A successful double: student Annika de Fries has won the ‘Competition for Young Designers’. Her fellow student Lara Keskinkilic has also made it into the top 10.
Since 2006, the Frankfurt Book Fair has been welcoming its Guest of Honour – this year, France – with an original poster competition, whilst at the same time promoting up-and-coming designers. Students from universities offering design courses throughout Germany are invited to submit their ideas for posters and postcards.
“We were particularly excited about the entries this time. This year, France, as the Guest of Honour, is focusing on the promotion of the French language. The designs therefore also had to do justice to this meta-level – a particular challenge for the students,” summarises Simone Bühler, Head of the Guest of Honour project at the Frankfurt Book Fair and a member of the jury.
Out of 240 designs submitted from 20 universities, Annika de Fries, a second-semester student on the “Information and Communication Design” course at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, won over the jury with her design “Miau Miaou”. “This design charmingly highlights the subtle differences between the German and French languages, bringing a smile to the viewer’s face,” said the jury (comprising representatives from the Frankfurt Book Fair, the organising committee for the 2017 Guest of Honour, the Museum of Applied Arts, the Cultural Affairs Department of the City of Frankfurt am Main and the agency Michael Eibes Design), explaining their decision in favour of the winning poster. The prize includes a cash award of 1,500 euros, as well as the poster being displayed across Frankfurt and its production as a postcard.
Lara Keskinkilic’s design also made it into the top 10. “With a light touch, she captures the essence of what literature makes possible: immersion in another world. The page of text becomes a magical gateway that allows the transition into the unknown,” says Prof. Christoph Zielke, Professor of Media Design at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, describing the work. Both award-winning posters were created as part of a module on the ‘Information and Communication Design’ degree programme under the supervision of Prof. Zielke, who is very proud of his students. The Frankfurt Book Fair has been organising the competition nationwide for three years, and for the third year running, students from Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences have been successful: Following a second-place finish (Katja Kandora, 2015) and a shortlist nomination (Alexander Altrichter, 2016), this fine double success has now been achieved. “Our second-semester students were constantly competing against students from higher semesters, as the competition is not restricted to specific semesters,” said Zielke.
According to the jury, the following applies to all ten winning entries this year: “As diverse as the designs may seem, they unanimously symbolise the meeting of different languages. German and French come together in dialogue – free from clichés.” The best designs from the competition will be on display in the foyer of the Museum Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt from 29 June to 9 July 2017 and will be available as postcards from September.
The three winners and their designs:
1st place (€1,500 prize money): “Miau Miaou” by Annika de Fries (Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences)
2nd place (€1,000 prize money): ‘Die Franzosen kommen’ by Sarah Kowatsch (Trier University of Applied Sciences)
3rd place (€500 prize money): “Bonjour, Coucou, Salut” by Vivien Koch (Freiburg University of Art, Design and Popular Music)
