24. HfG-Rundgang Offenbach 2022
Illustration on the right by Rosa Viktoria Ahlers
The Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach offers students an interdisciplinary, diverse and collaborative environment. During the Rundgang, the university’s annual exhibition, students from all disciplines can present their work. Because of this comprehensive diversity, a formal appearance that is as abstract as possible is needed each year for the Rundgang, in order to represent the various disciplines in the same way. For the 24th Rundgang, students themselves had the opportunity to contribute to the visual identity to represent the university in the best possible way.
The advertising materials contained only the information about the tour, which was placed like a frame around a white area in the center. This acted as a kind of “blank canvas”: here, all students were given a space to integrate their own design/art into the appearance. Each of the posters, invitations and billboards thereby became unique, a work of art created by different participants. The students were offered a platform to show their own works away from the actual tour in the public space. In addition, the concept visualized the range of the university’s internal teaching.
A large part of the posters were painted by students before they were hung, while a small part of the posters and the rented large surfaces were only available for display after the posters had been hung. The “blank canvas” was also intended to initiate an active discourse—both within and outside of the university. It offered the opportunity to enter into a shared exchange.
With the help of this democratic design, the values of the university (diversity, interdisciplinarity, and community) were shown in a creative way, and the location of the Rundgang was expanded to include places away from the exhibition venues.
In total 400 posters, 5,000 invitations and seven billboards were painted.
Illustration by Rosa Viktoria Ahlers
