From circular products to the design of democratic processes, last weekend the GDG Awards 2024 honoured groundbreaking projects by young designers that combine design and social responsibility.
On Friday, 30 August 2024, the Museum Angewandte Kunst opened the exhibition ‘Dare to Design. German Design Graduates 2024’ at the Museum Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt am Main, presenting the most important works by product and industrial design graduates from German universities.
Out of 220 graduation projects submitted from 22 different German universities, 45 works were selected for the exhibition in a multi-stage selection process, and eleven of these finalists were nominated for the GDG Awards by an interdisciplinary jury. During the opening ceremony of the exhibition, four of them were awarded a prize of 2,500 euros each. The award-winning projects impressively illustrate the innovative power that design can develop in processes of social and economic change.
Lutz Dietzold, Managing Director of the German Design Council, points out:
“It is amazing to see how the up-and-coming generation at German design universities is tackling current challenges with innovative thinking and action. The award-winning works impressively demonstrate how design can be used as a driving force for change and innovation. I am therefore particularly proud that the German Design Council, through the German Design Graduates initiative, has the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the transformative potential of German universities and build a bridge to the business world.”
GDG 2024 – the Winners at a Glance
Design for a New Knowledge and Sustainable Product Culture
„Geplante Obsoleszenz: Problem oder Chance?“ (Planned obsolescence: Problem or Opportunity?)
by Dean Weigand, Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar, Master of Arts
In his final project, Dean Weigand shows how a tiny faulty component in a washing machine can turn it into waste. Through his research, he discovered that the wear and tear of washing machine components had not been taken into account in their design and decided to look for economically viable solutions.
by Max Greiner, Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle, Bachelor of Arts
Max Greiner transformed post-natural material and developed an innovative glass mass. His project encouraged collaboration between engineers and craftsmen and demonstrated the potential for a scalable production method.
Design and Community
„Gestaltungszentrale Politik“ – Politics Shapes, We Design.
Philipp Cartier, Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg, Master of Arts
The initiative of ‘Gestaltungszentrale Politik (e.V.)’ explores the relationship between politics and design and works with members of the German Bundestag to promote sustainable changes in political design processes.
Design for Practical Solutions and Responsibility
Lena Hellmann, Kunsthochschule Kassel, Diplom
Lena Hellmann has designed “Table Tools” that encourages social interaction. Her experimental designs, created in collaboration with the manufacturer mono, combine creative design with cost-effective production.
About the Exhibition
„Dare to Design. German Design Graduates 2024“
31.08.2024–05.01.2025
Museum Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt am Main (Museum of Applied Arts )
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