Innovative designs that show the courage to change – exhibition opening!

Innovative designs that show the courage to change – exhibition opening!

The annual exhibition of the German Design Graduates opens on September 3, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. with the motto “Dare to Design – Spaces of Care”. This presentation presents 45 innovative theses from graduates of German design and art universities that draw the thread between design, critical action and care. A preview tour and spotlight presentations will take place at 5:30 p.m. on opening day. Loud Folkwang University The German Design Graduates initiative shows the diversity of universities and promotes young design graduates by presenting their work in an online archive.

This year's exhibition contains two notable projects. The first, **Discourse & Form**, is by Dominik Bärenz, a master's student in communication design, whose final project will be completed in September 2024. Bärenz investigates the visual representation of abstract discourses and combines linguistic discourse analyzes with design methods in order to clearly convey insights and promote interdisciplinary collaboration.

Innovative approaches to design

The second project, **STILL TIME TO PLAY**, was developed by Sarah Kinzer, a bachelor's graduate in industrial design, in cooperation with GENAN GmbH. It involves the design of a playground for adults with three sculptural play objects. The goal is to promote playful experience and well-being instead of prioritizing productivity.

The initiative, which has been supported by the German Design Council since 2022, aims to establish closer links between young designers and the networks of the design industry. In this way she would like to make a contribution to the further development and promotion of contemporary design.

A further aspect of design research is the cooperation between the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This partnership, signed on November 2, 2022, aims to advance sustainable design and innovative solutions in the fields of computer science, digital technologies and their practical applications. A shared vision is to address the global challenges anchored in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Loud HPI Teachers and students from both institutions are connected to achieve social impact. Prof. Christoph Meinel, Managing Director of the HPI, emphasizes that the collaboration opens up new opportunities for research and students.

The research collaboration is managed by the MIT Morningside Academy for Design (MAD), which promotes interdisciplinary education, research and innovation. This initiative not only offers half-yearly research workshops and quarterly virtual seminars, but also an annual student exchange. Ralf Herbrich, professor at HPI, emphasizes the central role of design research for sustainability and innovation.

The HPI in particular is considered a center of excellence for digital engineering and offers practical courses in computer science. The HPI School of Design Thinking is also one of the first European innovation schools and is in high demand among students, as 300 places are available for additional studies every year. Further information on these developments can be found in the current anthology “Design × Sustainability”, which was recently published and on Dustinjessen is available.