Giradora, designed by Alex Cabunoc and Ji A You, cuts the water and time needed for laundry.
Students and staff at Art Center’s Designmatters program will make their mark on Fast Company’s upcoming issue dedicated to design.
The magazine has named three students from Designmatters as finalists in its annual Innovation by Design competition in the Student Designs category for their designs dedicated to those in developing countries.
Kim Chow designed the clip-on faucet device, Balde A Balde, that turns any water basin into a source of flowing water for those who lack running water in their homes. And Alex Cabunoc and Ji A You created a $40 foot-powered washer, Giradora, which cuts the water and time needed for laundry.
President Lorne Buchman, left, and Trustee and Idealab CEO Bill Gross at Live Talks
Art Center College of Design President Lorne Buchman and Idealab CEO and Art Center Trustee Bill Gross bonded over socially conscious design in India Thursday morning at Live Talks Business Forums, a one-hour conversation focused on innovation and design held in downtown Los Angeles.
Through WorldHaus, longtime entrepreneur Gross has ventured into creating eco-friendly, modular housing in more rural parts of India starting at $2,000. Buchman highlighted furniture created by a Designmatters student that features creative seating with storage for low-income city-dwellers in Bangalore.
“We have to go make a deal with that student and start that right away!” said Gross.
WorldHaus has the goal of adding 200 homes in India this year and increasing that number to 1 million houses by decade’s end. The for-profit company manufactures the structures for $1,800 and owners pay $200 down and $10 a month.
A faculty member and alumna from Art Center’s Designmatters program is among the 13 grant recipients in this year’s SAPPI Ideas that Matter, a program that helps designers create print projects for charitable causes.
Maria Moon developed the Where’s DarylTeachers Guide, a series of curriculum tools to teach teens the realities of gun violence.
The concept and campaign was conceived by students Thomas Banuelos, Damon Casarez, Rhombie Sandoval and Alex Cheng in the Designmatters UNCOOL Studio, along with instructors Elena Salij, Advertising, and Allison Goodman, Graphic Design.
Instead of using images and statistics, which can be too abstract for pre-teens, “Where’s Daryl?” consists of YouTube videos, posters and Facebook pages showing Daryl missing basketball and his girlfriend while he deals with criminal charges.
The pilot program will be implemented this fall and spring in partnership with Los Angeles Unified School District.
The annual SAPPI Ideas that Matter, now in its 13th year, focuses on using design to create social change by pairing designers with nonprofits from around the world to implement their ideas.
“[Ideas that Matter] is a rare platform that brings to the forefront outstanding talent and initiatives that speak loud and clear about the potency of design driven by purpose,” said Mariana Amatullo, vice president of the Designmatters department.
This year’s SAPPI judging panel included five designers from across the country recognized for their commitment to solving social problems.
Sappi Fine Paper North America launched Ideas that Matter in 1999, and since that time, has awarded more than $12 million in grants worldwide.
Idealab CEO Bill Gross, left, and Art Center president Lorne Buchman
Two leading innovators take center stage at Live Talks Business Forums’ first event of the season. Art Center College of Design President Lorne Buchman will interview Idealab CEO Bill Gross about entrepreneurs’ role in social change on Thursday at 8:15 a.m. at architectural firm Gensler’s offices in downtown Los Angeles.
The one-hour talk includes a behind-the-scenes-look at Gross’ latest venture WorldHaus, which manufactures and builds customized homes for families in the developing world for less than $2,000.
A longtime entrepreneur, Gross has launched more than 100 companies in the last 42 years, 40 of which have gone public or been acquired, including the first online business directory (CitySearch), the first paid search engine (Goto.com/Overture) and the first online car retailer (CarsDirect).
Prior to his tenure at Art Center Buchman ran a private consulting firm that focused on identifying philanthropic and private investment sources for nonprofits. Art Center is also home to Designmatters, an innovative program that fuses design and social change.
Live Talks Business Forums are a breakfast-hour series featuring leading executives and thought leaders to give the Los Angeles business community a chance to connect, network and hear new insights.
Tickets are $20 and include a continental breakfast served at 7:45 a.m. Gensler is located at 500 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles.
Don’t miss the launch of Designmatters’ new studio The Next Wave, in which students, in partnership with the US Geological Survey (USGS), will create a campaign to raise awareness among Southern Californians of the profound hazards and affects of a plausible West Coast tsunami.
Join faculty Guillaume Wolf and La Mer Walker next Tuesday, September 11 at 1:45 p.m. in the Faculty Dining Room for a one hour presentation on social transformation, social media and the future of design.
The presentation will be followed by a Q&A with USGS scientists on the topic of tsunami scenarios.
Sometimes finding your true calling can feel like flipping on a light switch. Just ask designer Zorine Pooladian ENVL ’12.
The Environmental Design alum was first turned on to the world of lighting design in an Art Center at Night (ACN) course; these days she’s working on a lighting project she plans to unveil at New York Design Week next year.
We sat down recently with Pooladian to ask her about her ACN experience, and here’s what she told us:
“I have always loved art and architecture. I grew up in a 300-year-old house in Iran that had high ceilings and walls covered in paintings. As a child, I remember being amazed that somebody could leave something behind that would last for centuries.” Continue reading →
