About

GERMAN DESIGN GRADUATES

German Design Graduates, supported by the German Design Council Foundation, is the only nationwide initiative dedicated to promoting young talent among graduates in product and industrial design, textile and fashion design, and communication and digital design, as well as showcasing renowned German universities, art colleges and universities of applied sciences.

The enormous scope of graduation projects, as well as their varied approaches to design, offer room for discourse: not only on the subject of design, but also about research and future issues in particular. The most important task of the GDG is to present and promote the quality and variety of the achievements and solutions developed by the graduates.

The graduation projects will be presented in a variety of formats such as a comprehensive online presentation, during exhibitions, and at networking activities. Awards and individual grants are there to provide a springboard into a career in design for the graduates.

The initiative was launched in 2019 by Prof. Ineke Hans, Prof. Hermann Weizenegger, Prof. Mark Braun and Katrin Krupka. Since 2022, the German Design Council Foundation has been leading the project.

German Design Council

The German Design Council, founded in 1953, traces its origins to an initiative by the Deutscher Werkbund and a resolution by the German Bundestag. Operating as a foundation, the German Design Council sees itself as a bridge between business and design—with the goal of combining circular design, transformation, and economic success. Through the German Design Award, the German Brand Award, the German Innovation Award, and the ICONIC AWARDS, it offers a broad spectrum of awards that highlight the diverse role of design in business and society.

German Design Graduates is supported by the German Design Council Foundation, which has been the project sponsor since 2022 and is strategically developing the initiative.

www.gdc.de

ADVISORY BOARD

The strategic development of German Design Graduates is overseen by an advisory board. The board brings together professors from leading German design universities as well as international experts from the fields of design and research.

The advisory board provides guidance on key issues relating to design education, the promotion of young talent and the international positioning of German design universities. It contributes perspectives from various design fields and university structures and supports the further development of the programme’s content.

permanent members of the advisory board

Photos: Lena Everding