Two students on the Bachelor’s degree programme in Information and Communication Design at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences are among the winners of the prestigious DDC AWARD 2025. Amal Hamed and Valeriia Kapustina have been recognised for their outstanding work.
Social relevance, conceptual strength and creative excellence – these are the hallmarks of the work by the two students, Amal Hamed and Valeriia Kapustina, from Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences (HSRW). This is because, in addition to aesthetic and conceptual merits, an ‘Impact’ jury also assesses the social impact of the submitted projects. Amal Hamed won gold with her cross-media campaign ‘Ask Who Made It!’, in which she examines global supply chains across various industries, from fashion and electronics to everyday goods. The campaign highlights the social and environmental conditions under which products are manufactured and encourages consumers to critically question their own choices. Interactive visualisations, in-depth research and a clear communication strategy combine to form a powerful overall picture. For this project, Hamed received the Gold Talent Award at the DDC AWARD 2025.
The other award winner, Valeriia Kapustina, was recognised for a realistically crafted season campaign for the Acker Stadt Palast in Berlin, an independent venue for contemporary music theatre, performance, dance and new music. The visual identity she developed combines a modular design system with striking, distinctive and eye-catching illustrations, each of which offers a unique and incisive visual interpretation of the venue’s various productions. The jury praised the campaign’s conceptual clarity, design precision and professional applicability. Kapustina was honoured with the Bronze Award for this work.
“We are particularly pleased that Amal Hamed and Valeriia Kapustina, two young designers who combine social responsibility, conceptual depth and design excellence, have been recognised. The diversity of our international students and the close collaboration within the degree programme enable themes and perspectives that extend far beyond the regional level and result in work of national and international relevance. The two award-winning projects impressively demonstrate the potential inherent in this diversity,” says Prof. Nicolas Markwald, Professor of Communication Design at the Faculty of Communication and Environment. The Bachelor’s degree programme in Information and Communication Design, taught at the Kamp-Lintfort campus, is characterised by international perspectives, interdisciplinary collaboration and close interaction between students and lecturers. This academic culture provides the framework within which projects emerge that address social issues and are relevant both nationally and internationally.
The awards fit convincingly into Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences’ self-image. As an internationally oriented and interdisciplinary university, HSRW promotes a study culture in which social responsibility, diversity and sustainability are central tenets. In the field of design in particular, it is evident how students embrace these values and translate them into their own projects. The award-winning works clearly demonstrate how young designers translate topics of global relevance – from supply chains to cultural participation – into compelling design solutions. In doing so, they not only raise the profile of the degree programme but also reinforce the university’s position as a place where social initiatives are launched and innovative perspectives are developed.
