PREFACE

Text — Prof. Birgit Mager

Another year of projects, events, awards, guest lectures and celebrations has gone by at Köln International School of Design. The 20th anniversary has been celebrated modestly: the anniversary of a model of design education that is, by its very nature, provocative.

One of KISD´s central goals has always been the analysis and communication of a contemporary understanding of design, design that is not simply art’s little sister, trying to beautify and style the material world. No. Design that is an interdisciplinary, holistic, conceptual approach, design that takes responsibility for people, the environment and economics, design that is about collaboration, co-creation and innovation. It’s all good!

With this issue of the Yearbook, we want to challenge and underline these demands for good design. How sustainable can design be? Are we not betraying ourselves in the demand for responsible design when facing economic challenges? Where do we touch borders of morality and responsibility? Are designers ‘do-gooders’ or are they, in the end not only the deliverers of the solutions that a client has demanded. And beyond all of the demands for conceptual -, useful -, beneficial design -, isn`t there a charming responsibility for simple and useless beauty?

This loose conglomeration of essays, interviews, and reportages will explore these issues. We have tried to question the different activities that took have taken place at or around KISD through the lenses of these provocative topics. Hopefully, the reader will find this a pleasurable and inspiring journey through a huge variety of topics, perspectives and reflections analyses.

We are also happy to present the graduating class of 2011. They have worked hard over the last few years to create their individual profile as designers, and with their final submissions, they prove that the KISD model produces intelligent design. And, that there is always something just over the horizon. Unexpected, sparkling...provocative?

Greeting

Text — Prof. Jenz Großhans

What a wonderful theme for a whole graduation year of young, aspiring designers: isn’t that exactly what young people want to achieve?

To provoke, to change the world…

Provocation is a wonderful way of attracting attention, of being perceived and of leaving your mark on history. Over the last thirty or fifty years, there have been many issues that were wonderfully provocative at the time, and now appear to us as rather tame, having become part of everyday life. Long hair or short skirts seen as offensive? Long forgotten. Piercings and tattoos? Spread up into the highest circles of politics. Brightly-coloured furniture that you can’t even sit on? Yesterday’s news.

Nowadays, provocation in design is almost impossible. In the latest ‘home makeover’ TV series, so called ‘designer’ furniture is is taken as a given in the interiors that they create, and through these shows, designers are perceived as ‘oddballs’ who produce provocative things on a daily basis. Instead of getting upset about certain designs (that really are provocative), the results are just accepted – or maybe even expected.

Is provocation in design still desirable at all? Are there any walls that need to be torn down, walls that can somehow be torn down by new, radical designs?

Or is the biggest challenge facing contemporary design rather reducing our dependency on products, the recycling of consumption? This would be a provocation that is centred not on specific products, but rather on their absence, on modifications in the manufacturing process, and on developing intelligent systems and services that are designed with respect to the resources and the quality of life in the producer countries. Therefore we need not mere ’form designers‘, but rather designers who can keep in mind the whole system, who are not satisfied with a simple task, but ask detailed questions to capture the whole context, and who then – together with other professionals – can work on the right answers. Maybe this is the great opportunity for our graduates. Instead of exhausting their energies in provocative actions to define new goals, they have the great opportunity to now effectively reach many of these goals. Instead of alienating people with superficial provocation, they can see specific changes through to fruition.

Dear graduates: make it so. Provoke your clients, the public and, if needed, even your former teachers by treading your own path and changing the world – either with a loud bang or at a steady pace – and leaving your mark.

Köln International Summit on Design

Text — Lena Wunderlich, Agata Sakwinski & Stephanie Krauch

Photos — Anna Shapiro

On May 19th 2011, Köln International School of Design entered its third decade, as guests from far and near came to celebrate the the school’s 20th birthday: Angela Spitzig, mayoress of Cologne, opened the evening reception, followed by many speakers who shared their memories about the history of KISD: Prof. Dr. Joachim Metzner, The president of the University of Applied Sciences; Tim Marshall, the Dean of Parsons New School in New York; Anke Brunn, the Ex-Minister of Education and Science; Prof. Dr. Michael Erlhoff, the founding dean of KISD; Prof. Philipp Heidkamp, the current dean of the faculty; Prof. Jens Grosshans, the director of KISD and Prof. Wolfgang Laubersheimer, the representative of the organisation committee for the celebration all shared the stage!

The official program was followed by a relaxed get-together, performances by KISD Alumni, a movie that had been produced especially for this event and, of course, food, drinks, chatting and laughter, sharing memories and developing new projects. It was a pleasant and relaxed celebration, followed by a two day conference, the Köln Summit on Design, on the topic of Utopia and Dystopia.

Workshops, presentations and discussions gave a platform for the exchange of viewpoints and the development of new challenges, together with KISD students and Alumni, with the professors and the fantastic international friends of KISD.

Watch the film

Köln International Summit on Design

James Auger

London, Royal College of Art

I think very little is provocation, in terms of design. Design has become extremely mainstream, for the most part. Provocation is often just a marketing trick in these current guises. It can be overused. I mean, what truly is provocative? And it’s usually something that is shocking to some degree, but to be shocked you have to be unaccustomed to what you’re looking at. And so, the media bombards us with provocative pictures of war, of famine, of endless catastrophies. Films are doing the same thing. So, as a consumer, as a person interacting with this media provocation has become very difficult. Everything is provocation and, as a result, we have become almost blasé about it.

I think design can still do it, and I hope my work is provocative in some way. But it’s more a surreptitious form of provocation

Köln International Summit on Design

Tadanori Nagasawa

Professor and Deputy President of Musashino Art

University, Tokyo

Provocation in the context of design is a huge word. Something to catch people’s attention.

People will be shocked.

A South American Student at Ulm told us that design is a communal process, design is not a product, design is in your mind, so it’s impossible to classify it. So I think it’s up to you to work to focus on certain thematic ideas to encourage a different kind of knowledge-based intellectual property. Maybe consumers are ignorant, they don’t think seriously about what it is. You spend half a year on it, then people just see it in the shop for 30 seconds.

Köln International Summit on Design

Regula Stämpfli

Brussel/Bern, Author, Moderator, Director IFG ULM

For me, provocation is truth. So truth is always seen as provocation. It’s like in Hans Christian Andersen’s classic story, The Emperor’s New Clothes, where the girl, or maybe it’s a boy, but I always say it’s a girl, says out loud:

“The Emeror’s got no clothes on!” That was sheer provocation! Provocation is truth. Perhaps it’s the mission of the designer to see this truth and to make it visible to others.

Köln International Summit on Design

Simone Douglas

Photo-Artist, NY, Director MFA Fine Arts Program, Parsons The New School for Design

I think provocation is an urge in design. How do you redesign something? You make a decision as a designer, do you change it for the better and what does better mean?

In itself, it has to provoke but, whether its a radical provocation or a very subtle one (which could be even more radical in a way, because you don’t expect it), but you have to know the system in order to provoke. And you have to know why you are provoking. To provoke without any thought is nothing!

Köln International Summit on Design

Interview with
Mieke Gerritzen

Designer and Director of the Graphic Design Museum in Breda

Is provocation a method relevant to the creation of your work?

I think to create reactions from people is more interesting than being provocative just for its own sake. You can be an activist or political. You can be just a little bit contra or always against things. I’m not a person like that, but I like to give my opinion or my vision on things, to show what I think about them.

Are there any of your works that you consider as provocative?

My film, Beautiful World, is quite provocative, because it’s very obvious that I copied all kinds of material like logos and brands in it. I ‘stole’ everything from other people intentionally, and I have always mentioned that it’s all used. I think that we should work in this world without copyright. About 100 years ago, artists were just making paintings of their surroundings. They painted clouds, fields, and buildings and there was no copyright on that. But, if you want to create a painting of our life right now, it should be full of Mc Donald’s logos and all the other elements that surround us daily. So you can’t use your environment anymore, because there is a copyright on everything. I think for people who create art or design, it should be free to use all of our environment to create our stuff.

How did people react to this film?

In America, the people are totally fixated on all their copyright issues, so they officially didn’t want to show Beautiful World at their film festivals. They weren’t allowed to include it in their official festival programme, otherwise they would have been sued by people who are looking after their copyright and finances.

Anyhow, it was eventually presented at the festival,unheralded in between two of the officially announced films. The Americans liked my film, even if they had to screen it secretly.

Aren’t you worried about getting sued yourself for using copyrighted material?

Yeah, all the time, because I always used to make things like that. For example, I produced a silk scarf on which portraits of many famous people in the world are depicted. I also sell it in the United States, and it sells very well. Of course I always hope that the Jacksons, Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck won’t notice my scarf, because then I’ll be getting a letter from their lawyers.

But ,once, I produced a little game. It was called Fake for Real. It was a kind of ‘Pairs’ or memory game. We again used copyrighted logos, sold this game officially and finally got sued by Louis Vuitton. We got a little bit scared about that, so we destroyed all the games with the Louis Vuitton logos. Well, we didn’t destroy everything, but some of it, at least. So we still have lots of boxes full of the game at home. But we don’t sell it anymore, because, maybe, I could lose my house or whatever. This would be going a little bit too far.

Is provocative design always associated with criticism of policy, social plights and similar topics?

What I don’t like is this very politically correct stuff, like for example, “Adbusters”. Do you know the Adbusters organisation? I hate that. They are always fighting for a better world and always claim that everything is bad nowadays. I’m not fighting for a better world and I’m not against capitalism or anything. I just like to use everything there is to hand. People think that I’m very political, but I’m not. Of course, sometimes I am against big companies because they behave badly and dictate too much in this world. But I am not fighting against big companies by stealing their copyrighted material: I just want things to be more free.

Like the Adbusters are wont to do, people can always shrilly claim that everything is bad in this world. But I don’t think so.

Kölner Klopfer

Text — Inge Paeßens

Unconventional and a little provocative, that’s what the Dutch are like according to Kerstin Schweighofer in her article The Dutch Are More Unconventional, published to coincide with the opening of the world’s first graphic design Museum in Breda in 2008.

Erik Kessels (b. 1966), creative director and fellow founder of the Amsterdam-based advertising agency KesselsKramer is one of those designers responsible for this provocation.

The students at KISD have chosen him as their designer of the year 2011, and on 30 June he will receive the Kölner Klopfer (Cologne Thumper) design prize. Under the title Graphic Detour – Crossing Borders in European Design, Erik Kessels has curated an exhibition in Breda that was/is somewhat more of an experiment than a classical exhibition.

Ten European graphic designers went on a sort of blind date with 10 European companies, meetings that produced anything but graphic design.

The exhibition will open on 11 June and will run until 27 November, 2011. We asked them a few questions about KISD and the role of design. Erik Kessels gives lectures and workshops around the world, like the Amateurism-winter-workshop at the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam in 2008.

How does it feel to be back at school?

I immediately noticed how much time the students have available. There really is no comparison with the world of work, where you often have to work simultaneously on several projects with very short deadlines.

At school, a lot of this time is spent experimenting, a great luxury and one that, unfortunately, you only realise and appreciate when it’s too late.

Erik Kessels

Photo: Marc Eckard

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Aesthetics

Yes. Make it beautiful. Be playful. Don`t take it too serious. Bring lightness. Dare to be useless. Go beyond the necessary. Defend the right for style. Be devoted to aesthetics. No. Design is strategic. Think conceptual. Never forget about function. Be profitable. Make sense.

