Journal

• February 2025

  Working together for a strong and visible creative scene in the city of Düsseldorf

  The creative industries are one of the main drivers of Düsseldorf's economy: with an annual turnover of 9.5 billion euros and more than 32,500 employees, the sector demonstrates its economic relevance. Nevertheless, there is often a lack of visibility and targeted exchange - both within the city's society and with politics and business. This is precisely where the newly founded Kreativwirtschaft Düsseldorf e.V. comes into action.

  As a founding member, together with eleven other Düsseldorf agencies and studios, we are thrilled to be part of this initiative. The aim of the new organisation is to bundle the interests of the industry, to give the creative professions more visibility and to further develop Düsseldorf as a strong creative hub. The first visible result of the collaboration is the new corporate design. It was developed jointly by the founding members - agencies and design studios from a wide range of backgrounds - who pooled their expertise and designed the first media for the launch. A central platform exchange, knowledge transfer and joint projects will be created through industry events, networking formats and collaborations. The foundations have been laid - now we are actively shaping the future of Düsseldorf's creative industries.

• December 2024

  Identity Systems Germany opens in Japan

  In the early 20th century, Germany produced some of the world's first examples of what would become known as corporate design. A few years after the end of the Second World War, West Germany took up the pioneering design principles of the past. The HfG Ulm and a number of young designers shaped a new understanding of systems design in the early 1960s. They created designs for Lufthansa, the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich and many other companies, institutions and events. The economically prosperous country, which had returned to democracy, demonstrated its new self-image with systematically developed design solutions that visually shaped everyday life.

  The exhibition "Identity Systems Germany", which opened on 24 October 2024 at the kyoto ddd gallery, shows works from the "A5 Collection Düsseldorf". The collection on the history of graphic design, which has been built up since 2009, is based in our studio. The exhibition features selected posters that document corporate design projects and illustrate the use of visual identities. Other exhibits include rare design manuals, unique original documents, concept drawings and print samples that demonstrate the high quality of design work at the time. The focus is on the work of renowned designers such as Otl Aicher, Anton Stankowski, Helmut Schmid and Rolf Müller, whose contributions had a lasting impact on the visual and cultural identity of West Germany. The exhibition was curated and designed by Vista under the direction of Katharina Sussek and Jens Müller. "Identity Systems Germany" provides an in-depth insight into the significance of design as a reflection of social and economic dynamics. Further exhibitions are planned.