DESIGN + Coffee | AIGA Los Angeles

Crafting a unique coffee experience isn’t solely about brewing a perfect cup of java; it’s about designing consumer appeal and developing brand relationship with a methodology, menu program, customer service, product architecture, store design, merchandising, packaging and more.

Our city is exploding with third-wave coffee roasters, baristas and cafés. Artisan purveyors are shaping an experience that’s gaining share in the $30 billion/year U.S. coffee market and cultivating a culture of coffee obsession.

Join moderator Julie Wolfson and our panel of coffee crusaders to discuss the opportunities and challenges of designing a high quality coffee experience in Los Angeles.

The Design+ Series explores the creative craft, design processes and artistic nature of non-design fields.

Agenda
7:00PM – Mix & Mingle
7:30PM – Panel Discussion
9:00PM – Q&A

Ticket Pricing
$30 Supporter Members and above
$40 Contributor Members
$45 Non-Members

At the Door
$50 Members & Non-Members
Note: No tickets will be sold at the door if the event sells out.

Requests for cancellation refunds may be granted only up to 24 hours before the event starts.

Parking & Transportation
There is limited on-site parking for this event. Street parking is available nearby. Valet parking is available off of 6th Street. For public transportation visit metro.net for schedules.

Twitter Hashtags & Handles
@AIGALosAngeles
#AIGALosAngeles
#DesignPlusCoffee

Our Moderator

Julie Wolfson is a freelance writer, arts educator and consultant who covers visual and performing arts, lifestyle and design, food, coffee and spirits. She regularly contributes to the LA Times, Cool Hunting, HOW Magazine, The Henry Ford Magazine and Sprudge.
Twitter: @JulieWolfson

Our Panelists

Charles Babinski is the co-owner of G&B Coffee and Go Get Em Tiger, 2015 National Barista Champion, 2015 World Runner-Up and producer of the Almond Macadamia Milk iced latte, proclaimed by the New York Times as the best iced latte in the country.
Twitter: @charlesbabinski

Eden-Marie Abramowicz is the owner of Bastet Coffee, a coffee consultancy, and a former Intelligentsia Coffee barista and head of retail. Coffee lovers may already know her for her starring role in “Barista”, the Sprudgie-Award-winning barista competition documentary.
Twitter: @missedenmarie

Tony Konecny is an industry veteran as a roaster, writer and entrepreneur. He was co-owner of Tonx, a subscription-based coffee service later aquired by Blue Bottle, now called Blue Bottle at Home. Lately, he’s been working with chefs Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson for the coffee program at LocoL.
Twitter: @tonx

Mike Phillips is the Head of Education for Blue Bottle and former co-owner of Handsome Coffee with Tyler Wells and Chris Owens. He is the winner of both the 2008 and 2009 US Barista Championships, and was the first American to win World Barista Championship in 2010.
Twitter: @1shot4theroad
Photograph by @jeffnewton

Julie Smith-Clementi views the multidisciplinary design process as an opportunity to create spaces that both engage and inspire the people who inhabit them. Since 1989, when she joined the design firm that now bears her name, Rios Clementi Hale Studios, she has been integral to the development of countless award-winning projects. In 2001, she co-founded notNeutral, the product design, manufacturing and retail arm of Rios Clementi Hale.
Twitter: @notNeutral