“What Designers can change” is the current annual publication of the Institute of Design and Communication at the University of Applied Sciences FH JOANNEUM in Graz. 117 theses from the bachelor’s program in Information Design, as well as the master’s programs in Exhibition Design and Communication, Media, Sound and Interaction Design from the 2018/2019 academic year are summarized in this publication.
Now published for the tenth consecutive year, this yearbook impressively demonstrates how the current social and global developments are being addressed much more strongly than ten years ago. Sustainable and society‒changing design strategies are increasingly becoming central components of the practice‒oriented and interdisciplinary education at the Institute. The final theses naturally reflect this approach to design. Many of the students and graduates are taking on this great responsibility at a time when the basis of human existence is massively threatened by climate change, a scarcity of resources, global migration, etc., and are trying to change the status quo by means of purposeful, planned design methods, and transform it into something new and positive.
Over the past year, students’ works have again gained international recognition by receiving numerous awards (including 9 Red Dot Awards, 2 ADC Junior Awards, and 1 European Design Award). This publication is, after ‘What designers can do’ which was awarded several prizes, among others the Red Dot Award for Communication Design in 2018, and ‘Why designers go crazy’, the third book in the new design line. It shows the wide variety of interdisciplinary contents and approaches and is complemented by interviews with students and teachers. The design concept of the book, made by Lucia Jarosova, created a platform where each study field and its topics are presented and can be understood easily.