41°N 2°E Barcelona

Picture - Jana Maria Adam

Text — Anna Shapiro

Under the tutelage of Dipl. Ing. Helmut Kreuzner, lecturer in photography, 40 KISD students made their own impressions of the city of Barcelona. Picture concepts that were developed in 2009 and 2010 during various Barcelona excursions were analysed and reinvented. This gave rise to a modern picture that reflects the reality of the city. These works of photography were displayed at KISD from 18th - 24th September 2010. This exhibition, which went by the name of 41°N 2°E, demonstrated an intense engagement with the city, its people, its cityscape, its culture and with the revolutionary architecture of Catalonia’s capital city. Alongside the opening ceremony for the exhibition, there were also Catalan specialities, music and enriching lectures on the subject. Thanks to the close collaboration with our partnering university, bau (Escola Superior de Disseny), we were also able to stage an exhibition in Barcelona, in October 2010. Additionally, for the first time, KISD took part in the Internationale Photoszene Köln, Photokina.

The profits raised by the sale of the photographic works were donated by those taking part in the project to the wünschdirwas e. V., a German charitable society.

Read more!

New York Radical Design

Text — Anonymous

Photo — Anonymous

Two highly anticipated events that took place in New York in December 2010 aimed at exploring seminal perspectives on the virtues of design in contemporary society – an account and a commentary. It is black – deep and mysterious. It is cubic – shiny on every side with sharp edges, it has the most rational and most perfect shape. It is nicely crafted – high-quality materials, premium finish, beautiful and elegant, pure class. Its versatility is endless –
the word “omnifunctional” would have to be invented to best describe its usefulness that is boldly asking you to just start dreaming and then turn this thing into whatever you might desire it to be. It is what we all have secretly been waiting for such a long time – an overdue revelation, peak and (…).

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Morality

Yes. Be good. Do not sell yourself. Take responsibility. Look behind the facades. Build clear values. Say “No”. No. Serve the wishes of the client. Build your professional business. Do not think too much. Be generous. Create value.

Human Rights

Text — Prof. Björn Bartholdy

Since my start at KISD 2003, social spots played a prominent role in the field of audiovisual projects – both during studying as well as in the graduation works. They reflect the aim of designers to interact with society in a responsible way and not only “package” products. The topic range of theses social spots reach from health (Aids, non smoking campaigns etc.) to environmental and ecological themes (climate change, waste of resources etc.) and of course also include all kind of political issues like for example the important field of human rights.

In terms of production there is also a broad range of creative techniques used. Beside live action we do see an increasing number of animation projects – both analog and digital forms, as well as combinations of animation and live action. In this juncture the production value (the technical quality) as well as the creative pretension increased constantly. Digital still cameras evolved into high definition film cameras, animators tools are available for all everyone, compositing and editing is been made easy – you can do it on your laptop ...The wave of social spots in the last years also reflects the changing distribution path for audiovisual media over the Internet. While in former times TV channels had to donate air-time or movie theaters needed to give away precious bits of their ad-block, today’s generation of social activists broadcast their messages over Youtube and Co. Durations don’t play an important role any more and from a design perspective “anything goes”. This freshness of the whole genre makes it so attractive for young designers and directors – a broad field of experimentation in combination with reasonable subjects. In 2011´s summer terms Human Rights Project, we tried to work on central aspects of the Declaration of the human rights (1948), addressing them with attractive audiovisual concepts and pregnant statements. The topics reached from stoning to fake-toy ammunition, from the (dark) dreams of torture victims to the right for clean drinking water and the critical situations of the refugees. The students managed to conceptualize and design spots with a high quality in live action, cartoon animation and stop motion animation. The professional sound design and composition work done by former KISD student and audio-pro Daniel Migge pushed the results to high standards.

Child’s Play

Volker Zerbe / Moritz Wallasch / Daniel Migge

To the film- Child´s Play

Dreams

Stefan Hjono / Tabea Hraoui / Anton Töws / Sarah Park / Christian Munteanu / Thomas Fleissner /Agata Sakwinski / Hannah Göb / Laura Merkle / Daniel Migge / Sascha Wolf

To the film - Dreams1

To the film - Dreams2

To the film - Dreams3

Water

Leah Victore / Hannes Jung / Johannes Schmitt / Leo Dakik / Thomas Ulrich / Daniel Migge

To the film - Water

Stone

Asuman Altay / René Möllers / Sarah Schipper / Ingo Leffin / Daniel Migge

To the film - Stone

The Human Right Box

Günes Aksoy / Martin Moldenhauer / German Arefjev

To the film - The Human Rights Box

Thanksgiving

Interview by — Agata Sakwinski

Since time immemorial, gratefulness has been a very important social manner in our society.

There are many ways to express gratitude. Some of these are overused, some seem to get lost between automatically pasted e-mail signatures and abbreviations. How can we say ‘Thank you’ with more intensity? Professor Paolo Tumminelli was the head of a medium-term project at KISD, in which 14 students took part, exploring new possibilities of giving thanks sincerely.

Prof. Tumminelli, what was your motivation for launching the Thanksgiving project?

The starting point for this project was that, nowadays, people don’t say “Thanks” to each other anymore. Many intentions and actions are taken for granted. Today, the word “Thanks” is becoming a hollow phrase. Nowadays, all those “Thank you and kind regards” sign-offs that figure at the bottom of e-mails or are spoken over the telephone make this term empty and overused.

In SMS or Emails, terms of politeness are abbreviated or pasted automatically. The term is also overused in many marketing strategies, and people become inured to it. “Thank you for shopping at [name of supermarket]” is an example. But I don’t go shopping there because I wanted to be polite: it’s because it’s the cheapest or the nearest. But they give me a “Thanks” anyway, and so the word just loses any meaning for me. People do not feel the power or the quality of this politeness anymore. The aim of the project was to change people’s behaviour and to design a new form of gratitude.

So, how did you set about the task?

First we analysed the differences between several ways that people use to say “Thank you”. Semantically, there is a big difference between ’Thanks’ and “Thank you”. To use two words instead of one means that there is more effort spent on this statement, so it becomes more significant.

Based on this research, we created a concept based on the name “Michael”. “Michael” is a common name that sounds similar in many different languages, so it’s easily transferable. Our new term, “Danke, Michael” is not just confined to all the Michaels of the world. Everyone is encompassed by this term, regardless of name and gender.

And what did you end up doing?

One group made a huge, 20-meter chalk pavement drawing on the parvis of Cologne Cathedral.

We were helped by a gaggle of French kids who were on a trip to Cologne with their teacher. Every kid took a piece of chalk and, working as a team, we managed to complete the huge graffito. The kids were very enthusiastic about it and certainly would have had a tale to tell when they got back to France later that day. On another day, several students visited a radio show, which was being broacast live, posing as “normal” members of the audience. During the show, taking everyone by surprise, a student suddenly blurted into the presenter’s microphone: “We want to change the term ‘Thanks’ into.

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SUSTAINABILITY

Yes. Be aware of the ecological impacts of materials. Take care of the environment. Stop the useless consumption. Avoid waste. Confront your clients. Change the world. No. Be playful. Go beyond the necessary. Serve the wishes of your clients. Create value.

E-Drive

Rendering by Edwin Cruz

The cult Akkuschrauber-Rennen (Cordless Drill Races), known internally at KISD as the E-Drive project, took place for the seventh time in 2011. This was an event where students from various universities and related industries grappled with concepts of mobility and brought their ideas to fruition. Year-on-year, the quality of the competition has constantly increased. More and more people are using lightweight materials to build their vehicles, such as cardboard, bamboo, carbon fibre or aluminium alloys. The industry’s professional level of commitment has also seen a similar increase.

Text — Prof. Hatto Grosse

For the E-drive project, students from KISD built two electric vehicles, each with the ability to carry one person. The challenge was that the vehicles had to be driven with an 18 Volt cordless drill motor. The vehicles weighed under 7 kg and were capable of reaching a top speed of over 30 km/h.

The project was undertaken as part of a competition organised by HAWK Hildesheim and received entries from many European universities and technical colleges. By the time the final race arrived, the KISD students had convincingly demonstrated the performance of their “babies”.

Alongside the joy engendered by this successful project these filigree conveyances effected a critical analysis of both established and imagined forms of mobility, especially electric-powered mobility. Through tackling the problems of the aforementioned project, the students got a firm grasp on the various factors in the public discussion about energy, its units, creation, costs, handling and distribution.

The term “Smart Grids” is currently used for the intelligent networking of resources. In a similar vein, it will also become clear how tightly concerns such as the economy, politics and the financial sector will become networked together. Through their experiences gained through this project, the students taking part have been better able to find out their own positions on matters such as responsible energy use, manipulation and provocation.

IMM Cologne

Every Year the IMM, Internationale Möbelmesse open its doors in Cologne, this year with a focus on sustainability. But how “green” can such a huge event be? Is it still a sustainable platform for networking?

Text — Ines Glowania

Four of the five senses are active and tingling. You can hear how loud it is, more noise than sound. A chaotic background cacophony, with people talking constantly over each other. You can hear someone expressing opinions on an armchair. You can feel it. It’s close. There is a bustling crowd. Step-by-step it grows thicker. The armchair feels smooth and supple. You can smell it. There’s no air in the room. A lot of people, which means a lot of smells, but there is another smell hanging in the air. The armchair positively reeks of real leather. You can see it. There’s no mistaking it. A throng of people, various cultures snake their way.

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Graduates 2011

Graduates 2011

Sepideh Ardalani

sepideh@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Typography & Layout

Prof. Michael Gais

Down With Gravity

Long live Levity!

Gravity describes the behaviour of bodies. Every form orients itself according to given laws and this is also true in the world of products: a chair needs legs and a wineglass a “foot” to stand on. This analogy to the human body implies just how much we are at the mercy of these specific laws, especially if anything tries to escape its physical boundaries: for example, a human floating in the air or a building standing askew. Here we encounter a spectacular effect: the overcoming of gravity – the Icarian dream – not only as power over nature, but as a metaphorical, even emotional, quality: the longing for liberation and lightness. Effortless floating seems to be a human desire. Not only our physical appearance, but also our perception is crafted by gravity. Muscles allow us to move and our face appears strange if it does not correspond to the “right” angle to the earth´s surface. Even our language is entangled with various agendas of weights and mass: “down-to-earth”; “building castles in the air”; someone in good spirits walks wit “a light steps”; a sad gaze faces down; a happy one up. Just like the physical world, our mental habits and perceptions are interwoven with different spatial axes. Gravity arranges the world into “up” and “down”, “right” or “wrong”. The physical and mental spheres both succumb to gravity, which is also the essential coordinate for our own orientation in time and space. The ideas of gravity and anti-gravity become evident if we trace back the term to its Latin source: gravitas (weight). This is not only the weight of a “thing”, but of its content and substance as well: of responsibility, severity, meaning. If we follow these thoughts we could possibly conclude that severity might be the antithesis to zero gravity, and maybe, therefore we find the idea of a non-gravity imagination attractive. This thesis analyses the subject in aesthetic terms and works out the potential of weightlessness for design. Its textual structure, layout and medium follows the “light” form of a magazine or newspaper with a view to exciting the delight for levity.

