Debate: design-education

Volker Albus, who teaches Product Design at HfG Karlsruhe, makes the case for offering a range of subjects with an extremely broad focus. In his opinion, this is the only way to cope with the diversity of social, technical, ecological and economic circumstances, which nowadays present a challenge to design. In his opinion, merely calling for greater artistic freedom does notachieve anything.

Jesko Fezer has been Professor of Experimental Design at the University of Fine Arts of Hamburg since the winter semester 2011-2. In his opinion design is no more and no less than the projective exploration of the world in creative terms, and a university of art the right place for teaching it.

If the content is art it should not be labeled design, says Oliver Schweizer. The product designer is head of Schweizer Design Consulting and regularly teaches at design colleges, believes that everyday work calls for a sound knowledge of the tools.

Art has a problem with design, proposes Michael Erlhoff, Professor of Design Theory and History at Cologne's International School of Design. He focuses on the social perception of design and hopes that the technocrats will get worn down.

Encouraged by this teaching experiences at European design academies, Harald Gründl of Eoos Design Studio contributes four hypotheses on design to the debate on design training

For Helmut Staubach, Professor of Product and Transportation Design at Universität Berlin Weißensee the ambiguity of the boundaries between art and design constitutes an opportunity for both disciplines.

Georg-Christof Bertsch, Honorary Professor for Intercultural Design at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Offenbach, warns designers against making a laughing stock of themselves by striving to be auxiliary artists. It is in fact the increasing complexity of industrial design as a profession itself that is presenting the challenges facing this sector today.

Evidently Friedrich von Borries has the one or other problem with bananas. That being so it cannot harm to read exactly what the fruit has to do with design, low sensations and art – and which concept of design will pop out of the banana skin in the end.

Are teachers who are themselves barely able to lay claim to noteworthy practical experience in design in a position to train others? This is a question that has been raised by Egon Chemaitis, retired Professor of Design Foundations at Universität der Künste Berlin. He cites four reasons, which from his point of view have contributed to the shift in design education in the direction of art.

Design education at HfbK Hamburg has been reorganized, and we reported on the implications. In the highly diversified event entitled "Warum gestalten?" (Why design?) the Design department explored various perspectives from radical urban criticism through to multi-perspective developing.

"Is design becoming the auxiliary of art?" Thomas Edelmann asked in an article in the Stylepark Magazine where he debated the practice of design training at art academies. Among other things, he specifically addressed current changes at the Hamburg Academy of Fine Arts. Friedrich von Borries was prompted by the article to outline his ideas on design.

New trends in teaching and curricula are influencing future design. In Hamburg design is now only part of art courses. At other art academies, it is becoming a marginal subject. But there's no sign of designers putting up a fight.