Pforzheim Design PF
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The School of Design in Pforzheim Design PF is not only a prestigious educational institution, but also a source of impulses for the public. It occupies circa 3,000 square meters, is staged in as many as four different venues and presents projects and works from the various departments. Students are also regularly sought to serve as cooperating partners for the industry and cultural institutions: these young people support businesses in projects or contribute their works to enrich extramural exhibitions. Alongside the exhibition of works, the School of Design also offers a platform for lectures and workshops: academics, scientists and designers from around the world come to Pforzheim to offer insights into their work and to provide intellectual stimulation for design-related activities.
Some short facts about the School of Design:
- 6 Bachelor and 3 Master Programs in Design (BA: Fashion, Accessory Design, Industrial Design, Jewellery, Visual Communication, Transportation Design // MA: Design & Future Making, Creative Direction, Transportation Design)
- one of the oldest and well-known Schools for Design in Germany
- founded 1877 as Ducal School of Craft at the behest of the jewellery industry that wished to encourage Higher Education
- in 1992 fusion with the School of Economics to Pforzheim University
- since 2005 School of Design at Pforzheim University (public university – no tuition fees for EU-students)
- is fully accredited and continuously evaluated by the state Baden-Wuerttemberg and ZEvA Hannover
- since 2004 member of CUMULUS International Association of Art and Design Colleges
The Fashion Department
The highly diverse program content offers at its core a broad in-depth experience of fashion disciplines including menswear, womenswear, textiles and knitwear that combined, provide a transferable and holistically formed expertise. Extended research and investigation exploration of original ideas, will be contextualised and integrated into design strategies on different key levels: visually, materially, spatially, and textually. The interplay of traditional and contemporary techniques with emerging technologies is as vital to the education as new developments, practices and technological shifts is in everyday life. Arguably the vectors of fashion, cultural movements, market shifts as well as clothing and garment production are fundamental to be reviewed and critically realigned during the creative stages.
Inter- and trans-disciplinary ventures, collaborative projects, crossover activities allow totally integrated units of study to extend design and fashion challenges. Connecting to fine art, popular culture and critical studies creatively, fashion and its design process is pushed to its ‘perceived’ boundaries thus ensuring an innovative statement with distinctive quality and value to industry and markets. This will be delivered to management through remarkable social skills, versatility, and professionalised communication tools as well as through the capacity to connect at speed.
The Accessory Department
This unique degree course is the only accessory design program in Germany and responses to an urge of a highly dynamic and fast growing accessory industry with its upcoming, new market places. The subject is defined as an inter- and trans-disciplinary fulcrum, a creative scope between fashion, textile, jewellery, interior, industrial design and smart products. It features not only a wide range of segments like footwear, leather goods, bags, luggage and travel items, eye-wear and fashionable health- and sport-wear, but encompasses a large diversity of elements, gadgets, objects and artefacts up to mini-series and small collections.
In-depth investigations across multiple disciplines provide a critical insight into different design approaches and offer a thorough understanding of process-related principles and their applications. By applying experimental methods, studio teaching and collaborative units stress the cultivation of critical and creative engagement, of working within limitations and interconnecting creativity and commerce. The course underpins a technical expertise, it covers a wide range of key skill sets, excellence, craftmanship, traditional manufacturing, up to contemporary techniques, smart technologies including 3D-processing and –printing.
Designstudio, Photo: Olga Pfeifle
Degree Collection Shiyu Gu "霸王别姬 - FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE", Photo: Harald Koch
Lisa van Wersch, Accessory Design Collection "The Restless Creature", Photo: Lukas Hoelzli
Nora Döring, Collection "Pi" Accessory Design, Photo Nora: Döring
Sara Ann Kornmesser, Accessory Design Collection "The discovery of humanity", Photo: Tatsiana Tribunalova
Sarah Mangold, Bachelor Degree Collection Fashion "Sujet Trouvé", Photo: Phil Chung
Franziska Maurer, Bachelor Degree Collection Accessory Desgin "Voodoo", Photo: Maximilian Heinsch
Tommy Dombrowski, 6th Semester project: „Genderless Wedding Wear“, Photo: Laila Eby
Sabrina Jahn, Bachelor Collection Fashion „MYOSOTIS X", Photo: Mats Kalinowski, Andrey Khvostenko
Marlene Waltner, Bachelor Degree Collection Fashion "QUEER", Photo: Silke Schlotz
The BA degree program in Fashion Design is a synthesis of art, design, creativity, applied science and practice. The coursework focuses on themes such as social and cultural influences on fashion as well as aesthetics, composition and colour theory; these themes are incorporated into project concepts and their practical execution. The coursework encompasses the design of fashion and clothing programs ranging from unique pieces through to large-scale production. All fields of ladies and men’s fashion from unique articles, designer and branded fashion, through to ready-made clothing, sports and children’s clothing, stage costumes, accessories and styling are addressed.
A unique focus of the education at the Pforzheim School of Design lies in the integration of fundamental studies in the fine arts. The students cultivate skills in the areas of painting, drawing, sculpture and still and moving images. This is complimented by cultural studies such as the history of design, art analysis, aesthetics, semiotics and the sociology of cultural processes. These subjects serve to hone the students’ perceptive skills, i.e. the ability to interpret symbols, recognize historical developments and gain cultural knowledge. Many years of experience show that the students thrive on the skills gained from this practical and theoretical knowledge and obtain indispensible ideas for their own career development. Furthermore, interdisciplinary projects also provide the opportunity for cooperation with other design fields such as jewellery and transportation design. The fashion design department works together with renowned companies, organizations and research institutes and promotes international study programs and placements abroad.
For more info please click here.
The degree program in Accessory Design is a synthesis of art, design, creativity, applied science and practice. The coursework focuses on topics such as social and cultural influences on accessories and fashions as well as on aesthetics, composition and colour theory, which are incorporated into project concepts and their practical implementation. The course covers the design of accessories from oneoff unique items through to mass-produced products, embracing all areas of women’s and men’s accessories – shoes, belts and small leather goods, bags and luggage, glasses, scarves, hats and corresponding features, such as buckles and other decorative elements. Work is done at different levels, ranging from unique items through designer and brand name accessories to articles with a functional emphasis or with digital or interactive qualities. A unique focus of the courses at the Pforzheim School of Design lies in the integration of fundamental studies in the fine arts. Students cultivate skills in the areas of painting, drawing, sculpture and still and moving images. This is complimented by cultural studies in art and design, such as the history of design, art analysis, aesthetics, semiotics and the sociology of cultural processes. These subjects serve to hone the students’ perceptive skills, i.e. the ability to interpret symbols, recognize historical developments and gain cultural knowledge.
For more info please click here.