Graduates 2011

Pina Dietsche

pina@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic

Design Theory & History

Prof. Dr. Michael Erlhoff

Presence Of The Absence

In Search of the Invisible

We are always surrounded by space, which we usually accept as a matter of course and which we do not consider or doubt. Only when space seems strange, or appears to be an “impossible” space, do we start to think about its various constructional possibilities. Conventional spatial structures can be unhinged and our oblivious perception skewed by “disruptions”. The ambiguous space forces us to re-orient ourselves. Our imagination steps into the breech to build an ensemble that could – possibly – make sense. Our supposed passive role appears to be questionable, and we are becoming aware of our constituent contribution to the construction of space. The so-called “Invisible” (das “Unsichtbare”) catches our attention: the correlation of the given spatial structures that were designed by an “author” and those structures that were subjectively shaped by the recipient. This means that all spaces (the ones we live in and those we do not) have a “designed spatial structure” that was staged by one or more authors, and a “performative spatial structure” that is shaped by memories, experiences, associations with pictures and stories, as well as by the imagination of the recipient. This interaction (correlation) of both kinds of spatial structures builds the space that we perceive. Therefore the recipient permanently oscillates between passive perception (contemplation) and active constitution (participation) of the surrounding space. By applying “disruptions”, the attention of the recipient can be drawn towards their constituent role and, consequently, also to the “Invisible” (the correlation between “designed spatial structure” and “performative spatial structure”). In search of the “Invisible”, different kinds of “disruptions” were discovered and, furthermore, diverse production design elements that help to create “disruptions”, were analysed on the basis of literary, picture and filmic spaces. In this connection, the se lection of spaces was limited to a “space” we do not live in. On the one hand, this selection is based on the fact that an examination of historico-cultural turning points can help to find out which specific production design elements were used to defy prevalent design conventions. On the other hand, the subsequent transfer of the discovered “disruption” production design elements, as well as the media-specific termini, which are used to denote those production design elements, onto three-dimensional space (the space we live in) creates metaphors that provoke a different perspective on our space. Those design elements used to be clearly defined in their original areas of application (literature, pictures and film) but now, due to a new context, the exact same design elements are able to develop an ambiguity that provides a certain blurring. Those undefined metaphors can initiate a process that allows unknown production design elements to emerge and to open up new possibilities of utilisation.

Graduates 2011

Alija Dürrenberger

alija@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Ecology & Design

Prof. Günter Horntrich

The Nature of the City

The city is synonymous with the opposite of nature. When nature is everything not created by humankind, then the city includes everything built by humankind. But aren’t humans a part of nature as well? And so must our creations also be? Is there anything we can call “urban nature”? In the city, we have nature in the form of public parks and private gardens, flower-bedecked balconies, houseplants and cut flowers. We use plants for greening our walls and roofs and the spaces that are left over by the side of intersecting roads. That is what we might call “specific urban greenery”. But there are other kinds of nature everywhere in the city. To get a wider picture of the varieties and their potentials, urban nature can be classified into four categories: “Anarchy” describes nature that is free of the rule of humankind. This wild nature acts like it would act in its natural state. It spreads its seeds and grows wherever it can, on brownfield sites, gutters and abandoned rails. “Anarchy” offers a great potential for biodiversity. “Culture” involves all agricultural crops that we use for food. So-called “urban gardening” is a big trend in major cities. People grow food on rooftops, on waste land or in used plastic bottles on their windowsills. No matter if planted on a balcony, an allotment or an inner-city farm, urban food helps to save resources, such as fossil fuels. “Transformation” covers specific urban greenery that is used to design the city. This “shaped” nature gets fenced, laid out and cut according to our specifications. This green grows where we want it to grow and it has certain duties to fulfil: to structure, to decorate and to increase our well-being. More greenery means a better city climate. “Artefact” defines nature that is not natural, but rather artificial. Cities are strewn with ornaments, products and buildings that actually copy nature. Even though we cannot eat these plants and they do not have any effect on our respiratory system, artificial nature does have much worth for us and for the cities. “Artefacts” hold potential in the fields of aesthetics and identification. The division of nature and city into two opposite poles is no longer valid. All four categories of urban nature are influenced by humans. Now, apart from “Artefacts”, all of them are “real” nature. To increase their proliferation in the cities, we can make use of their principles. “Anarchy” leads us to tolerate, to conserve and to act autonomously. “Culture” teaches us how to control, to utilise and to share nature. “Transformation” applies principles, such as form, to domesticate and to objectify nature. And “Artefact” displays ways to imitate nature, how to distort reality and finally how to create “natural” outcomes by ourselves. Three visions of new kinds of urban nature are suggested. The first one takes the latest manifestation of urban nature, the post-industrial nature growing on brownfield sites, on a journey that ranges from wilderness, to cultivation, to transformation to artefact. The second concept tries new combinations of the four categories of nature and their principles. The third vision dissolves the borders between nature and city to create something new interstitially regarding the “nature” of cities.

Graduates 2011

Dominique Esser

nicki@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:
Gender & Design

Prof. Dr. Uta Brandes

Gender Calling

This thesis raisess questions, but intentionally offers no answers. Why is some emotional behaviour allowed in women, but not in men – and vice versa? How does this behaviour take root and become embedded in us from childhood? Parents tell their children that they can become anything and anyone they want to be. As a child, I believed this too. But the older I became, the more I realised that this is simply not true. My parents lied to me. Little girls don´t want to become firemen. The word itself forbids it. So, is my career biologically determined? I cannot and will not accept that. Society makes assumptions about what we are capable of or unsuited to based solely on our gender. Although I could leave a religion, despite being baptised into it, I can’t leave those norms behind. But, turning away from what society expects of me proves to be incredibly difficult. The phrase “glass ceiling” describes the phenomenon that most highly qualified women encounter in the professional world, as their ascent of the career-ladder ends in middle management, while their male colleagues just keep on climbing, passing them by. This is explained by their employer’s assumptions about what these women are planning next. Here, maternity leave is just one option among many. It is clear to me that an attempt to express my opinion on such complex topics turns me into the accomplice here. In doing so, I am playing with every stereotype there is, I criticise and use the elements that I am actually trying to destroy. In this, I only want to reveal the one-dimensionality of these preconceptions, and imagine the possibilities for change. I want to contest our compliance with these principles and attempt to upset, – and then shatter – our preconceived notions on gender. The confrontation of possibilities and realities is a productive tension, where deliberation is worth the effort. My design concepts should also be seen through this critical eye, as a confrontation between the concept and itself. They form, create and abolish. They are instruments for pushing and completely surpassing boundaries. “Thinking is surpassing” (Bloch: Das Prinzip Hoffnung*).What will I do next? I´m not sure yet: maybe I’ll just become a fireman.

Graduates 2011

Niels Flemm

niels@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Production Technology

Prof. Wolfgang Laubersheimer

The Canteen

This thesis concerns the subject of food, from its cultural, anthropological and social significance, to the social and psychological value of communal eating on  employee morale, to the technical and organisational processes of a modern canteen. The theoretical knowledge has been applied in the practical part of the thesis, confirming it in practice The cultural anthropology at the beginning of this thesis finds that the development of gastronomic culture parallels the development of society itself. Consequently, this means that a particular food culture is an expression of the general corporate culture. Based on that idea, it becomes very clear, that a modern canteen is of great importance for a company: the canteen reflects corporate values, both to its employees and to its visitors. The theoretical part of this thesis highlights that a group of people always define themselves by their eating habits: here one must be aware of the representative potential of a canteen. This point was validated in the practical part of the work, where the composition and quality of the food was decided. Communal eating in the cafeteria fulfils social, psychological and cultural functions in multiple ways. In the group, it is one of the most symbolic actions, demonstrating community and belonging among the group. It has been seen across history from the Greek symposium, to the knights of the round table to the Christian sacrament. The sociologist Eva Barlösius even describes communal eating as an institution of universal and cross-cultural significance. Once again, these theoretical foundations are applied in the practical part of the work. We see their importance in increasing employee retention and company identification. This thesis shows how a modern canteen can, therefore, be a business benefit for both the employee and the employer by increasing productivity and reducing staff turnover. Looking to the future, one can assume that the awareness of all the positives a modern canteen can bring to a company will increase, especially in times of demographic change and the often-cited shortage of skilled employees. In this respect, the importance of a good canteen becomes amplified, demonstrating the attitude of a company towards its employees and potential candidates.

Graduates 2011

Melanie Giza

m.e.l@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Design Theory & History

Prof. Dr. Michael Erlhoff

Space is Called

An art-related analysis of spatial concepts

There are several terms for different types of spaces. A room basically consists of a floor, four walls and a ceiling, providing an interior. A district, a site or an area usually describe an exterior space and just need a base and neither walls nor a roof. A location or a place can either be inside or outside. The same thing pertains with a scene or a certain spot. The definitions of these spaces vary from simple examples, such as living rooms, to far more complex instances like immaterial and invisible social spaces that describe subtle spatial structures. These structures often go together with far more abstract, difficult-to-read manifestations.But it is not only the complexity of a space that produces a lack of its understanding, but also the extent of its expansion. While a room, a flat or a city form easily understandable units, the “world” spatial dimension transforms into a selective cosmos of personal experience via travel, the media and friends with or without different ethnic backgrounds, whereas the “universe” (infinite expanse) almost prohibits spatial understanding. Indeed, transliterations such as light waves which need “n” years to reach the earth, or divisions into smaller spaces like solar systems may support the comprehension of the infinite spatial expanse. Nonetheless, the whole universe equals an abstraction that cannot be personally experienced and, therefore, demands a greater ability of abstraction. It seems like space is not just space, but rather a wide range of different features like complexity or expansion that lead to a great variety of manifestations with many terms. Under these confusing circumstances, it is obvious that we must ask for the requirements, for the elements of space. If there is no such thing as that one space, then when is a space a space at all?

Graduates 2011

Lukas Golyszny

lg@kisd.de

Master (MEDes)

Main Thesis:

Interface Design

Prof. Philipp Heidkamp

Design & Economy

Prof. Dr. Oliver Baron

Structuring the Fuzzy Front End for Radical Innovation

This master thesis was developed while leading a small project team within Volkswagen Group Research, on behalf of the partner Volkswagen Financial Services. The thesis goal was to define the fuzzy front end of innovating on service systems by developing an applicable framework. Outcomes focused primarily on methods and processes within the context of the corporation, and were directly applied and evaluated in a challenging operational environment. The operational project goal was to approach an entirely new market and build an entirely new product category. The only limitations the existing basic technology platforms and key partner networks. The confidential project outcomes were two novel customer value propositions, blueprinted in cooperation with internal and external experts. Throughout the customer discovery and customer validation phases, the prototyped concepts were evaluated with potential customers and then iterated upon using qualitative methods. Because of the high value of the project outcomes, the defined processes and applied methods gained recognition throughout the corporation, including recognition from top management, for being a valuable new source of explorative innovation. The key insight of this master thesis is the validation of explorative innovation through human centered methods in the fuzzy front end of service. Established corporations focus most of their efforts on exploitative innovation. This type of innovation leads to projects which are easy to structure and manage in accordance to the company’s large experience with particular customer problems, available knowledge, and proven solutions. In times of rapidly changing customer needs and a transition to a Service-Dominant Logic for Marketing, it’s important for innovation teams to explore new customer value propositions, technologies, revenue streams, cost structures and customer segments – and eventually entirely new business models. Thus, though the proposed way of working was novel to Volkswagen Financial Services, it has proven its value in informing the pre-development innovation phase by leading to well-defined and verified concepts. These concepts have now entered the next stage of new service development. The role of this work – leading by example – has enabled a strong link for future explorative innovation activities within the described context. Service innovation, being primarily and substantially human centered, will be further embedded in the practice throughout the corporation by the growing Service Innovation Team of the Volkswagen Group.

