Zukarra

Started in 2003, Zukarra has always been about ensuring that customers receive the solution that best suited their need. Back then redefining design, as the name means, was our vision, now it is our essence!

Mike McElwee started the business with an attitude of 'anything goes'. Industrial Design student by day, business entreprenuer every other waking minute. Custom furniture, handyman/house-sitter, and exercise routines were the products of the time.

In February 2005 the business become strictly after hours as Mike took up the position of Head of Design at a start-up business, later to be named Xanita, manufacturers of value added kraft based composite boards. Xanita are fundamentally geared to providing environmentally friendly, printable, lightweight board products. It was here that he was reunited with his childhood passion of looking after the enviroment. Two intensive years later, after working with some of South Africa's top business leaders and industry professionals, Mike broke away to take on Zukarra full time.

A passion for the enviroment along with the knowledge and relationships gained at Xanita paved the way to where Zukarra is today. A business driven by a passion to provide eco-friendly and sustainable solutions.

"We did not inherit the world from our ancestors, we are borrowing it from our children."

2008 sees two new brands forming under the Zukarra name to compliment Design Solutions started in March 2007. Renova is the logical next step to the experience gained in the handyman industry, helping people create homes worthy of the glossy magazine pages the eco-friendly way. Stock is aimed at providing corporate branding & promotional solutions with an eco twist.

We hope that soon you too will form part of our future! Contact us now, and lets get started!

Australia coming last on climate

AUSTRALIA ranks last among wealthy countries in being ready to compete in a clean energy future or play its part in a strong climate treaty, an international report has found.

While the debate in Canberra focuses on whether to pass climate change legislation this year, the analysis by London-based consultants Vivid Economics suggests Australia is already being left behind.

Among G20 nations, Australia is ranked 15th for its readiness to maintain its wealth as the world introduces a price on carbon dioxide emissions.

Only developing nations South Africa, India, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia fare worse.

Australia's poor standing is blamed on its reliance on greenhouse-intensive exports, cars and coal-based electricity.

In terms of being ready to play its part under a pact to limit warming to 2 degrees, it slips down the list to 16th.

''The largest turnarounds in carbon productivity are required by Australia, Turkey, Russia and Saudi Arabia,'' the report says.

''The longer these countries take to achieve these turnarounds, the more costly the eventual transition will be.''

read more: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/australia-coming-last-on-climate-20090913-fm7a.html

How to find an ID job

As an employer we have been frustrated with the poor applications that we have received recently. Here are some of the most major errors we're seeing:

1.Poor grammar, lack of capitalization, typos, poor spelling, and no indication of which job they are applying to. Even if English is your second language, use spell check and grammar check! Ask friends to look things over. Craftsmanship is key.

2.Individual jpgs sent as samples. There is no way we are opening 10 attachments, period. Sorry. You've been rejected. Next!

3.Calling when the ad says no calls - this is a variation of the less common but more annoying version of the, "I'm just stopping by, can you see me now?"

4.No sketches or background material in your portfolio.

5.Not following pretty basic instructions in job wanted ad on how to apply

Here are the ingredients to a great application: Cover letter, Resume, and Samples
Cover Letter - research the company and write a personalized letter. This can be the email that you attach your resume and samples to. Please tell me in this letter which job you are applying to - DUH! I don't care why you want to move to my city (I don't care that your girlfriend live here) but I do care about why you think you are right for my company.

Resume: Please keep this to one page unless you have tons of experience. Sponsored studios don't count as experience, sorry. Include a graduation date. My last post was for a true junior designer. I had juniors trying to appear as if they had 3 or more years of experience. I disqualified those people. Too bad. Be honest.

Samples could be a teaser or a complete portfolio:

Teaser: 1 project with support work or 3-4 projects in final form

Complete portfolio: Should consist of 3-4 projects (minimum 3) from start to finish. You should document your thinking and decision making process from start to finish. We are looking for how much exploration and research you did, mechanical ability, aesthetics, and sensitivity to the user. We want to see the bad ideas you rejected as well as the really crazy ideas your instructor thought were too blue sky. We also want to see your mock ups. We are looking for your visual communication skills - this means sketching. If you can't sketch, it's still better to include your thinking than to not include it.

This is a forum discussion with people in the industry, PEOPLE who interview...

see more: http//boards.core77.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=19771

Thanks AB

When you have a spare four hours....

Essential watching for all designers is the BBC production The Century of Self. It asks deeper questions about the roots and methods of modern consumerism, representative democracy and its implications. It also questions the modern way we see ourselves, the attitude to fashion and superficiality.

see more: http://quicksilverscreen.com/

Papton Chair by Fuchs+Funke

Simple as a paper plane:
A few foldings transform a composite panel into a real lightweight chair of 2kgs only.
A couple of polygons create a clear, graphic unity.

ADU

Creative Entrepreneur is the heart of ADU where they offer you access to free business tools and structured advice. The web link is divided into Business News, Getting Started, Managing your Business, and the tools you need to build and carry on your practice across Contracts and Intellectual Property, Going to Market, Finances, and Marketing your Business.

Business News is updated monthly from a wide range of local and international sources, including The Wall Street Journal, Australian Anthill, Flying Solo, The New York Times, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. Articles focusing on creative businesses cover the ins and outs of running things creatively across both design development and business building.

Getting Started and Managing your Business look at the approach you need to take to balancing the business of design. Written by Stefan Kahn, Founder and Creative Director of Compact Desk, this section offers experience and advice on being a creative entrepreneur, backed up by the tools you need for running your business – sample contracts, agreements, legal terms and checklists developed through the Springboard project. These downloadable documents are essential for understanding, building and managing your business.

see more: http://www.australiandesignunit.com/index.php/design/tool-kit/

Xanita

Masdar City Centre by LAVA

Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA) have won a competition to design the urban centre of Masdar, a zero-carbon, zero-waste city to be built in the desert near Abu Dhabi.

read more: l-a-v-a.blogspot.com

Read between the lines

Last week a visiting Audi board member for sales and marketing, Peter Schwarzenbauer, said that, while design will also be the number one criteria for car buyers, environmental performance was crucial.

“This issue of having environmentally friendly engines will be a ticket to get on the shopping list,” says Schwarzenbauer.

Water water every where...