A research project at Mainz University of Applied Sciences focuses on the lives and works of long-forgotten female designers
Women lack visibility—and this is also true in the history of graphic design. While the achievements of men are well documented, even the search for fragmentary information about female designers requires intensive research. With the UN/SEEN project, the Designlabor Gutenberg Institute at Mainz University of Applied Sciences aims to close this gap in the German-speaking world and shine a spotlight on women in graphic design between 1865 and 1919.
By combing through archives and art collections, as well as through discussions with experts, the project team has already reconstructed over 300 names and biographies and brought several hundred works by female graphic designers, typographers, book designers, and illustrators back into the spotlight.
The knowledge gathered is published on the project’s website. The site has already received three awards, including the German Design Award, one of the most prestigious prizes in the German design industry. In addition, the project team members have created numerous Wikipedia pages showcasing the life stories and works of these female designers.
“The discussion about gender and design, especially in graphic design, is becoming increasingly prominent. To engage in this discussion, however, it is important to understand the origins of design. The period before the Bauhaus and the significance of the arts and crafts movement have long been neglected in the history of design in Germany. UN/SEEN addresses precisely this issue and takes the beginnings of design into account,” says project director Prof. Dr. Petra Eisele, professor of design history and design theory at Mainz University of Applied Sciences.
“The UN/SEEN research project is a significant step toward recognizing the contributions of women in graphic design. It not only highlights the often-overlooked achievements of these female designers but also helps to tell the history of design in a more comprehensive and equitable way. “I am proud that Mainz University of Applied Sciences, through UN/SEEN, is making an important contribution to gender studies and to promoting the visibility of women in design history,” says Prof. Dr. Susanne Weissman, President of Mainz University of Applied Sciences.
From April 9 to 11, a three-day international symposium featuring over 30 contemporary female designers will take place at the LUX Pavilion at Mainz University of Applied Sciences, where the current situation of women in graphic design will be discussed. The project will conclude in October with the publication of a book.
The UN/SEEN research project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research under the theme “Focus on Innovative Women.” The project team includes Prof. Dr. Isabel Naegele (Professor of Design Fundamentals and Typography at Mainz University of Applied Sciences and Director of the Gutenberg Design Lab), Prof. Dr. Petra Eisele (Professor of Design History and Design Theory at Mainz University of Applied Sciences), and research assistants Dipl. Des. Julia Neller and Dr. Aliena Guggenberger.
For more information: https://www.unseen-women.design/