Graduates 2011

Lenny Grade

lenny@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:
Audiovisual Media

Prof. Björn Bartholdy

Oooh! How Monstrous

A children’s TV-program for four-to-eight-year olds

Piff, Zamba and Lapapp are three little monsters, out to discover the world they live in. This world holds thrilling chases, wild animals and fun-filled games of hide-and-seek. But one thing is for sure: if you’re looking for them, you’ll always find them in their kiddies’ playroom. Because their adventures develop entirely in their imagination and become real only when they play together. It is in this well-known and sheltered environment that the three little monster friends explore the big, wide world around them. And even though the three little fellows are still quite small, it is through the unlimited strength of their imagination that, in their games and daydreams, they become huge monsters, astronauts, bank robbers, rockstars and all kinds of other things. But that’s not all: from time to time, visitors pop up through three holes in the floor. These are mostly fantastic things never before seen by the trio. Children from the real world will obviously be aware that they are looking at things like animals, plants or vehicles. And, of course, apart from all the exciting adventures taking place all the time, there are also completely normal situations with which we are all well acquainted: the three little monsters all want to drink out of the same juice carton, playing hide-and-seek won’t work if everyone does their own thing and arguments during a game of football have to be resolved. In short, the trio has to learn to share, make compromises and to understand that, in football, you might have to pass the ball to others. The idea behind UUUH! Wie Ungeheuer is to promote child development by encouraging humour and game playing, to test their everyday knowledge, to stimulate their imagination through daydreams and to help them express and become aware of their feelings.

Graduates 2011

Johanna Hartzheim

j.hartz@kisd.de

Master (MEDes)

Main Thesis:

Ecology & Design

Prof. Günter Horntrich

Design Theory & History

Prof. Dr. Michael Erlhoff

Formalistic formgiving

Three experiments in potential design

Designers permanently have to deal with constraints, be they the requirements of standardised production methods and norms, a client’s requests, material properties, current fashions, cultural conventions or the essential limitations of time and budget. Such constraints are, however, not to be misunderstood as restrictions on creativity. On the contrary, they are the essential basis for any creative freedom, because they open up realms of possibility. In French literature, a group of authors, who called themselves “Oulipo” – Ouvroir de la littérature potentielle (“workshop for potential literature”) – have explored this principle, basing their whole work upon formal rules that act as literary constraints. Their formalistic method gave rise to extremely experimental and playful new means of working with language. This thesis is an attempt to translate Oulipo’s literary undertaking into a design context, using seemingly random constraints as a “creative tool” for an experimental, but at the same time, goal-oriented means of working. Three exemplary design concepts serve as an illustration: the first one is inspired by an Oulipo book, Les Revenentes by Georges Perec, that used the technique of monovocalism, a rhetorical device that allows the use of only one vowel. I designed a picnic-set, constraining myself to the use of only one material (ash wood), one production method (the lathe) and one month of time to bring it to fruition. The second project is a devolution of the famous Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau. The design tries to translate the basic idea of describing one and the same incident, in a multitude of different styles into a series of lamps, in which one lampshade is repeated in ten different materials, working with the constraints of forcing each material into that one shape. The third design concept is about clustering objects, their traditional material and production method and then swapping amongst these categories to come up with new, unconventional solutions.

Graduates 2011

Melisa Indra

m.indra@kisd.de

Master (MEDes)

Main Thesis:

Ecology & Design

Prof. Günter Horntrich

Identity & Design

Prof. Andreas Wrede

Manipulation

Manipulation is communication, via an object, between a manipulator and his target. Therefore, the goal of manipulation is to change thoughts, behaviour, emotions and perceptions of people through an object. There are many different types of manipulation which are commonly used nowadays. This work presents new concepts and alternatives to solve problems relating to the concept of manipulation. There are three objects that are designed to reflect the analysis of manipulation and to provide experimental tools. These three objects are “the balance bench”, “broken display case” and “a table and a lamp”. The bench is initially perceived as a seat. But because of the unstable form, people will realize that, in order to sit on it comfortably, two people are needed. Due to the lack of communication between people in public, this bench creates communication and a dependency between people in public. The broken display case serves as a distraction in public, for example, in museums or exhibitions. The broken glass implies that someone has broken the glass and stolen something valuable from the display case. The goal of the broken display is to attract people and create curiosity in order to persuade people to read or to find information about the missing object inside. The table and the lamp serve to confuse people about the object and its function. In this concept, the function of the lamp is transferred to the table. Instead of emitting light from the lamp, the light will shine from the table. The lamp only serves as a distraction, because it is always known by people as a light source. The goal is to change people’s minds about everyday objects.

Graduates 2011

Pauline John

pauline@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:
Gender & Design

Prof. Dr. Uta Brandes

Dictatory Products

The thesis deals with products that determine the way we do things or limit our possibilities of using functions that they normally should provide. Things like these either affect the way we move, create predetermined paths in space, judge our decisions or even punish the things we do. Whether it happens simply out of stupidity in design, economic aspects of production or a deeper interest in determining peoples behaviour, in all cases it seems that there is a lack of thinking about all the subjective ways people relate to objects. So, what does design have to do, to avoid creating products like these? Are there cases where the authority of objects is inevitable? How could user experience be seen and researched in a different way to reach the goal of more flexible design solutions? Step by step, starting with the more general dependancies of people on things, the analysis moves towards products and designs that really can be called authoritarian. From highly structured public spaces, through navigation systems and washing machines that won’t stop beeping, to applications that control our diet or design that tries to motivate more athletic behaviour. On the other hand, the way regulations, rules and discipline are set up by means of objects in society is looked at from a sociological point of view. The question of whether design should aim at altering people’s behaviour through products, concepts and media is discussed critically. How far should things affect people’s lives, since products have a strong influence on social interaction and daily life? By looking at ways things communicate and what possibilities are used to give things affordances, by looking at and observing the ways that people successfully escape authoritarian structures, objects that are really not dictatorial, guidelines are given that can help a to create an improved user experience. A range of concepts that all represent one or more propositions of the analysis gives an overview that shows the possibilities that lie in these different points of view, but also the setbacks concerning design that give people power instead of dictating to them. The sketched concepts are arranged into a system that allows us to see the qualities and improvements that are provided by them. Also, the system visualises the goals of the analysis, so it can be seen as a checklist to judge designs on their dictatory or non-dictatory characters. The main thesis of the analysis is the provocative statement that objects generally should be less seen as objects and more as subjects. Humans do have affective behaviour in their relationship with objects, humans either do trust objects or they do not. Humans do things that objects tell them, so creating objects more out of the perception of the relationship, than merely under the perception of the function that they provide or the reactions that they provoke, is an alternative, but effective, way to eliminate authoritarian relationships between people and products. So, let’s welcome our new brothers and sisters: the products that surround us!

Graduates 2011

Paul Lang

pl@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Interface Design

Prof. Philipp Heidkamp

Synchronous Communication Over The Internet

Multiple services like Skype, Twitter and Facebook allow users to get in contact with their friends. Recently, these platforms have become numerous. More and more new ways to communicate are arising. Nearly every big internet-related company has its own communication application. For this, the computer is the media all-rounder. This artificial, “computer-ish” style of communication is the foundation of different digital means of synchronous communication. The most important ones are text-based-, voice- and audiovisual communication. The possibilities for humans to interact are limited by these artificial means of communication. A talk, via the internet, is an artificial style of interaction and will never be the same as a face-to-face dialogue. With virtual conversation, certain senses are excluded. Therefore the choice of the type of communication has a big impact on the way humans interact. Human speech adapts to the restricted nature of the communication. The outcome is channelised speech. Affected by the different possibilities of channelised communication, the user selects a channel depending on the situation. By choosing a medium, different benefits and disadvantages have to be kept in mind. This thesis aims to examine the effect of channelised speech on the selection of a specific synchronous communication medium. Eventually, it targets the audiovisual communication. There are many variables in the area of video communication. There does not seem to be a single correct style of video communication. Different styles, like the video telephone or the video conference have their right to exist. But not every possibility has already been examined. In this context, the video-mediated environment is the component of the communication that has been elaborated. But the environment, as a component of communication, attracts far less interest in already existing styles of audiovisual communication. The potential offered by the spatiality of the computer’s environment are understood to be the initial point for creating concepts. Therefore, a new style of video communication comes to existence:

Videotransvironment

For this new style of communication, with its focus on the environment, a new term needs to be defined. The neologism “videotransvironment” stands for “viewable transmitted environment”. This newly coined word distinguishes the focuses on the visible spatiality. The concepts of video telephone, video conference and video chat focus on the interlocutors. They actively affect the communication. They phone, they confer or they chat. With the videotransvironment the participants take on another position. Users can enter a “transvironmental” room connection. The environment becomes the major constituent part.

Graduates 2011

Anna Katharina

Leistenschneider

akl@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Ecology & Design

Prof. Günter Horntrich

Do Not Disturb

Eating interaction for two

“Eating-Interaction” is the term that introduces this thesis. It aims to elaborate the way we deal with eating and the people who eat with us. The focus is the connection between eating and social life, in particular with communication and intimacy. Eating is one of the forms of communication that cannot be transferred into the digital world: perhaps the only one. We have to be present while we are eating and eating together, thus, eating remains as a source of sensual intimacy in an increasingly digital world. The intake of food is essential to our survival and is therefore one of our basic instincts. Apart from that, it also has a crucial meaning for human sociality: formal eating is an artefact that distinguishes us from animals and, in order to fulfil its social function, it has to be shared. According to Berger and Luckmann, this vis-à-vis situation is a prototype of societal interaction: a meal for two – the setting that underlies this work – intensifies the element of communication. A meal gives a framework for communication, but the act itself is also a form of non-verbal communication. Eating means pleasure: it is one of the few situations in everyday life were all senses are stimulated. Looking at food as a material, there is no other that comes closer to our body. It becomes connected with us, transformed inside of us, and finally excreted. All parts of our body, all organs that come into contact with food, are also sexual organs. The first intake of food – being nursed by our mother – is also related to sexuality. The same regions of our brain that process food are also responsible for processing sexual feelings, because they are both fundamental desires with a high emotional value. Furthermore, both eating and sex are activities that address our fundamental instincts. However, socialisation and conventions create taboos around these topics. Do Not Disturb is a concept that breaches barriers subtly. A piece of cutlery that, during the eating process, becomes a sensual tool for two people.

