ulmmethod and design

Just in time for the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Hochschule für Gestaltung (School of Design, known as the HfG) in Ulm in 1953, this publication honors the pioneering work of its founding members Inge Scholl, Otl Aicher, and Max Bill. Founded on an antifascist impulse, the HfG encouraged the development of a democratic consciousness which was to influence design in general. Products were meant to be as long lived and functional as possible, acceptable with respect to social and ecological criteria, and to take into account changing political conditions and production technologies. The school's pedagogical concept, the so-called Ulm model, was characterized by a new system- oriented design methodology and the encouragement of interdisciplinary teamwork. The Ulm School of Design played a decisive role in establishing the idea of the professional "designer" in the form still valid today, and many designers who graduated from the HfG before its closure in 1968 are still teaching design-related subjects, thus carrying on the specific fundamental principles that empowered the HfG. Examples from design schools in Asia, North and South America, and India illustrate the effects of the design methods developed at Ulm. Exhibition Schedule: Ulmer Museum September 14 - November 30, 2003 · Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin February 4 - June 12, 2005