Museum Exhibition 2025

Dare to design – Spaces of Care

September 04 – October 12

The annual exhibition Dare to Design – Spaces of Care by the German Design Council Foundation showcases the most innovative work by design graduates from German universities. Despite their diversity, the projects are united by a collective consciousness and a determination to bring about change in response to urgent questions and ongoing crises. They all understand design as a collective practice and an act of care. As part of the German Design Graduates initiative, curators select projects and concepts from several hundred submissions that reflect the breadth of innovation among design talents. The exhibition features 45 works from the fields of product and industrial design, communication and digital design, as well as textile and fashion design.

The exhibition design, conceived and realised by Cologne-based Studio für Gestaltung, relies on locally borrowed materials from the construction industry in order to minimise the use of materials and CO₂ emissions. Supporter: Druckerei Kettler, Berberich Papier, Fassbender Tenten Baustoffhandel.

German Design Graduates @ MAKK Köln

MAKK

MAKK – Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln
An der Rechtschule 7
50667 Köln

Opening hours
Tuesday to Sunday: 10 am – 6 pm
1st Thursday of the month: 10 am – 10 pm except on public holidays
Closed on Mondays except public holidays

Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln

SPotlights

With their wide-ranging expertise, this year’s GDG mentors will select projects from the ranks of exhibitors that are characterised by excellence – in the originality of the idea, in their transformative character, in their formal and functional execution of design and construction, through specific achievements in the areas of society, sustainability and circularity as well as research and knowledge transfer.

• Meike Harde, Founder and Director, Studio Meike Harde
  How to stay cool? by Zixuan Zhou, State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart, Industrial Design, Diploma
• Johannes Voelchert, Innovation Design Lead, On AG
  Sich verändernde Farben by Miriam Johnston, Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle, Conceptual Textile Design, Master of Arts
• Lukas Cottrell, CEO & Managing Partner, Peter Schmidt Group
  Heute gab es Fruchtjoghurt by Martha Remus, Trier University of Applied Sciences, Communication Design, Bachelor of Arts
• Ingolf Heinsch, Designer Customer Experience
  Ideologien visualisieren by Aaron Siermann, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Integrated Design, Bachelor of Arts
• Isa Glink, Creative Director, Kvadrat Residential
  You may also like by Paula Holzhauser, Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle, Textile Design, Bachelor of Arts
• Marte Henschel, Co-CEO VORN – The Berlin Fashion Hub und Professorin BSP Business & Law School
  Perfect World by Helen Eisen, Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin, Fashion Design, Master of Arts
• Juni Sun Neyenhuys, German Design Award 2025 – Newcomer, Co-Founder and Material Experience Designer at mujō
  Nessie by Ony Yan, Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin, Product Design, Master of Arts
• Barbara Lersch, Chief Programme Officer at World Design Capital Frankfurt RheinMain 2026
  Conversations with strangers by Tim Reimann, Linn Zahn, Amelie Ruess, Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Design, Communication Design, Bachelor of Arts
• Viktoria Lea Heinrich, Design historian & curator
  Block to Blob by Lukas Klein, Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design, Product Design, Diploma

Programme

Workshops for adults (in german)
In cooperation with the Museum Service at the MAKK

Time in each case: 12:00 – 15:00
Price each: € 21.00 | Material: € 4.00
Speakers: Gradutes tba

Typographic design: Handwriting as a tool for experimental design
With Florian Temmler
Graduate of Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts

Sunday, September 21
Registration until September 15

Zine-Making
With Amelie Ruess, Linn Zahn, and Tim Reimann, graduates of the Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Design

Sunday, September 28
Registration until September 22

Guided tours for adults (in german)
In co-operation with the Museum Service at the MAKK

Sunday, 7 September 
11:00 – 11:30
Guide: Graduierte tba

Tuesday, 16 September 
16:30 – 17:30
Guide: Museum Service

Tuesday, 30 September 
16:30 – 17:30 
Guide: Museum Service