Druck + Design Konferenz

On October 18th we were in Munich at the Druck + Design Konferenz (Print and Design Conference)—and it was a blast! The event, hosted by Grafikmagazin and Verband Druck- und Medien Bayern was filled with keynotes, work panels, and plenty of time to browse and exchange ideas—as well as snacking some fine pretzels.

A colorful mix of Germany’s creative community gathered at the beautiful location Die Macherei in Munich—students, enthusiasts, and experts from the print and design industry. It very quickly became very clear that the people present were united by a love of haptics and enthusiasm for quality print and design, all convinced of a future for print. At the same time, neither the attendees nor the speakers are naive when it comes to the question of whether print is dead and obsolete.

Keynote-Speakers were Dominik Wichmann, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Looping Group who spoke about the relevance of print in digital times and the urgency to accept the changes in the print industry and not to be defeated but to adapt to the new interplay of print and digitality. Following up was Kristin Janoschka, Executive Director Consulting at Peter Schmidt Group, who gave insights about her work as a consultant of brands, whose perception for printed products change and their appreciaction for them increases. Magnus Gebauer, Networking and trend expert from MedienNetzwerk Bayern gave us an overview oft he most important trends for the print and media industry, showcasing a yearning to move more away from digital and value the slowness and permanence of print. The day was closed by screen printing legend Lorenz Boegli, who kindly gave an entertaining insight into his unique RGB silkscreen printing technique, which turns the printing world upside down.

In between the keynotes, there were also many work panels where people could get additional inspiration and go deeper into exchange and discussion. You could also admire the exhibitors’ great products, which showcased an incredible variety of printing and refinement techniques and beautiful materials.

There were many times and places at the Druck + Design Konferenz where we discussed how the future of print and design is changing —what change can be foreseen, where the relevance of print might be and stay, how we need to adapt to changing circumstances and technologies like—of course—AI, what the opportunities are and will be. One thing is clear, however: the visitors as well as the speakers have no doubts about their passion for print and thus also about its future—even if the development will be suspenseful.

We are really looking forward to the next conference and the inspiration that awaits us there!

POSITIONS

At POSITIONS, the Conference on Visual Culture, you can find lectures and presentations from design, art, photography, architecture, and theory—curated by Philipp Neumann and Karen Laube. For a period of six years (2014 to 2019), the conference was part of the Leipzig design festival Designers’ Open, organized and curated by MZIN. This year, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., attendants can get to know a selection of positions from Munich, Frankfurt/M., Hamburg, Berlin, Stuttgart, Halle/S., and Leipzig in the space of MZIN—including a one hour break with support by Café Treff (lunch break, at the museum).

Line-up 2023:

Patrick Thomas
The British designer works with print techniques, influenced by pop culture, signs, and symbols. His works in typography, poster design and other projects will be part of his presentation. The AGI-member teaches at ABK Stuttgart and is based in Berlin. (Lecture in English)

Sandra Doeller
The studio Bureau Sandra Doeller, based in Frankfurt/M., is working with corporate design, book design, editorial, and exhibition design for museums, clubs, and publishers. Sandra Doeller also teaches at Hochschule Mainz. (Lecture in German)

Lukas Feireiss
The Berlin-based curator, artist, and editor works in the broader field of research, art, design, urbanism, and architecture (books for publishers like Frame, Gestalten, Sternberg Press, Spector Books). He will ao. present the current publication Weak Signals. New Narratives in Art and Technology which was created with Florian Hadler and students of the UDK Berlin. (Lecture in German)

Anna Unterstab, Hân Lê
The latest part of the series Studienhefte Problemorientiertes Design by the Hamburg-based publisher adocs is titled Design Intersektional unter die Lupe nehmen (En: Looking at Design Through the Intersectional Lens)—a publication with research, strategies, and many voices that need to be heard. Anna Unterstab teaches information design at Burg Giebichenstein University of Arts and Design Halle and is based in Hamburg. Hân Lê runs a visual communication studio in Halle/S. (Lecture in German)

Fabian Reimann
The Leipzig-based artist is co-founder of the literature-magazine KRACHKULTUR and publisher of Another Earth Catalog and of the image-essay magazine freeman’s journal. He will talk about the latest co-edited book Buch Handlung Welt Bücher, which is about an important art book store in Hamburg. (Lecture in German)

Nicola Reiter, Verena Hägler
Verena Hägler is a photographer working with empirical urban research. Nicola Reiter works as a (book-) designer, while publishing her own projects. Their talk will be about RAND (a book they both edited, released by Spector Books), combined with readings, and joined by publisher Anne König. (Lecture in German)

The conference is supported by Museum der bildenden Künste (MdbK), the City of Leipzig, Café Treff, form and Slanted Publishers.

