Article listing | Aalto University

Contemporary Design

Education or exploitation? Navigating design internships in a field of precarious work by Lotfi El Salah

The role of internships is becoming increasingly dominant in design education as the primary way for design students to bridge the gap between their formal education and professional work. Moreover, internships have become a typical arrangement for young and not-so-young designers to start—and sustain—their career. Yet, design interns’ reports show that for many, internships tend to be exploitative opportunities for employers rather than educational experiences for students, who often end up uncredited, overworked, and underpaid. Additionally, educational institutions offer little guidance on navigating this precarious world.

Contemporary Design

Companions for life – an exploration to the emotional dimensions of inanimate objects by Laura Meriluoto

This Master’s Thesis “Companions for life – an exploration to the emotional dimensions of inanimate objects” is a theory-driven study that consists of a written part and an artistic production.

Contemporary Design

Exploring biochar as a carbon-storing and waste utilizing material in a design context by Emma Sivusalo

This thesis approaches biochar, a carbon-rich product utilizing waste biomass, using experimental design as a method. The research contains a theoretical and a practical part and aims to understand biochar’s material properties to explore whether applying biochar-based material combinations as an alternative for more carbon-intensive and energy-heavy materials would allow easing up the emissions generated in the production of artefacts.

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