ZHdK -- News -- Design

Newsletter N°4
November 2024

Dear Readers,
We’re excited to be back with our latest Newsletter. It’s been a vibrant few months since we last heard from each other, and we’re happy to share updates and news with you. On the horizon is our annual Visual Communication Information Day, coming up on November 22nd, 2024. We invite you to join us and gain insights into our program, meet our team, and explore the work of our students.

Information Day 2024

NOVEMBER 22nd

For our yearly Information Day, ZHdK opens its doors on November 22nd. The event offers a good opportunity to discover the diverse range of our study program, meet both our students and faculty, and experience the dynamics of our institution.
Our annual Information Day provides a unique opportunity to connect, learn, and take your first step into the world of Visual Communication. Whether you're visiting from nearby or traveling from afar, we’ve curated an extended program to give you a behind-the-scenes look at our courses and, most importantly, the multifaceted work of our students.
We can't wait to welcome familiar faces and new visitors alike to this important day. See you there! Discover the full program here.

Showreel 2024

Explore the BA Visual Communication at ZHdK through a new showreel crafted by our Bachelor students for this year’s Information Day. Take a look at some of their best projects and see their progress throughout the years.

The full video will be available on our website on November 22nd!

Praveena Srirathan, «F.T. Marinetti. Der Beginn des Abendessens», Grundkurs Fotografie, ZHdK, 2022

Texte zur Gestaltung #2

It’s been only a few months since we released the first issue of our new magazine, but we’re happy to present you already the second edition of Texte zur Gestaltung, a collection of texts dedicated to exploring the intersection of writing and design. This edition of the magazine continues the work initiated in a BA workshop led by Tan Wälchli, demonstrating how the written word can enhance and complement visual communication. Through these texts, our BA students hope to spark thoughtful discourse, promote understanding, and influence the broader design conversation.

Click here to explore the second edition of Texte zur Gestaltung.

Welcome NORM

As we near the end of the semester, we are excited to welcome Zurich’s renowned design studio NORM as guest lecturers in our BA program. Led by Dimitri Bruni, Manuel Krebs, and Ludovic Varone, NORM is known for its precise design solutions, shaped by grids, proportions, and modularity. Their experimental research aligns seamlessly with the focus of our Information Design course, as they explore essential questions of visual simplification and data representation—key themes of our Information Design course.

We’re happy to announce their public lecture in the framework of this course, which will be held on December 5th.

Further information coming soon here.

Laut, Frech, Nasty: Dennis Vugts, Marc Iselin and Niclas Funk

100 Best Posters

Starting November 30th, we welcome the annual traveling exhibition of the 100 Best Posters from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in the Kaskadenhalle at Toni-Areal. Once again, we are proud to celebrate the success of our community, as students, alumni, and faculty members have earned recognition among the winners of the award. Our congratulations go to our BA Students Dennis Vugts, Marc Iselin, Niclas Funk and alumni as well as faculty members Hammer, Maximage, Badesaison and HOMI.
You can browse all Best Posters of 2023 in the archive.

VC-Edition: Publishing Series

The Playstation series is a curated collection of type design projects created by our BA students in the Type Design Basics module of the 2nd semester. Each student selects unique references from everyday life—these could be anything from street signs to packaging labels—and extracts visual elements to develop the foundational modules for their typefaces. Through this process, students transform ordinary visuals into original typographic designs, each with a distinct aesthetic and character. The result is a diverse showcase of creative experimentation, illustrating how inspiration from daily surroundings can be transformed into compelling, innovative fonts.

Another new addition to our VC-Editions was just released in collaboration with Maxitype. Archeology of Consequent Forms marks the continuation of alumni Orlando Brunners BA diploma project from 2023 and explores the use of neural-network-based artificial intelligence in the creative process of a typeface.

You can acquire our VC-Editions by directly contacting info.vvk@zhdk.ch.

Book Launch «Seeing Vol. 2»

DECEMBER 7th

Join us for the launch of Seeing Vol. 2, an exploration of the unseen, unspoken, and overlooked in visual culture. This second volume in the Seeing series delves into how images can reveal the unknown, stir emotions, and bridge gaps between reality and imagination. Through contributions from MA students in Visual Communication at ZHdK, the volume brings together poems, visual reflections, experiments, and essays by leading voices in the field.
The publication includes contributions from ZHdK Visual Communication MA students, with visual and textual reflections curated from two seminars on Visual Culture.
Join us on 7 December 2024, 19:00 – 22:00, at Waxy Bar, Dienerstrasse 33, Zürich, for an evening of thought-provoking visuals, readings, and discussions that will challenge how you see the unseen.

Curriculum

Studio 1: Workshop with Bernd Hopfengärtner
MA Visual Communication

Remix Layout Advanced
BA Visual Communication

Health Indicators
Information Design
BA Visual Communication

Back to the Future
Brand & Identity
BA Visual Communication

Swiss Design Network Symposium

DECEMBER 4th–5th at ECAL

Please join us to this year’s Swiss Design Network Symposium at ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne (HES-SO).This symposium questions the status of design within the academic system and examines how knowledge is produced by design disciplines. The conference aims to provide examples of virtuous practices and to create an arena for a discussion on the relevance of design research as a framework in the medium and long terms. Which experiences and practices are exemplary? Which possibilities does research through design unfold? What can we learn from them, and how can we further implement design research into research projects and activities?
Find the full program here and register for the event via this link.

AGI Open 2024 in Basel

The AGI Open 2023 in Basel, held back in October, brought together leading figures in graphic design from around the world for a series of inspiring talks and discussions. Organized by the Alliance Graphique Internationale, the event highlighted emerging trends, celebrated innovative works, and fostered creative exchange in contemporary graphic design among designers and students alike. Our students and faculty took the opportunity to attend the two-day conference. Several of our colleagues and alumni were featured in the program, showcasing ZHdK's active role in shaping the current zeitgeist of graphic design.