Graduates 2011

Joachim Lindenbeck

derjo@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Production Technology

Prof. Wolfgang Laubersheimer

Led

Since the discovery, in the year 1907, of electroluminescence, the basic principle behind a Light-Emitting Diode(LED) and the development of the first red LED in 1961, light-emitting diodes’ have found their way into various fields of application. Whereas in the early days, LEDs were mainly used to signal specific operations in computers or to illuminate simple displays, later they were mostly used to create colorful ambient light. After the development of the first white LEDs in 1998, these were then also employed for more commercial purposes. Today, LEDs are used for a wide range of applications, including interior and exterior lighting. This is due to their increasing light power, small proportions and low running costs. The market for all different kinds of LED products is booming at the moment, and LED technology is considered to be “the future of lighting”. Whereas some of the present products are mainly used in rooms during night time, others simply serve to illuminate objects or buildings and can therefore be considered rather ineffectual. Starting with the idea of creating another LED product for a special application, I found out that it would be very reasonable to create a new LED lighting device that is suitable for illuminating a room during the evening or night. That is why I created Seismo. Seismo is almost entirely reduced to a cooling body for the LEDs, which is highly important. Whereas LEDs (in contrast to the common light bulbs) do not produce a warm beam of light, the LED itself does, indeed, get warm and has to be cooled down in order to get to the promised (and desired) lifespan of 50,000 hours (light bulb lifespan = 1000 h). The best material for cooling down LEDs is aluminum. Hence, I used a small aluminum stick as a hybrid component, combining cooling body, construction and design element. Furthermore, I opened up the common construction principle of lamps, which is mainly a box into which the light source is put and is coated with a special sort of transparent material. Finally, I integrated all necessary technical devices into the white box, which at the same time serves as the base for the aluminum stick. Of course, Seismo can be switched on and off, as well as dimmed by remote control.

Graduates 2011

Anna Magdalena Lipp

al@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Ecology & Design

Prof. Günter Horntrich

Architecture, Space and Poetry

Architecture and poetry: different forms of art at first glance, which, on closer inspection, lead to the question of whether they are, nevertheless, somehow interlinked. Therefore the present thesis attempts to answer this question, using an experimental exploration of the topic of “Architecture as Visual Poetry”. By means of extensive interpretation and analysis of a selected poem – In einem verlassenen Zimmer by Georg Trakl – a verbal/theoretical framework was created. Based on this, an architectural interpretation of the poem could be undertaken as a next step to almost make it “accessible” and, thus, create a kind of poetic architecture. The key question in this context was if there is a special atmosphere that can be distilled from a poem and transferred to a three-dimensional realm, thus transferring poetic methods into architectural ones. In particular, that means transferring the emotional qualities of the poem’s words and stanzas (semantic and sensual) and its structural/linguistic framework into spatial attributes. The analysis of the poem displayed five different atmospheres: 1. an atmosphere of peace; 2. an atmosphere of movement; 3. an atmosphere of ecstasy; 4. an atmosphere of salvation; 5. an atmosphere of eternity. From there, five different conceptual ideas were developed, building on one another, but differentiating themselves at the same time. These ideas constitute the overall concept. Visualised in the form of an temporary, imaginary cube, containing five levels of insight, each of which was assigned one of the poem’s five atmospheres, the poem was transformed in to a physical-sensory construction, letting visitors feel and experience the poem in a three-dimensional way. Poetry and architecture give an emotional message to the recipient, creating a specific emotional atmosphere: architecture is not just a visual experience, a poem is not just a collection of words.

Graduates 2011

Marissa Maghavipata

marissa@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Audiovisual Media

Prof. Björn Bartholdy

Singularity

Commercial for a brand product (MyZoo)

Advertising thrives on the future, because it lives on promises. When the Future becomes the present, the disappointments of the unfulfilled promises are revealed. To make up for these disappointments, new promises have to be made over and over again. The basic idea behind this commercial is to transform the visual aesthetics of a young fashion designer from Cologne into a subtle promise. Because of his unique product philosophy – mixing rich, antique fabrics with modern, high-quality ones to achieve harmonious and fabulous products – I chose Ingo Stein’s brand, MyZoo. Since the the commercial was intended to be used as an intro for the upcoming redesign of the MyZoo website, the content concentrates on representing the feeling and philosophy of the brand, rather than the products itself. Since the brand is constantly evolving over time and currently reaching a more mature state, the commercial is designed to emphasise this evolution through various measures. One of these measures was the decision to use a RED ONE camera – a revolution in digital cinema technology – and to film the whole thing in slow motion, to achieve a greater emotional impact. Strategically, the commercial aims to help MyZoo build a lasting brand image that is not dependent on a single product.

Graduates 2011

Julia Maschkewitsch

jewels@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Design Theory & History

Prof. Dr. Michael Erlhoff

Valuables and their loss

The relationship to personal property

The relationship of people to their “favourite things” is a special kind of love. It exists at a mental (sensory) level and is not always evident to outsiders. It is, thus, an interesting but, up until now, not deeply researched area that is being considered in this thesis.The identity of a human being emerges from the responses to their actions. Objects (here: inanimate things) give people no direct verbal feedback on how to deal with them, but they also embody something that shapes the identity of their users. Inanimate objects also have an influence on the development of the identity of a person and give a sort of feedback that is expressed by the embodiment of the intentions of that person. How do we deal with the subject of what the loss of personal property means for someone? All this is feedback from the object to the actions of the person. The focus of this thesis is the question of the emergence of a personal value object and how people handle this. It’s about valuable objects, which are a rarity in human life. Moreover, this thesis deals not only with the fear of loss that is felt by the owners of personal valuables. It is not only about the loss of a valuable object,but also about how people deal with a secondary object or a replacement items. Personal interviews and stories help to draw conclusions about the needs of people and about the design of valuables and how to deal with their loss. Everyone has their own impressions, experiences and memories. They want to keep them for as long as possible. It does not matter how hard you deal with the subject. The object may be forgotten and come to light only after several years. The theme of “Dealing with Personal Valuables” was, is and will always be a current topic, even while the social, cultural and economic circumstances of the society change and, along with them, the consumer and the consumer world. Hartmut Böhme spoke in 1999 of the “...increasingly dense occupation of artificial things in public and private spaces.” The relationship of a person to their personal belongings is a phenomenon that should be employed not only by psychoanalysts, social scientists, philosophers and educators, but also by architects and designers. The goal of this thesis is, hopefully, to show concepts and ideas about designed items that provoke people into dealing with the relationship between oneself and a personal valuable object and with the fear of losing it or, simply, to help people by designing something that allays their fears of losing a valuable object.

Graduates 2011

Anna-Maria Mohr

a.mohr@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Typography & Layout

Prof. Iris Utikal

Stadt Gestalten

Who is responsible for the appearance of the city and which are the protagonists and visionaries that play a role in the cultural history of the city of Cologne? Do the monuments and the architectural milestones leave an unique impression on the visitor or do the citizens and the cultural life make a place inimitable. These and other questions were raised in this work. Culture is a broad term, it can be everything that we generate from natural resources, here a definition in a narrower sense is discussed, concerning everything that has to do with composition in terms of design, architecture, music and photography. A look in a magazine, a theaterplay, an exhibition or a specially designed poster for such an event, it is possible to recognizes the quality of the particular cultural product, but this usually leaves us with no insight into the world of the producers of these artworks. This is the aim of this work, to look behind the scenes and to describe who the credit is due to for making cologne a cultural capital Culture forms and creates common values. At the same time art and culture will always open new horizons by qustioning traditional Conventions and putting the social consensus to the test. They are important components of social and urban life and expression of quality of life in a city. This work pursued the question which conditions are required to provide a rich cultural life in the city and which people made a strong commitment to culture in Cologne. The research was gathered in two books with different forms of information. The first book provides linear information about the history of cultural institutions in cologne. The second book is to be read referentially to the first one and summarizes the biographies of outstanding people, mentioned in the first book. The network between these individual persons and the institutions they are connected to is visualised in a mindmap and constitutes a central part of the work.

Graduates 2011

Frederik Plag

f.plag@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Design for Manufacturing

Prof. Wolfgang Laubersheimer

Economize

“Economize” is a term that has many meanings, and forms the basis of this study. This study consists of an analysis of several problematic issues around this topic. A wide scope in search of ideas and approaches is gained in regards to aim for product development. Thoughts developed from this, in a setting of an extensive phase of ideas to product-based approaches, brought on further issues. A final evaluation of the different concepts was conducted, the one with the greatest potential was selected and then finally elaborated. Oasis is a product series consisting of stand-up displays, modular fence panels and a type of greenhouse, which is intended to be the decentralized and to allow for independent irrigation of crops in arid climates. Through fog or moisture precipitating from special textiles, water is captured from the air, and if necessary, transferred through an intermediate storage for the irrigation of plants. Given the right climate conditions, such as hillside situations in coastal areas, Oasis Systems could represent an alternative, sustainable irrigation system for private use, forestry or commercial purposes. Therefore, it could help alleviate water shortage problems in dry areas. Hotel resorts, golf courses, private gardens, the reforestation of deforested regions, as well as agriculture are examples of concrete applications of the Oasis System.

Graduates 2011

Philipp Rose

pr@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Ecology & Design

Prof. Günter Horntrich

Illusion

Illusion is the moment when subjective perception makes us feel that something unreal is real. Illusions distort our perception of reality. They can suspend the normal laws of physics, and help us experience infinity. An illusion makes the viewer believe that what he perceives really exists and is happening at this moment. There are different ways to create confusion as to whether something is true or not. This work explores the methods and principles of illusion. Related techniques are identified and adapted as the basis for the design. Based on the research a toolset was developed to analyse and create “illusive” products. By changing different properties of a product - materials, functions, positions, motions - illusions can be created. This thesis identifies illusions in design as an aesthetic element that, among other things, meets human needs. In addition to increasing sensitization of perception by presenting the unexpected, illusion can be a principle that allows a designer to design in an eco-friendly way. Products can be simplified and still be useful. The function of a table cloth, for example, can be changed by stiffening the material and turning it directly into a table. Design is performative illusion. The designer gives a function and shape to a concept, and develops objects that have a use. For example, it is a designer’s goal that a chair is used for sitting. But, designers must be aware that opportunity must be given to the user. It’s presumptuous to dictate to the user how he should use the chair, because the chair is often used to hang clothes, as a wire or even something else.

Graduates 2011

Robert Sander

r.sander@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Audiovisual Media

Prof. Björn Bartholdy

Blocks

An Interactive Commercial

Today, the use of audio-visual content on the Internet has become common practice, although video-sharing websites like YouTube have only been popular for a handful of years. New media is now commonly used in advertising, and thus results in much innovation and flux in the industry. This thesis analyses the definition of advertising as well as as the various types of advertising in the past and present. Within this context, this thesis focuses specifically on online advertising that uses interactive and audio-visual media.

Whereas TV advertising is viewed primarily passively by its audience, the Internet offers the possibility to actively involve the audience. This thesis will analyse how interactive advertising affects the viewer in comparison to the effects of static advertising, such as with TV ads. Then, it will examine the different kinds of interactions created for and their impact on viewers. Furthermore, it explains how viral marketing and social networks may create a supportive impact on advertising, as well as reviews current interactive advertising campaigns. Based on the research and analysis, the concept for a fictional, digital game, Blocks, is presented. The thesis will also show the development and implementation of this multiplayer location-based strategy game.