Free entry.
Please pre-register by sending an email to [email protected].

Positions

Where?
Museum der bildenden Künste, Leipzig

When?
November 5th, 2023
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

More information here.

DynamicFontDay

The Typographische Gesellschaft München (Typographic Society Munich) is once again hosting the DynamicFontDay on November 18th, 2023, in Munich. International speakers will discuss innovative approaches and developments in typography beyond print. The conference serves as a gathering point for designers, typographers, and coders—offering insights into current trends and topics, including font design, 3D typography, accessibility, and generative design. The DynamicFontDay provides an opportunity to learn about the latest techniques, gain inspiration, and engage in exciting conversations. It is one of the most significant gatherings in the font and typography industry in Germany and allows for the exploration of opportunities and risks and the updating of one’s own positions.

International experts report on the latest trends:

  • Ann Bessemans (Universität Hasselt) presents visual emphasis patterns using type
  • Kimya Gandhi (Mota Italic) discusses opportunities for expanding typeface design, using Devanagari script as an example
  • Akiem Helmling and Bas Jacobs (Underware) offer inspiration for future typeface design based on past experiences
  • Philipp Koller (burrowlab) develops parametric fonts for real-time type design
  • Sabina Sieghart (READSEARCH) highlights how typography can assist people with reading difficulties
  • Tina Touli reflects on creative perspectives in daily life
  • Vincent Wagner discusses 3D typography beyond superficial effects
  • Daniel Wenzel (DIA Studio) explores the role of automation and AI in typography

The forward-looking International Conference on Typography in Digital Media will continue to take place in the premises of the Designschule/Meisterschule für Mode. Additionally, there will be an online broadcast of the lectures.

A full day dedicated to digital fonts, curated by Oliver Linke, Tim Ahrens, and Antje Dohmann. The conference language is English.

DynamicFontDay

Where?
Munich

When?
November 18th, 2023

komma 27

In the 27th edition of komma magazine, students from the FH Mannheim explore topics such as failure, competition among designers, capitalism, artificial intelligence, language, and other socially relevant subjects on 144 pages.

komma 27 is an attempt to highlight shortcomings and moments of failure, to acknowledge them, and to find solutions and ways of dealing with them, but not through toxic positivity. Not with a toxic positivity as often conveyed to us through social media, but rather close to reality, constructive, honest, and with a bit of fun. The Komma-team has examined various perspectives—by professors, design offices, -agencies, authors, photographers, and students.

komma 27

More information here.

Anthem of Ukraine

We will lay our soul and body for cherished freedom. Calligraphy and lettering.

In the 21st century, Ukrainians still have to fight and sacrifice their lives for their freedom and culture. The words from the anthem take on a direct meaning. This lettering is full of flourishes inspired by the historical Ukrainian cursive script and symbolizes Ukraine’s cultural prosperity and invincibility even in these challenging times.

The work has been awarded the TDC69 Certificate of Typographical Excelle

Málaga Type 2023

Málaga Type was born in 2019 with the aim of becoming a reference meeting point for lovers of editorial design and typography. With the mission to spread typographic culture and to be an annual meeting point for the growing community of people passionate about typography and its sisters, calligraphy and lettering.

Organized by Rayitas Azules, a reference blog in the field of typography and editorial design, Málaga Type v.4 will be held at the Cervezas Victoria factory (Calle Pepita Barrientos, 4, Polígono Azucarera) and at the Malaga design school La Gauss (Plutarco, 75) on November 10th & 11th 2023 and will include the participation of Iván Castro, calligrapher and lettering artist, Madame Letters, brush letterer, and Dídac Ballester, graphic and editorial designer. Málaga Type is once again sponsored by Cervezas Victoria, Málaga City Council, Impresum, La Gauss, Gràffica and Glyphs, as well as the collaboration of Pangram Pangram Foundry, Campgràfic, Jardín de Monos, Typerepublic, La Vida Camper and the design studio LISA.

This fourth edition of Málaga Type confirms that the formula works really well: the incomparable setting of the Cervezas Victoria Factory and a line-up of top-notch speakers in the world of typography, calligraphy, lettering, and editorial design.

Málaga Type is organized by the designers Ana Moliz, Salva Cerdá, Esther Sepúlveda and Cecilio Cobos. Ana and Salva, as well as designers, are teachers at the La Gauss design school, with an extensive professional trajectory, who combine teaching with their respective jobs as graphic designers and are the founders of the blog Rayitas Azules, a nationally renowned media outlet specializing in editorial design and typography. Esther Sepúlveda is a designer and communication specialist, a collaborator on the blog and the person in charge of organizing the contents and the calendar. And Cecilio Cobos, designer and teacher at La Gauss, is in charge of Rayitas Azules in the social media.

