Modern Atlanta

“CRAFTdesign” Talk at The High reveals Design’s Other Side   

Moderated by Linda O’Keeffe, Creative Director, Metropolitan Home,  CRAFTdesign is an informative and entertaining discussion about the rising interest and contemporary design’s acceptance of the detail-oriented, intellectual and oftentimes emotional appeal achieved by combining craft values and design. The result is the creation of desirable “hybrid” new antiques and expressive objects that borrow from craft traditions while ever mindful of the fact that  we live in modern times.

 CRAFTdesign is moderated by Linda O’Keeffe, Creative Director, Metropolitan Home.

CRAFTdesign Panelists

Dan Formosa, Design & Research, Smart Design

A founding member of Smart Design, Dan specializes in ergonomic research, user interface design, industrial design and the development of product criteria. With a BA Industrial Design from Syracuse University and MA and PhD in Ergonomics and Biomechanics from New York University, Dan specializes in developing products for people with a wide range of user abilities, including people with arthritis, dexterity and vision problems in the mainstream target market. Recipient of numerous design awards, Formosa’s work has been selected for national and international exhibits. His clients include: Hewlett-Packard, OXO International, LG Electronics, Johnson & Johnson, and Microsoft.

Smart Design has been turning insight and innovation into successful consumer experiences for over 25 years. Our strategic approach integrates product and brand to ensure winning solutions. Smart Design’s consistent results are delivered by its multi-disciplinary, international staff working in teams across offices in New York, San Francisco and Barcelona.

Manfred Junker, Chief Designer, Poggenpohl Mobelwerk

Poggenpohl is Germany’s first kitchen brand established in 1892 by Friedemir Poggenpohl. More recently, under the creative direction of Manfred Junker, Poggenpohl Moblewerk has received more than 10 internationally recognized design awards, including the prestigious Red Dot and Good Design awards for its innovative kitchen architecture and timeless aesthetic. In 2007 Junker collaborated with Porsche Design Group in creating Poggenpohl’s much acclaimed and unique Porsche P’7340 kitchen.

Claudia Winegarden PhD, Professor, ID Program, GA Tech College of Architecture

A native of Córdoba, Argentina, Dr. Winegarden studied industrial design at Universidad Nacional de Córdoba and teaches industrial design at Georgia Tech Industrial Design Program.  Claudia’s focus is on a wide scope of expertise in the broad areas including industrial/product design, human-computer interaction (HCI), information visualization and learning environments.  Dr. Winegarden’s passion is applying a holistic, innovative and multidisciplinary approach towards design practices that yield the integration of human-centered, seamless non-invasive technologies and the physicality of the product into one unified experience. Dr. Winegarden’s work has been published in numerous books and magazines, including Becoming a Product Designer.

More on CRAFTdesign

With the success of craft-designers like Hella Jongerius, CRAFTdesign explores design’s inner soul; and at the same time challenges design’s conventional wisdom by arousing curiosity through a prism of emotion, art, irony, imperfection, fascination, storytelling, and humor rather than just a convergence of precision, function, materials, and technology.

 Bovist decorative floor cushion by Hella Jongerius for Vitra, available at (context)

CRAFTdesign Moderator and Panelists Introduced by Preeti Ayyangar

All furnishings and objects, courtesy (context) www.contextgallery.com

CRAFTdesign takes place 14 May 2009, 7:30pm – 8:30pm in Hill Auditorium, Atlanta High Museum of Art.

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