Graduates 2011

Johannes Schott

josh@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:
Design Theory & History

Prof. Dr. Michael Erlhoff

Critical Teleology

Affirmation as a strategy for mediation

Critical Teleology is a technique used to deliberate problem-solving design strategies. Therefore, the thesis is divided into three parts. The first part is “The Manifest of Critical Teleology”, a brief introduction to the theoretical background. The second part, “Durabilis – agenda 2050” is a fictitious concept to solve complex social and ecological issues, through application of the design approach of “Behavioural Change”. The third part, “Balance Total”, is an extrapolation of how things could develop if we use the popular objectives of sustainability and behavioural reformation. Critical Teleology (from greek t = target/aim) is meant to be an addition to design, a method which can essentially be characterized as utopian/dystopian. Utilizing this method intends to extrapolate a design (but also societal) attitude. Id est: a deliberate over-identification of problem-solving, respectively problem-generating strategies via confronting each approach with its self-image. In doing so, Critical Teleology is able to develop target states, which designers implicitly try to reach. Indeed, Critical Teleology is becoming speculative, since it is aiming for a universal execution of an “objective-oriented design-target” – the absolute realization of its ideals as well as the complete resolution of problems. By extrapolating those approaches, Critical Teleology is able to identify a theory’s contradictions and aporias as well as cognizances of its present state. Furthermore, the method intends a concrete disappointment (lowering the entitlements of truth) on ideologies in design and the disclosure of their underlying systemic dynamics. Totalitarian tendencies can be revealed by consequently thinking them through. Critical Teleology is not to be confused with “Critical Design“. While “Critical Design” (founded by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby) explores, on an existentialist level, our relationship to common technologies, Critical Teleology tries to unveil why specific programs, which were made to solve and change societal issues, can especially not lead to those results, which were claimed goals in the very beginning, to legitimate the venture. Therefore, Critical Teleology is not as much a research method as it is a political and aesthetic tactic.

Graduates 2011

Jennifer Schubert

jennifer@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Gender & Design

Prof. Dr. Uta Brandes

Getting Together 2.0

How digital communication influences “Get Togethers” in urban space

Meetings are influenced by various factors, including relationships between people, the experience of recent gatherings, individual preferences, as well as by the way people communicate to arrange the meeting in the first place. This thesis seeks to understand how digital communication influences face-to-face meetings. For various reasons, it’s interesting to look at the target group of Digital Natives in order to gain insights into this phenomenon. Digital natives are adolescent and post-adolescent users who have grown up in the age of digital communication, and are able to use digital devices – in comparison to Digital Immigrants – who use digital devices in a more intuitive and advantageous way. The hypothesis of this thesis is that meetings become less binding and more spontaneous through the use of digital communications. On the one hand, this can generate opportunity, but on the other, problems such as cancelled meetings arise. On the macro level, this topic deals with multi-optionality, acceleration and the dissolution of boundaries, time and places in everyday life. Examples on this scale are Flash Mobs or the so called “Facebook Revolution” in Egypt in 2011. Both of these are mass gatherings organized mainly by digital communication tools. The requirement for such events was, to a large extent, simplified access to mobile communication. An empirical study, consisting of participatory weekend observation and cultural probes, revealed insights about the meeting behaviour of Digital Natives. This topic shows that, on the one hand, design researchers can implement tools to get more interesting and deep results, while on the other, the analysis of field research can be transformed into Knowledge Visualizations to make content more comprehensible and discussable for research participants. Design-related “Gedankenexperimente” about how the “Getting Together 3.0” will take place in future, and will help to finalize this thesis.

Graduates 2011

Norma Sott

norma@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:
Typography & Layout

Prof. Michael Gais

Time

If you ask someone in our culture about the essence of time, clocks or calendars are most certainly some of the first things that come to mind. This is because they are symbols of time, which we can‘t perceive with our senses. Though we easily forget that the clock is only an invention of man and its pulse a convention that affects life in society, we bow to its pressure more or less unconsciously. In comparison with other cultures, and in consideration of the individual human being, it becomes obvious that the ideas and perceptions of time and time management can be extremely different across cultures. Maybe people would start to question the invisible force behind the clock if the various facts of time and its perception in other cultures were made visible. Therefore, it is important to find the ways and means of making the complex subject of time accessible to the general public. An exhibition offers an enormous variety of visual, tactile, auditory and movement possibilities, and combines the advantages of different communication media. In addition, exhibition design is not only about the creation of rooms and content, it also influences the time visitors spend in the exhibition. How would an exhibition that brings people closer to the phenomenon of time look like? The aim of this work was to conceive and design an exhibition that creates awareness of our own and others’ conceptions of time and the different ways to deal with time. As a result, concept and design proposals for an imaginary special exhibition at the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum is presented, which will stimulate the visitors to question and re-evaluate their personal perception of time.

Graduates 2011

Katharina Maxine Seeger

kama@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:
Gender & Design

Prof. Dr. Uta Brandes

Senior Urban Mobility

On Transporting Objects

In the years to come, our society will grow older. In light of this, the meaning and perception of mobility changes. In old age, mobility can mean the ability to live an independent lifestyle and participate in social activities. Therefore, the importance of required facilities within walking distance increases. This thesis investigates the mobility behaviour of seniors in urban areas. In order to deduce fields of action and to derive design strategies, gender-specific behaviour and demands are analysed. The emphasis is on the mobility of the individual: mobility concerning the transportation of everyday objects related to walking and the usage of public transport. The results of the study convey that the individual mobility of senior citizens is strongly influenced by their means of transporting objects. The different qualitative methods explore versatile aspects of senior urban mobility from different perspectives, in order to make out mobility needs. The findings reveal that the mobility can be increased by optimising the transportation of objects, especially related to the usage of a wheeled walker. There is a demand for new solutions that support urban trips through convenient baggage concepts. Furthermore, there is a request for both functional and aesthetically appealing walking aids. Existing mobility aids posses great potential to be modified and reconsidered with reference to these needs. The “trabb” wheeled walker bag illustrates how the mobility of senior citizens can be enhanced: the bag allows packing and unpacking with minimal physical effort, without blocking the seating area. If movement without the walker is required, “trabb” can be carried by hand or over the shoulder. The challenges for design are not only in reacting to the mobility needs of senior citizens, but also in creating tangible concepts and products that support a dignified old age.

Graduates 2011

Ulf-Erik Seißenschmidt

ues@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Design Concepts

Prof. Jenz Großhans

Volume

The idea of volume circulates between a primary understanding of a mathematic quantity and transdisciplinary analogues. It is a wicked dialogue between a material and an immaterial world. In terms of a material container, volume is tangible; opposed to its abstract dimension, where volume becomes an unseizable theoretic construction, which is only perceivable with the assistance of a representative medium. Physical forces or values like gravitation or time, subjective thoughts, shared conventions such as territorial borders, laws or beliefs create immaterial boundaries that form volumes. These abstract notions of volume open fascinating fields of design interpretations, which translate immaterial volume into material volume. These perspectives on volume extend to varied dimensions and provide a transdisciplinary research about the idea of volume. The research of this work is seen as a mapping of that diffuse idea, with the aim of exploring broad facets of different meanings. With the help of this exploration, the perceptions of volume get into the focus of the question “How to break up and rearrange the pattern of daily routines?” The objective was to design scenarios that integrate synaesthetic experiences of volume into everyday situations, while playing with the diversity of feasible and bizarre fictions. This range of possibility is embodied by a plain black sphere, which stands for all the different kinds of volume representations. The sphere is a placeholder of shapes, colors or materials that compromises either information or a function through a tangible object.

Graduates 2011

Lou Smith

lou@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:
Ecology & Design

Prof. Günter Horntrich

Here

Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Meaning

As humans, we have a profound connection to ecosystems and species. The benefits we derive from them, called ecosystem services, form the foundation of our lives. Their services are central to our existence, providing oxygen and water, food to consume, fibers from which our homes, clothing and possessions are made. Their health makes our planet livable; and they are formative forces in our culture. Despite our inherent physical attachment, we are cognitively detached from the world of creatures within which we live. “Here” is a social movement that aims to rectify our cognitive dissonance. With the Here Manifesto as its centerpiece, the movement focuses on bringing beliefs and morality into the environmental discourse, as the instigators of committed and lasting environmental behavior, on a personal, and then a societal level. “Here” encourages each member to find and build their own relationship to the natural world from which the entirety of their life is derived.

Here Manifesto

Here in our forms, we carry the material of life’s benevolence. The molecules we call “me”, are the particles of creatures across time. We breathe life’s exhales, drink the water it brings us, and partake of its nourishment. This living moment is a testimony to its greatness; in it, each of us is bound to life as a whole. Here within Earth’s ecosystem and the local ecosystems surrounding us, we are concurrently the beneficiaries of flourishing lives and the antagonists driving their demise. Here, in this age of history, we have come to a precipice of life’s success; we are at a moment with more biological diversity and collective vitality than ever before. As the self-ordained stewards of this planet, we recognize each human as a unit of potential in a community almost 7 billion strong. We understand the significance of each moment lived as a renewed opportunity to comprehend and reaffirm our relationship with life. And we feel the weight of our decisions, as maneuvers guiding the trajectory of life on Earth. We recognize our position here, in this time, in this moment, in this decision, as one of critical importance. Here, we adopt the principles of life as our own moral principles. Since we ourselves are living creatures, interwoven with and dependent on life, we conclude to protect life as a whole in this moment, and in each moment afterward. We commit to exercising our own will to live in the promotion of the burgeoning of life as a whole. Here, we make the act of living into a moral act. To this end, we promote presence in each moment as an act of remembrance and awareness, personal inquiry as a method to take responsibility for our own understanding of and relationship to life, wonder in the face of life in order to display respect and find our proportion to its grandeur, and creatureliness as the proportional behavior of members and beneficiaries of life’s force. Here we commit to rejoining the leagues of species, as integral components in promoting life’s force, with the recognition that our human will to thrive can only be fulfilled through living life as a whole. We stand here in this place, and on this planet, here between life’s history and future, here in this decisive moment.

To sign the manifesto, and join the movement, visit: www.heremovement.org

Graduates 2011

Sven Patrick Spingler

patrick@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Audiovisual Media

Prof. Björn Bartholdy

Juice

The Internet has, in many ways, changed the way people consume audio-visual media. The choice, diversity and quality of videos available over the Internet changes rapidly and many users are taking advantage by watching videos on their computers, cell-phones and other devices. But there is still one place, where technology doesn’t seem to advance quite as fast: television. Today, even though there are many ways to connect your TV to the Internet, there has yet to be a product or service that has really changed people’s viewing habits. This study suggests that this is mainly because none of today’s offerings meet the special needs and demands of people who are sitting on the couch and just want to relax while watching television. The user experience of all online video providers is based on intense searching and decision-making. They provide only a search engine for video content, thus trying to transform the television viewer into a media operator. But evidence shows that people don’t want to make decisions and perform searches when sitting on their sofas. This is why this study is based on the concept of users being able to choose programs from an assorted palette customized from individual preferences. The result is an Internet-based channel that adapts its content and its look according to the movies and shows that its viewers like best. The concept even extends to the channel’s name “JUICE” which is phonetically related to the one-and-only task its viewers are asked to do: “CHOOSE”.

Graduates 2011

Victor Stelmasuk

victor@kisd.de

Master (MEDes)

Main Thesis:
Design and Economy

Prof. Dr. Oliver Baron

Design Concepts

Prof. Paolo Tumminelli

Pareto

A digital trading platform

All of us have at some point or other purchased products that end up being shelved into some dark part of the house or are simply discarded after awhile. These objects form a pattern that differs for each individual, much like a strand of DNA. This thesis analyses these patterns and focuses on the emotional relationships of people with their used objects: from the moment of purchase until it is sold or is discarded. In an attempt to foster the redistribution of products, Pareto is a platform that collects statistical information about objects in a local market, compares it with the objects bought in the past, and calculates future possibilities according to each individual. E-commerce became popular during the 90’s because of its convenience, broad selection of products, and competitive prices. Much of this was due to improved access to information brought about by the increase in mobile devices. This digitalization, boosted by omnipresent networking, is pushing communication towards everyday experience and expanding interaction channels. The Pareto platform uses service and interaction design to investigate the periods of usage of different products, taking into account the consumption behavior of people in a community. It outlines the business model for a digital service using a collaborative interface, where objects are only the tools for creating a much wider, richer experience.

