Design Reach Impact
Name(s) of graduate(s):Friedrich Gerlach
Kooperationspartner: MAGNA Glaskeramik GmbH, Nabore GmbH, Thomas Beck Studio, Easy Molds (RP Processing UG)
2025
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Description
Three stools are created in three design sprints, each with a partner company from the recycling sector, made of glass, plastic and leather. They are demonstration objects whose form and process carry a narrative, captured on video from the very beginning in order to show the knowledge, technology and work behind the production.
Behind this is an observation. Today, the value of a product is no longer decided solely by function or quality, but by whether and how it is seen. Since visibility is a fixed value in the attention economy, it should find its place in how we design. Much remains invisible: where a material comes from, what work goes into it, what makes it special. Responsible design often brings additional effort that is only justified by the story behind it. If this story is transported, visibility becomes a necessity. The work asks what happens when it becomes a design criterion that is co-designed from the very beginning.
Friedrich Gerlach
2025
Description
Three stools are created in three design sprints, each with a partner company from the recycling sector, made of glass, plastic and leather. They are demonstration objects whose form and process carry a narrative, captured on video from the very beginning in order to show the knowledge, technology and work behind the production.
Behind this is an observation. Today, the value of a product is no longer decided solely by function or quality, but by whether and how it is seen. Since visibility is a fixed value in the attention economy, it should find its place in how we design. Much remains invisible: where a material comes from, what work goes into it, what makes it special. Responsible design often brings additional effort that is only justified by the story behind it. If this story is transported, visibility becomes a necessity. The work asks what happens when it becomes a design criterion that is co-designed from the very beginning.
Link to Video