Málaga Type 2023 

Where?
Cervezas Victoria factory & Malaga design school La Gauss, Málaga

When?
November 10th, 10 a.m. to 20 p.m (Closing party).
November 11th,  10 a.m. to 20 p.m.
Information about the program here.

Further information here

untitled

This photo was made at the beginning of March 2022 and reflects the feeling of my homeland being bombed.
A lot of views, questions without answers, lost and desperation were present, but nobody knew what to do.

Art remains a key for understanding and living this experience.

FFCGN – Die Macht der Bilder Vol. 3

The world is made up of a thousand colors, and no sound is like another. It’s noisy! We have finally accepted the dissonances because we are not all cut from the same cloth. Yet, we live under the same sun together. This year’s key visual, created by Holger Risse, takes into account a complex spirit of the times: it poses the tricky question of what still connects us despite all our differences.

There is a need for spaces for encounters. Only through encounters does the diverse “beauty of being human in our society” (Jovanovic) come to shine. Let’s let it shine together with FFCGN – Die Macht der Bilder VOL. 3!

Here you’ll learn all about the power of images in film, pop culture, art and society—in this book, at FILM FESTIVAL COLOGNE from October 19th to 26th, 2023, and always on the net. Once more, this publication gathers and selects a diverse range of content from the realm of motion pictures. This book is a showcase. The editors engage in conversations with individuals who inspire them. It offers a glimpse into their work, both at FILM FESTIVAL COLOGNE and in broader contexts. It presents a selection of the top-notch content they endorse.

FFCGN – Die Macht der Bilder Vol. 3

Publisher: Slanted Publishers
Editor in Chief: Martina Richter
Head of Text: Timothy Bidwell
Art Director: Holger Risse
Editors: Sven von Reden, Christopher Wienand, Sonja Hofmann, Leon Ulmen, Christina Bröker, Sebastian Matheis
Design: Lars Harmsen, Juliane Nöst, Slanted Publishers
Publishing Direction: Lars Harmsen, Julia Kahl
Release: October 2023
Format: 16 × 24 cm
Volume: 176 pages
Language: German, English
Printer: Stober Medien, Germany
Workmanship: Softcover with flaps, Swiss brochure, thread-stitching, full-color printing
ISBN: 978-3-948440-65-7
Price: €18.– (DE)

BUY

Yearbook of Lettering #1

Letters and typefaces not only transport information but also create a feeling and have a personality. Lettering takes this a step further—with its movement, artistic strokes, and variety, it has the potential to radiate a whole range of energies and tell stories of harmony and distortion, about positive and negative space. Words become drawings and pictures themselves.

Born out of the success of the concept of the Yearbook of Type, we have created a new book series: the Yearbook of Lettering. It presents a selection of lettering artwork created all over the world—from traditional calligraphy and hand lettering, street art and graffiti, to 3D digital lettering, showcasing the vibrant and wide range of different styles and techniques.

The book offers an overview of high-quality handcrafted typographic art and can help clients source the right artist for a project. It serves as a source of inspiration not only for people in the design world but also displays the contemporary world of lettering and the many different styles available—giving lettering, calligraphy, brush lettering, blackletter, hand lettering, graffiti artists, and more the platform, appreciation, and recognition they deserve.

Lettering art from all over the world—135 artists, 8 ambassadors, 35 countries!

Yearbook of Lettering #1

Publisher: Slanted Publishers
Editor: Slanted Publishers
Publishing Direction: Lars Harmsen, Julia Kahl
Art Direction & Managing Editor: Tessa Breuer
Assistance Graphic Design & Editing: Juliane Nöst
Cover Artwork: “Yinglish” Ying Chang (front), “Xesta” Hugo Moura
Release: September 2023
Format: 16 × 24 cm
Volume: 320 pages
Language: English
Printer: BALTO, Lithuania
Workmanship: Stiff brochure with thread-stitching, full-color + spot color, hot-foil embossing
Papier: Peydur Neuleinen (Cover), Munken Print White 15 (inside)
ISBN: 978-3-948440-53-4
Price: € 42.–

BUY

Forward Festival Vienna 2023—Recap

“The quality of the talks and content was exceptional!” summarizes Stefan Sagmeister, who hosted the Forward Festival at Gartenbaukino in Vienna for the second time. Once again, the Forward Festival brought together creative minds and professionals from all over the world to foster networking and the exchange within the creative community. More than twenty top speakers inspired the more than 1,500 participants through diverse presentations and workshops, while the exhibition area delighted visitors with installations, pop-up concerts and performances.