Graduates 2011

Cüneyt Ummelmann

cu@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Audiovisual Media

Prof. Björn Bartholdy

Social Spot Without Difference

Germany is a country with a long history of immigration and, since the 1960’s, has been home to many nationalities. Despite the problems and misunderstandings that can accompany immigration, integration and diversity can enrich peoples’ lives. Integration does not need to be a hot or provocative topic! The social spot “Without Difference”, which was designed and produced for the diploma thesis, draws on this idea and brings attention to the positive aspects of immigration. The focus of the spot is the message that “integration is already here” - it offers a plea for tolerance and peaceful coexistence. In addition, the social spot informs and educates people about this topic, by presenting facts about the reality of integration in Germany in 2011. It intentionally avoids exploring issues such as the fight against racism or the perception of foreigners as enemies. Instead, the spot focuses on everyday situations and harmonic scenes from everyday life, with which every resident of Germany can identify, whether they are German or immigrant. Despite this ordinary and unexciting approach, “Without Difference” uses a unique symbol to capture the audience’s attention: actors wearing a bear mask. The mask symbolizes the immigrant, who might feel they are strangers in a foreign land, without inferring a specific nationality. The mask changes the discussion from being about a specific group of immigrants to a more abstract discussion. The process of filming the bear mask with 20 different actors turned out to be an exciting challenge.

Graduates 2011

Adam Wallat

adam@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:
Ecology & Design

Prof. Günter Horntrich

Decay

Product obsolescence and design strategies

Decay is a natural process of destruction, but it has positive effects on the planet’s ecosystem and has a potential to produce genuine products. A discussion about decay naturally leads to examination of product life cycles and therefore product obsolescence.Product obsolescence, or the state in which a product looses its usefulness, desirability or technological functionality is of great importance for design and the development of products. Determining how long a product might be used or might function correctly is a crucial task within the design process. The inevitable obsolescence of products is influenced by various factors, like functionality, quality of materials used, durability and of course, whether it can be considered “state of the art”. Although perfectly functional, a product might be discarded by its user for another of equal functionality but with a more modern or unique appeal. How quickly a product is discarded and replaced, depends on the way it is designed. In other words, product obsolescence is dependent on the design strategy that is used to develop the product. The purpose of this thesis was to understand the various stages of product obsolescence and its implications on sustainable design approaches. An evaluation and comparison of various classical, contemporary and visionary design strategies was conducted, comparing the feasibility and sustainability of these various strategies. The strategies were categorized by their core intention and motivation. Three product concepts were developed to visualize the differences between these strategies. The reference product, a classical TV remote controller, stands for electronic equipment that is discarded in an exponentially rising rate. The concepts give an overview of the possibilities and restrictions of classical and sustainable design strategies, and can help increase awareness amongst designers of product obsolescence and its consequences.

Graduates 2011

Stefanie Weidner

sweidner@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Service Design

Prof. Birgit Mager

Supermarkets for blind people

Accessible stores for blind and visually impaired people

People use different senses to orient themselves in their environment. When making a purchasing decision, we taste, smell, hear, feel and see to evaluate the products based on this information. The communication in supermarkets is primarily visual. Most of the packaging makes it impossible for customers to perceive the content with multiple senses. How do people who are visually impaired cope with this situation? In my diploma thesis, I’ve developed a concept that combines services and the use of new technologies to make supermarkets – especially the products – accessible to blind and visually impaired persons. The first part of the thesis presents the results of my research about blindness, ophthalmic deseases, the specific perception of blind persons, and available resources and services for the visually impaired. These are illustrated by examples, insights, and personas. The second part sums up the the results of my research on supermarkets. New store concepts are presented as well as a case study of one specific supermarket. For example, the shopping experiences of blind and visually impaired persons are demonstrated through customer journeys. The last part of the thesis presents a concept based upon the aforementioned insights, facilitating shopping at supermarkets and access to products for blind and visually impaired persons.

Graduates 2011

Nina Werner

ninsche@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Ecology & Design

Prof. Günter Horntrich

The Sensual City

A multidimensional design exploration of urban space

A city can display a certain character. It may be perceived as optimistic, pessimistic, cool or warm and therefore reflects a way of life. Feelings construct impressions of certain places in the city which affect urban life on an emotional level. In turn, the quality of experience is dependent on multi-sensory impressions. It determines the relationship of its residents. Regarding this, the central question is around how cultural and design-related insights can be used to explore the relationship of sensory perceptions, emotions and atmospheres in urban space. It is important to clarify questions of how cities shape the “human mind” and show the impact on lifestyle and quality of urban experiences. The aim is to develop a design theory-based strategy that allows emotion-oriented design for future cities and enables design to predict and create the atmosphere and emotions for certain locations. By means of customized, exploratory research questions, the goal was to explore novel terrain such as olfactory and gustatory sensory levels. Is it possible to smell or even taste a city? The empirical research method uses customized design tools and techniques to direct the experimentee’s focus towards visual, auditory, olfactory and tactile senses. Cultural probes are qualitative research methods that help reveal subtle details of emotions and feelings. The results are translated into sensual maps and spatial typologies, from which parameters for designers, architects and urban planners are derived. This serves as a guide for sensual, intuitive design of urban environments using multi-disciplinary approaches. The sensual-intuitive parameter is primarily situated within the design field and indicates more detailed standards. It describes multi-sensory aspects of a design process by appealing to an emotional level and enhances enduring memories of a place. A concept sketch can be incorporated into the development of a multi-sensory matrix, and a theory adapted based potential scenarios of green, hybrid and social cities. The matrix serves as a pool of ideas, by contextualizing given problems or briefings. It offers the possibility to optimize the positions of public objects as well as emotions and experience. Regardless of dominant sensory experiences such as visual or auditory, impressions of space are composed of all sensory fields. It is therefore important they are taken into consideration. These abiding impressions affect the lifestyle within a city and so are significant, given the competition between residents of a city.

Graduates 2011

Nadine Wessler

nw@kisd.de

Diploma

Main Topic:

Production Technology

Prof. Wolfgang Laubersheimer

Schmackofino

Staging the ordinary

Nutrition. Nothing seems to be more common, as well as essential, in our daily life. Eating is loosing its hedonistic value, especially in our culture. Due to the obsession with being thin, and a lack of time and money, food is becoming more and more devoid of value. In actuality, food nourishes not just our bodies but also our souls. That is why eating achieves so much more than just nourishment. It is an act of sensory input, exposing bygone memories, creating identities, connecting people and raising communication. And if we accept it, we may experience pleasure every day. The goal of this thesis is to improve this every-day pleasure and enhance the sensual experience of food. Children, especially, are loosing the natural connection to food. Eating is no longer a sensual moment, but a tool to educate children about food. For this reason, we have to intervene during the first decade of a child’s life. During this time, we still have the chance to create a basic ability to handle food in a sensory, emotional and hedonistic way. We have to sensitize our children in order to guide their attention to these important values. The concept presented gives children the chance to experience food in an imaginative manner, animated by their own curiosity. Schmackofino enables young people to develop a sustainable and reflective attitude towards nutrition. Experiencing pleasure during the act of eating will become an important part of their everyday life.

Graduates 2011

Sara Widmer

sw@kisd.de

Master (MEDes)

Main Thesis:

Interface Design
Prof. Philipp Heidkamp

Ecology & Design

Prof. Günter Horntrich

Zürivelo

A bike sharing system for Zürich

Cities worldwide are facing new problems due to rapid growth in their populations. One main challenge is mobility and transportation within a city. As more and more people commute from the suburbs into the city center, and thus need an easy way to get around, mobility has become an essential part of life in a city. In recent years, many cities have launched public bike sharing systems, as an extension of their public transportation systems. Cycling is often the fastest way to get across a city, it can be fun, clean and is even considered a workout. Zürich is one city that is planning a such a system, and will therefore need a strategic vision in place. My focus was on developing a system from the point of view of the user. What are the needs of future users? Who would be future customers? Why would they choose public bikes as a means of transportation? I conducted research on mobility in Zürich, bike sharing systems around the world, user studies in cities with established systems and in Zürich itself, and then developed key findings based on this research. The key findings and specific criteria from each city shaped the design of my concept. As an outcome, I propose the concept “zürivelo – a bike for everyone”. It emphasizes the rise of the use of bicycles in Zürich. With 7-8% of the local traffic attributed to bikes, Zürich is far behind other cities. Teenagers, commuters and people who use their car only for short distances within the city are the main target groups, as these are the users who may have the most to gain by changing their mode of transportation to bike. “Zürivelo” offers an experience which is beneficial for both user and city.

Graduates 2011

Gerrit Wigger

gerrit@kisd.de

Master (MEDes)

Main Thesis:
Design Concepts

Prof. Jenz Großhans

Typography & Layout

Prof. Michael Gais

Visionary Product Experience Design

Visions of the future are often technology-driven. This thesis examines these visions when experience is the main driver of design, and looks at two topics simultaneously: product experience and vision concepts. “Product Experience” is a framework which provides the tools to access a user’s experience with products. “Vision Concept” is a type of design concept which looks far into the future. Hence, Visionary Product Experience Design is a framework to build Vision Concepts which focus on experience. In order to test the framework of Visionary Product Experience Design, a Vision Concept was developed. The first part of the concept is an icon-like water carafe. This concept is thought to promote tap water and make it more valued by consumers. Looking further in the future, a second concept of a water dispenser enables users to adjust tap water according to their taste at home. A key-theme which emerged during the study was modesty. Therefore, the Vision had to be simple. This carafe is an attempt to design an everyday, simple product by using only the basic elements shared by most carafes. The water dispenser is accordingly reduced to the minimum shapes needed. Depending on the context, it can be helpful for a concept to be provocative, in case they touch important societal issues or spark lively discussion. Concepts are visual and can quickly communicate an idea so that anyone can easily form an opinion on the topic. There is still huge potential for Design Concepts to be used in unlikely areas, such as politics.

Graduates 2011

Jennifer Bagehorn

bagehorn@kisd.de

B.A. of European Design

Main Topic

Design & Economy

Prof. Dr. Oliver Baron

Social Enterprise

The new business? A case study in Scotland. How can design identify and support new ways for future growth of social enterprises?

