UN/SEEN Women

Women lack visibility. This has also been the case in the history of graphic design—until today.

UN/SEEN is an initiative focused on highlighting the often-overlooked contributions of women in graphic design from 1865 to 1919, a period preceding the Bauhaus movement. Recognizing that the achievements of male designers are well-documented, whereas information on their female counterparts is scarce and requires intensive research, UN/SEEN aims to close this gap in the German-speaking world.

The project involves thorough archival research, creating and updating Wikipedia articles, and organizing a symposium in April 2025 featuring contemporary female typographers. This symposium will foster discussions on achieving greater equality for the new generation of female designers. Additionally, the UN/SEEN website functions as a platform for documenting the projects progress, facilitating networking, and serving as an online archive, which is currently under construction.

The UN/SEEN research project, funded by the BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research) under the Innovative Women in Focus (IFIF) initiative, aims to highlight the contributions of women in graphic design from 1865 to 1919. Spearheaded by Designlab Gutenberg at the Mainz University of Applied Sciences, in collaboration with Bureau N and Magma Design Studio, the project seeks to address the historical visibility gap of female designers. Through extensive archival research, the creation and enhancement of Wikipedia articles, and a symposium scheduled for April 2025 featuring contemporary female typographers, UN/SEEN endeavors to foster discussions on gender equality in design. The project’s website will serve as a documentation platform, networking hub, and online archive, which is currently under construction.

Learn more:
unseen-women.design
@unseen.women.design