Over 20 speakers showcased their work, offering exceptionally profound insights into their creative processes. The focus on interdisciplinary networking and industry exchange ensured that the diverse Festival program remained captivating and inspiring over the two days. The design icon Stefan Sagmeister engaged in on-stage discussions with many of the speakers about personal motivation, creative processes, industry challenges, and collaborations among diverse groups of creatives. The Festival curated an exceptional line-up of international speakers. Among them were renowned graphic designers such as Anthony Burrill and Felix Pfäffli from Studio Feixen, interdisciplinary creatives like Ju Schnee and Gavin Strange, visual artists like Anna Ginsburg and Sander Plug, celebrated illustrators such as Yuko Shimizu, marketing professionals like Andy Pearson from Liquid Death, visionary creative agency founder Thierry Brunfaut, and typographers like Michael Hochleitner from Typejockeys.

The founder of the Forward Festival, Othmar Handl, reflects on the remarkable journey of the Festival over the years: “Forward has always been and will continue to be a unique platform where the creative community can share their inspirations, ideas, and feedback to unleash creativity in every imaginable form. What we have achieved since the launch is so much greater than I ever imagined, and that fills me with pride. The stories told about the Festival, its community, and its atmosphere provide the team with strength, joy and motivation to bring our Festival to the next level every year. See you all again in 2024, and stay creative!”

More information here

Pink magic wands

Magic wand is a stick that is used to make magic things happen — sometimes used figuratively. Everyday objects used at the right time and place, by a specially qualified person, can serve as magic wands.
In this project I’m exploring the concept of magic wand along with pink color.

Between Books

Between Books, the first Art Book Fair at Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, will take place from November 9th to 12th, 2023. A premiere for the state capital Düsseldorf: an art book fair similar to those that have been held very successfully in New York, Berlin or Vienna for many years.

At Between Books, independent art book publishers, artists, independent publishing/DIY collectives, organizations, associations, zines, and magazines are invited to present themselves to a broad audience in the exhibition spaces of the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf and to show how versatile, exciting and contemporary the medium of books can be. The focus lies on the local and regional publishing scene, but protagonists from all over Germany and neighboring European countries will also be represented. From the numerous applications received in response to the Open Call for Participation, 75 exhibitors were selected for the art book  fair.

Between Books will be accompanied by an exciting supporting program with book presentations, talks, performances, and workshops. Visitors can listen to bookmakers talk about their publishing practice or become active themselves: Create their own zine, learn how bookbinding or papermaking works, or take action at the riso printer.

Between Books is both meeting place for discourse on (art) books, alternative forms of publication and publishing as a practice, as well as a place to discover, browse and meet.

Between Books

Where?
Kunsthalle Düsseldorf

When?
November 9th, 5 to 9 p.m.
November 10th to 12th, 12 to 7 p.m. each day
(Duration of the supporting program may be longer.)

Further information here.
More information on the supporting program, which will take place at Kunsthalle Düsseldorf and Salon des Amateurs/Weird Space here in due course.

Air Alert

This artwork aims to convey the fear and anxiety experienced by the peaceful Ukrainian citizens due to the threat of missile strikes by the Russian Federation on civilian infrastructure. It serves as a reminder to the uninvolved about the harsh reality of the ongoing conflict.

stolen

This poster I designed after learning about the study of the online collections of the Hermitage and the State Historical Museum of Russia by Texty.org.ua. It revealed that 110,000 artifacts had been exported from the territory of modern Ukraine to Russia in different historical periods. It makes me sad and angry that Russians keep stealing our culture without any consequences.

a—z masken

The experimental typographical project, related to the theater and its aesthetics rather than the 2020 pandemic. The project celebrates the playfulness of the creative process and the naivety of the childish creative mind, represented in masks’ expressions, body postures, and the atmosphere in the photo. In addition, 26 forest creatures were created, representing the letters of the Latin alphabet.

MYKOLA HOLODNYI BOOK & POSTER

This poster and book cover are dedicated to Mykola Kholodny, one of the prominent figures of the 1960s movement, who advocated for the rights of the Ukrainian nation to self-determination and the development of the Ukrainian language as the primary carrier of Ukrainian culture. Due to his convictions, the Soviet authorities did not allow him the freedom to write and publish. Therefore, my poster and book cover serve as an expression of respect and recognition for Mykola Kholodny’s feat.

Villages don’t drawn

USSR built huge amounts of dams and power stations on rivers to support the industry in Ukraine. In the long run, it was economically unjustified, the energy cost made through this production was too big, and keeping territories for agriculture. This project is aimed to show some data and affected villages in the water-filled installation. The construction of dams influenced the people’s fates and nature, the consequences of what we are still feeling today.