STUDY ABROAD

Step Inside Design, Mar/Apr 2008 by Taute, Michelle

Milan may host the famous furniture fair, but it's Torino, Italy, that earned the impressive title World Design Capital-a crown jointly bestowed by the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (ICOGRADA) and the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design. During its 2008 reign, Torino will host a conference on sustainable design. Changing the Change, from July 10-12. The one-time event focuses on international design research and how this knowledge can transform all the profession's disciplines into environmental leaders. "I think that today design research is too important to be left to the academics alone," says Ezio Manzini, conference scientific coordinator. "We see a new wave of design research that is emerging from industries and professional design agencies." * www.changingthechange.org

MICHELLE TAUTE, a former editor at I.D., has written for HOW, Metropolis, Architectural Record and others. She's the author of Design Matters: Brochures 01 from Rockport. www.michelletaute.com