Design Laboratory

Based on Bauhaus principles, the first part of the lecture deals with, amongst other topics, the form theory of Kerner Duroy, Johannes Itten and Wassiliy Kandinsky. A further focus is concerned with theories of colour, with a special emphasis on the theories of Goethe, Itten and other Bauhaus teachers.
Alongside the lecture, students also give oral presentations of about 15 minutes; the topics for these are always newly defined. In the last lectures, for example, engineering topics with a design-oriented focus were presented (bridge building today - materials, function and design), or the topic “colour in the fine arts” was discussed (e.g. artist Yves Klein - topic “blue” - background information on the colour blue...)

This lecture is concerned with current colour design topics such as product and object design, publicity and typography. It focusses on themes like colours and their symbolism, their impact on the well-being of people, colour and health and colour in the printing and media technologies. Areas of art and style history in architecture and interior design are discussed as well as types of construction, colours in the architecture of different historical eras and the preservation of ancient monuments.

According to Bauhaus principles, workshop handicrafts provide an essential space for exercise and experimentation with “colour as a  means of creative expression”. The area of work is defined as the intersection between “fine and applied arts”. According to Walter Gropius, art cannot be taught or learned, rather it arises through good handicraft. In free exercises on the themes of point, line and surface, in black and white or colour, students work with a wide range of tools. With the support of the paint and coatings industry, creative experiments are carried out in practical exercises using current exterior and interior products and they are tested on different foundation materials.

The topics of applied colour design - architectural design and object design - are presented in this course.
Students are trained in the critical use of colours and colour values. They carry out aspects of object design (e.g. typography/fonts) in practical exercises; the seminar is rounded off, when possible, by visits to exhibitions focussing on the topic of colours.
The main focus is always introduced at the beginning of each semester. Normally, this is concerned with object design drafts (e.g. construction of exhibition stands, or similar) or architectural designs (design of facades, interiors or townscapes).