Berlin was host to the first Designmay. A two week design orientated congress where over 100 participants contributed with products, project, ideas.

I myself was very wound up in our own activities, so that I was unable to catch much let alone little, but all respect due, the first Designmay has taken place, it was alot of hustle, alot of trouble but the Designmay was good.

Greige, No War Font exhibition

And it was very Berlin style, improvisation, very shoestring budget, very makeshift and that is the charm that Berlin may have. It was a very good example of how Berlin works and doesn’t. I had the feeling and feedback that many young design studios did not participate due to the fact that the Designmay didn’t really archeive anything and business goes on on not with or with out such events. Life is what you make it I guess. Designmay was unfortunately somewhat elite and I really dislike elite. There will be criticism and there will be allot suggestions. I am personally looking forward to the next Designmay. And looking forward to the results it created.

Greige, No War Font exhibition

If the Designmay was about anything, it was about creating alliances, and if design can do something that actually moves people or makes people do something, then I think its extra good. The Berlin design studio Greige (rhymes with sage – mix of grey and beige) had a call for entries for using ‘No War Fonts‘ the result was a poster exhibition. Alot of the exhibited artwork can be viewed online.

Greige, No War Font

And now something from our own front. Redesign Deutschland has just completed the Universal Music Germany website. In going about things in very radical way, the design has been reduced to text, the only images being record covers and a couple of graphics. The claim of Universal Music is “its all about music”, so we did that, nothing flashy, colourful and distracting, but a solid, simple and functional website. We believe this a very bold step in the right direction. Reduce to the max and create simple sense and I like that allot.

Designmay
Date: May 3rd – 18th, 2003
Place: Transform-Berlin e.V. i.G.
Address: 24 Gormannstrasse, 10119 Berlin,
Tel: +49 (0)30 2759 4285
https://www.designmai.de