About

GERMAN DESIGN GRADUATES

German Design Graduates (GDG), sponsored by the German Design Council Foundation, is the only national initiative aimed at promoting young graduates from the fields of product and industrial design as well as presenting renowned German universities, art academies, and technical colleges.

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 is the leading authority on design in Germany. Since 1953. As a thought leader, it bears a special responsibility to unlock the potential of design for a sustainable future. To this end, it brings business and design together – for circular design, transformation and economic success.

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