The development and implementation of the final project output – Practicing Design Training Course aims at enhancing the quality and relevance of the learning offer in educational and training segments of partner organizations. On the long run the project will enable the organizations to become relevant stakeholders in international discussions about design education.
Austria
designaustria (DA) – Knowledge Centre & Interest Organisation
Founded in 1927, designaustria is Europe’s third oldest design association. Operating as an interface between the European economy and the creative industries, the organisation aims to connect these two players through numerous projects, such as workshops, exhibitions, conferences, publications and design competitions. designaustria seeks to improve the prerequisites for an ideal environment for the design industry to work in. designaustria makes use of a large international network of professionals through its active memberships with BEDA and Icograda. designaustria offers profound competence in counselling students, professionals, and SMEs – both design and manufacturing companies – in all matters related to the design practice and strategic design management. It is designaustria’s goal to raise and establish sustainable design awareness within European SMEs, to measure, evaluate and promote the value of design, and to advance design and copyright protection.
Web: http://www.designaustria.at/
Croatia
Croatian Designers Association (CDA)
CDA is a NGO that gathers design practitioners and theorists. Its main goals are to advocate and promote professional and social interests of designers and to raise public awareness on the importance of design for social and economic development. CDA was involved in establishing the School of Design in Zagreb, which had radically changed the framework of design activity and higher design education in Croatia. In 1999 CDA launched a series of biennial Exhibitions of Croatian Design. Activity increased since 2009 when the association was finally able to organize regular exhibition program, lectures and public discussions in its own space. From then on, the CDA Gallery serves as a platform for exploring different strategies of exhibiting contemporary design in a gallery context and it also developed a series of small scale research-based exhibits exploring relevant topics, thus contributing to dissemination of design knowledge. Besides already mentioned, throughout the years, CDA had developed several activities that foster informal education – Design 101, design festival D Day that serves as a knowledge exchange platform for young designers, and other specialized programs for professionals such as Typographic course, Design discourse etc.
Web: http://dizajn.hr/
Vern University of Applied Sciences
Vern is a successful educational institution with main mission to equip students with competencies of expertise, entrepreneurship and business-orientation by academic excellence and socially responsible entrepreneurial action, through the interaction, fulfillment and satisfaction. Vern’s institutional goal is to enable good-quality, efficient, just and international higher education, which contributes to competitiveness of the Croatian society. Within this goal, Vern’s target is to become an innovative and entrepreneurial university by the year 2020. One of the most recent Vern activities – Development of Bachelor Degree Program Entrepreneurship in Applied Arts and Design deals particularly with those goals in relation to design education and will serve as a platform for testing some of the hypothesis of Practicing Design project.
Web: http://www.vern.hr/
Prostoria d.o.o.
Prostoria, situated close to Zagreb, operating in factory on 5000 m2, employing 85 people and currently present in Europe, USA, South America, Australia, Middle and Far East markets. Prostoria is formally a young company, but well recognized locally, regionally and internationally. In a 5-year period the company has launched a mixed portfolio of sofas, sofa beds, armchairs, chairs, coffee tables, hangers and accessories. Prostoria has a yearly growth from 20-30% in sales. This growth is mainly due to fresh and innovative design. Design is integrated in the business from the very start of the production thanks to the Design competition and collaboration with Croatian Designers Association and Croatian designers that have helped us launch a couple of runner products that brought the company a great recognition. These collaborations that embody collaboration and knowledge exchange have proven to be the best path for the continuous growth of the company. Prostoria pursues quality and long-term profitable business growth in an ethical, financially responsible and sustainable manner.
Web: http://www.prostoria.eu/
Macedonia
Public Room Skopje (PRS)
PRS was founded in 2007 as a NGO that empowers the non-profit sector locally and regionally, influences the national cultural policies and intensifies the cooperation in the fields of culture – especially arts, design and architecture in relation to business sector. The organization sets up and implements programs and events for professionals, in order to promote open and democratic societies within the region. In cooperation with well-established cultural, business and educational partners PRS organizes and offers alternative short term training courses in those areas not covered by standard educational programs. Since 2011 Public Room has been developing and organizing an international platform for design and business exchange – Skopje Design Week with the aim to create public debate, idea development and realization cultural exchange.
Web: http://publicroom.org/
Faculty of Art and Design, European University in Skopje
The mission of The Faculty of Art and Design is to train a specialized personnel of designers which can implement their knowledge as a creative expression in three major art departments: Graphic, Fashion and Interior design. Our graduates, educated in accordance with the European and world standards are qualified to successfully apply their acquired knowledge on the working market both locally and internationally, thus contributing and improving the conditions for establishing recognizable “brands” of Macedonian products.
Web: http://eurm.edu.mk
Zavar Company d.o.o.
Zavar is a family owned company established in 1988. Its main activity is production of process equipment and pressure tanks from special materials. In 2003 Zavar has established Zavar Design brand with a main mission to develop design products made of metal and stainless steel. The company currently employs 60 people with the turnover of 1.3 million Euro in which Zavar Design makes 15% of the total business. Zavar Company is export-oriented company, cooperating with UK, Germany, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, and Italy. The main export products are pressurized process tanks for chemical and pharmaceutical industry, water treatment tanks, stainless steel furniture and accessories for shops and designer radiators. The company is continuously investing in R&D, innovation and standardization.
Web: http://www.zavar.com.mk/