Design responds increasingly to the changing shape and needs of society. Designers should contribute to the development of, and support, professional business engaged in doing so. A precondition for this is a reflective attitude concerning the resolution of social, ethical and moral issues, through which designers participate with the professional world around them. To be able to do so, designers, increasingly, become more reflective and active citizens. Engaging with organisations in the social business is key to understanding the development of future business models and the opportunities for designers in this field. A social enterprise is a business with primarily social objectives with the need to make profit for the benefit of the community. To achieve these goals, social enterprises have to balance their activities between the market, the state and the community. The purpose of this thesis is to examine how social enterprises manage the bridge between commercial profitability and social efficacy. It investigates the way social enterprises operate, where they are located in the market and how they are going to practice in the future. In this research, the focus lies on Great Britain and on Scotland in particular as they play a major role in the European third sector. The research identifies the term social enterprise within the context of the European Economic Area, non-profit-organisations and the future development of social enterprises. Primary research revealed that the social enterprise sector is growing. At the same time, businesses in the private sector are taking an interest in social activities through engaging with corporate social responsibility. A convergence between the two parties is emerging and raises the question of competitiveness in the marketplace. The focus of this thesis lies on Unity Enterprise, an example of a representative social enterprise in Scotland, which is used as a case study for this analysis. Secondary research established that Unity Enterprise does not use its full potential to grow. Primary research strengthened this evidence and references the decrease in governmental support. Based on these insights, on interviews and workshops at Unity Enterprise and with the public, new ways of funding need to be developed. This research leads to the hypothesis that future sustainable success may only be guaranteed when both social enterprise and public sector businesses increase collaborations, through which each of them can benefit from the experience and position of the other.By creating new strategic directions for Unity Enterprise and private sector businesses, I am aiming to establish a new way of thinking in the social market. The social enterprise sector, and in particular Unity Enterprise, needs to be encouraged to think and act more like a business and, furthermore, to refine their external presence.

Graduates 2011

Paul Prangenberg

paul08@kisd.de

B.A. of European Design

Main Topic:

Ecology & Design

Prof. Günter Horntrich

MILKwood

Innovative sustainable materials

The materials used in design has dramatically changed due to the new era of sustainability. The revolution in sustainable materials and products pose a big challenge for designers, but are also an opportunity. In this context, the role of the designer in the development of materials has also changed from a technical, application-oriented role to that of a progressive, thought leader. Designers now determine the material’s behaviour, instead of only considering it. The starting point of this project was to create an innovative sustainable material with a renewable resource from the local environment. Milkwood is a material made from bleeched leaves. It is inspired by the forest lit from a full moon, when everything seems to be bathed in a magic and peaceful white. The preserving and binding agents, as well as the protective layer, are absolutely sustainable and biodegradable. The production process needs only low amounts of energy and no additional adhesive agent. The material is flexible, milkwood can be molded into any shape, as well as waterproof and translucent. Therefore, it is also applicable for lighting design. The name “milkwood” refers to the drama Under the Milkwood by Dylan Thomas.

Graduates 2011

Fabian Gatermann

derfabi@kisd.de

Master Product Design & Process Development

Main Thesis:
Design Theory & History

Prof. Dr. Michael Erlhoff

Gender & Design

Prof. Dr. Uta Brandes

Sugar Chair

An Experiment in Media and Design

The master thesis, which has the title “Sugarchair”: an Experiment in Media and Design, deals with the polarity of the concept of design in the postmodern age. The thesis raises a provocative question, by obtaining its results through media reviews of a critical product. In the first place, the thesis is trying to create a more precise picture of design through looking at it from different perspectives like art, media, economy and ethics. This thesis will elaborate a different concept of the term “design”. Modern life leaves very few areas unaffected by design. Even our biography has turned into part of the design concept. The second part of the thesis concerns the creation of a critical design object. On the one hand, we have a manufactured object called “sugarchair”. On the other hand, we have “designed” a designer called Pieter Brenner. The sugarchair is an editable chair made of sugar and Pieter Brenner is a self-confident, self-educated and capitalist designer. The chair is understood as a symbol of design, but has been turned into a critical design object, because the sugarchair is nonfunctional, expensive and the user has to lick it their way to personalising their unique chair. This concept may release designers from the dogma of designing a chair and congratulating themselves for it. Confronting the media with these different contents, the thesis evaluates which layers of the concept have been reviewed, transformed and selected. With this information, the thesis is in a position to give qualitative answers to the positioning of journalism in design. Is the media questioning the existence of Pieter Brenner or his unhinged interviews, or is design an ideology that has no problem integrating dissent, so long as it sells? In the end, most of the reviews are entirely superficial: some media are even declaring that the nonfunctional sugarchair is the best way to open up a sustainable future. Pieter Brenner is a symbol for everyone who wants to be a designer. Pieter Brenner is represented by different actors, to show that everyone could fulfil the role of a famous designer. These days, designers obviously work better through self-enactment through media,than working with content. We need a more differentiated picture of design represented in media and, for this, we as designers have to play our part, too. Due to the fact that design is a non-protected term, we as designers have to work essentially on the knowledge of the possibilities of design, our skills and methods to take away the limelight from designers like Pieter Brenner and designed object like chairs.

M.A.

Integrated Design

The M.A. in Integrated Design, established in 2009, is an international, research-oriented Masters programme. In the following pages, the M.A. students graduating in 2011 will present their research topics and contexts.

With this programme, the KISD aims to educate future designers who are able to develop strategies, as well as acquire economic, cultural and technical expertise from a design perspective, and put this into practice. This underlines the power of design to innovate in or to initiate processes where many disciplines meet. “Foresight based on insight” is one of the central themes that the graduates bring to the table. Within the program, it is essential to be aware of and be prepared to come face to face with the unexpected and then be able to develop and formulate appropriate questions, contexts and concepts. In total, this programme aims to give designers with professional experience the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of, and insight into, the connectedness of design to other areas and contexts. This, and the integrative power of design, enables our graduates to understand, theorise and practise design from a broader understanding.

Menna Agah

mna@kisd.de

M.A. Integrated Design

Gender & Design

Prof. Dr. Uta Brandes

Design Concepts

Prof. Paolo Tumminelli

Feminine Architecture

We live in a very gendered world !

People have the hidden need of classifying everything, on daily bases we deal with objects, categorized and gendered to be familiar with our social norms like animals, cars, toys ... etc.Architecture and the built environment were Included also, as perceived visually and spatially. This project aims for more consideration to the gender aspect in architecture design, to promote gender sensitivity, to try achieving the concept of social sustainability, in our -so called- masculine societies. It is a study on feminine architecture, or is there such a thing?

Michelle Christensen

michelle@kisd.de

M.A. Integrated Design

Florian Conradi

conradi@kisd.de

M.A. Integrated Design

Gender & Design

Prof. Dr. Uta Brandes

Design Theory & History

Prof. Dr. Michael Erlhoff

Reading of Praxis/ Praxis of Writing

What are the critical capacities of design as a language of defiance, a site of contestation, and a sphere of potential discourses? This research project seeks in its whole to establish an approach to practice-based design research, and builds on three critical explorations that each raise a fundamental question: how can design provoke individual positioning rather than conveying one persuasive message, how can design objects encourage the receiver to stop and reflect rather than recognize and reproduce, and how can design be achieved as a divergent language rather than a language of submission and supply? Within this research on design research, the momentary shifting between ir/rationality, un/certainty and in/experience are drawn on as fluid capacities of advantage rather than disadvantage.

Jaclyn Le

jaclyn@kisd.de

M.A. Integrated Design

Interface Design

Prof. Philipp Heidkamp

Service Design

Prof. Birgit Mager

Fear Of Negative Space And The Intangible

As consumer demand shifts towards easily accessible digital products, there has been an influx of intangible goods signifying a gradual and inexorable shift from a goods economy to a service economy within the realm of media. The change in market forces resulting from this paradigm shift creates new opportunities in design. Even as this digital evolution is taking place, intangible, digital products are still not perceived as being as valuable, trustworthy or enduring as tangible items. This work seeks to engage in exploring and reflecting on peoples’ relationships with intangible goods and more specifically, with the shift of literary work from the spoken word to physical books to electronic books, and explores how trust can be designed into intangibles.

Lenka Petzold

lenka@kisd.de

M.A. Integrated Design

Ecology & Design

Prof. Günter Horntrich

Typography & Layout

Prof. Michael Gais

Hanky Vogue

The project “Hanky Vogue – Dematerialisation with Textile Design in City Structures” takes a critical look at our daily habits and at service and production structures. The focus on the humble handkerchief or tissue seems narrow but it can actually be expanded endlessly and is a good example of the fact that a lot can be achieved with even the smallest things. Leinfein is the name of the service-based product being tested in Cologne’s diverse neighbourhood Ehrenfeld. The cloth tissues on offer represent an ecological alternative to (paper) tissues. If the new product succeeds in changing the assortment of goods available on the market, this will ultimately be due to the habits and attitudes of individuals, who together redefine the shape and structure of urban daily life.

Kwan Phonghanyudh

kwan.p@kisd.de

M.A. Integrated Design

Service Design

Prof. Birgit Mager

Identity & Design

Prof. Andreas Wrede

Waiting In A Hospital Room

Waiting is one of the major problems in health care. While waiting, patients and their companions often mentioned experiencing many emotions such as stress, frustration and anxiety due to various factors, such as a long waiting time, their own personal health, performance of hospital staff and the waiting room environment. As a result, patients are often unsatisfied and have a negative perception toward the quality of the health care institute, which sometimes leads to patients opting out early from the treatment. This research studies the different emotions that patients experience while in the confines of a waiting room and factors that provoke them, in relation to dimensions of a service experience. The aim is to provide a better understanding of patients’ experience and to propose recommendations for designing a more preferable waiting experience and waiting room environment in order to enhance the time the patients spend there.

Samara Tanaka

samara@kisd.de

M.A. Integrated Design

Interface Design

Prof. Philipp Heidkamp

Identity & Design

Prof. Andreas Wrede

Citizen-Goverment Interaction

Online tools for citizen participation have not yet fulfilled expectations that they would create radical change in political participation and empower citizens. The usage and creation of these tools is deeply connected with the social question of which motivations a citizen has to participate in politics. Thus, understanding the contextual intricacies of this issue is a key to developing successful tools and processes. These areas have been extensively researched by the media and political sciences, but yet unexplored are the affordances and impact of design. From a design perspective, I identify how this communication process could be more relevant for citizens and explore in which ways design research and practice could lower entry-level barriers for the participation of young adults.

Go to interbrand.com

Go to service-design-network.org

Go to designspotter.com

Go to colognegamelab.de

Go to design-report.de

Go to yellowdesign.com

Editors

Matthias Schneider, Lia Schnor

Imprint

KISD – DESIGN & PROVOCATION

Issue 2011

PUBLISHER

Köln International School of Design

Fachhochschule Köln

Prof. Birgit Mager

Ubierring 40

50678 Köln

Germany

www.kisdbooks.de

info@kisd.de

www.kisd.de

published by: epubli GmbH, Berlin, www.epubli.de

Copyright: © 2011 Köln International School of Design

ISBN 978-3-8442-0673-9

TRANSLATION

Tim Danaher

Ann-Lee Chou

MODELS

Yulia Popova

Kirsten Hupertz

Marissa Maghavipata

Marc Daniel Karkowsky

Ilja Burzev

HAIR & MAKE UP

Valerie Bodeux

AUTHORS

Prof. Hatto Grosse

Prof. Björn Bartholdy

Prof. Dr. Uta Brandes

Prof. Michael Gais & Prof. Iris Utikal

Frank Müller
Dipl. Des. Christina Moritz

Prof. Dr. Michael Erlhoff
Ione Ardaiz Osacar
Kobo Sin

COPYRIGHTS

The individual articles presented here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial board of this yearbook. The

responsibility for the copyright of the illustrations and articles is solely the responsibility of the respective graduates.

Re-printing, reproduction or use of the graphics and text contained herein are expressly forbidden without the written permission of the editorial board.

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