital over its fellow finalists Dublin and Bilbao, two other cities that seemed to have a decent shot.

Selecting the WDC is a complicated and multilayered task requiring assessment of a multitude of factors, but one easily digestible factor we can present here are the video bids put forth. These are essentially 5-10 minute commercials produced by each city advertising why they are an ideal site for a global design capital. First off let's check out the winning video bid by Cape Town, herein dubbed "The New York of Africa:"

As you can see it's a very basic, talking-head-style video using static camerawork, relying on the things being said to provide the dynamism.

Contrast that with Bilbao's high-production-value pitch, and you'll immediately notice a sharp contrast:

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Philips' Impressive "Microbial Home Probe" Concept, Part 2

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Here in Part 2 we continue looking at the radical features of Philips' Microbial Home Probe, a conceptual ecosystem for living that incorporates, as we saw in Part 1, some unusual ideas in sustainable design.

The MHP's Bio-Light system is not for the squeamish, as it uses bacteria to generate illumination. A living "microbial community" with bioluminescent properties is kept alive in hand-blown glass cells contained within a steel matrix. While it is not a practical answer for task lighting or conventional household illumination—the light is wan and certainly doesn't turn "on" right away—it's an interesting first step to take towards lighting that runs completely independently of an electricity grid or batteries.

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Humanscale Faces in the Wild 2011 Art Auction

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Wilson_lg.jpeg"Zarafa" the Giraffe. by Scott Wilson

Since 2000, Humanscale has raised over $390,000 for the World Wildlife Foundation through their annual Faces in the Wild art auction and event. Unique work is created for Faces in the Wild, inspired by endangered species and their habitats. This year's international roster of designers/artists include Dror Benshetrit, Dan Black + Martin Blum, Todd Bracher, Scott Henderson, Harri Koskinen and Scott Wilson. Bid today—the online auction ends on October 31st.

BlackBlum_lg.jpeg...plenty more fish in the sea? by Dan Black + Martin Blum

Benshetrit_lg.jpegOncilla. by Dror Benshetrit

scott_henderson_wwf_vulgaris_2011_front_low_res_1_rev_10-15-11.jpgVulgaris. by Scott Henderson

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Seed is seeking a Data Visualization Designer in Brooklyn, New York

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Data Visualization Designer
Seed

Brooklyn, New York

Seed is looking for a Data Visualization Designer to join our team.

The Data Visualization Designer will be a key member of Seed's multidisciplinary design team, working on a wide variety of high-profile, significant, and challenging information design projects in collaboration with designers, data scientists and software engineers. He or she will also have the opportunity to spend time pursuing independent research.

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