From the Little House

For the 45 bachelor’s degree graduates and 12 master’s degree graduates, the start of the exhibition on January 28, 2021, marked a long-awaited chance to break out of their home quarters—at least in digital form. Full of enthusiasm, they were eager to bring some joy back to the public. The exhibition design, “Aus’m Häuschen,” also conveyed this energy and positive vibe. Even in the run-up to the exhibition, animated Instagram characters were used to build anticipation for opening day. The university’s LUX Pavilion was staged with cubes made of holographic film that cast shimmering rainbows onto the floor depending on the viewing angle. Since the 2020–2021 winter semester, due to the pandemic, once again turned into a creative back-and-forth within the confines of one’s own four walls, a digital exhibition format had to be found: This year’s final projects were displayed on a total of 16 screens in the windows of the exhibition pavilion. Thessa Brenner, director of LUX: “The exhibitions are well received by the people of Mainz. We’re lucky that LUX has so much window space facing the public. ” Even during the setup, the exhibition team reported that curious passersby kept peeking inside the “showcase” to see what was happening.   Digital Seriousness The graduates’ projects once again demonstrated the diversity of communication design. Perhaps a trend toward digital media was evident this winter semester: apps, websites, augmented reality, music videos, and explanatory videos. But print media such as magazines and books were also visible on the screens behind the windows. Thematically, a “new” sense of seriousness was sometimes evident: plastic pollution in the oceans, sugar as a cause of widespread diseases, the digital state, an open approach to anger, or a sustainability report on Mainz University of Applied Sciences. The sustainability report from Mainz University of Applied Sciences, titled “transform,” was conceived and designed by bachelor’s graduate Lilly Gothe. Environmental protection and sustainability have been political issues long before Greta Thunberg—though perhaps they’ve been more prominent than ever since the Swedish climate activist came onto the scene. According to Gothe, this makes it all the more urgent to address the higher education landscape—after all, that is where tomorrow’s decision-makers are being trained. Gothe’s sustainability report presents a range of conversations with various staff members at Mainz University of Applied Sciences and serves as a call to action to commit more strongly to sustainability. The works of all graduates were on display at LUX between January 28 and February 5, 2021, and will continue to be featured on the blog and website.   This year’s design concept was developed in a seminar led by Marie-Theres Birk, Julian Lehmann, and Mareike Knevels. Poster and animation design: Annabel Regenstein, Paul Esser, Nils Trenner