Manifesto (a draft, 11 July 2026)
We see the world as a work in progress. It is not finished. We can shape it. This requires courage. And grace. Design is not neutral. To design means to get involved. What used to be commercial art (focused on print), communication design (including campaigns and visual systems) and visual communication (including audiovisual and networked elements) is now a vast field of opportunities for engagement. For cities that belong to their residents, for liveable rural areas, for an economy that does not deplete the planet, for societies that are open to what lies ahead. It is up to us to cultivate this field and define our profession.
It is not about designing media, but about processes of communication and negotiation. We use whatever is needed to achieve this – a kind word, a watering can, a drawing, a game, a clenched fist, perhaps even a poster. But this is merely a means to an end – a catalyst. It enables reactions, but is not their result.
We are venturing beyond the beaten track. Those who know their way around a little better lead the way. It’s about experimenting at the boundaries of disciplines. Working together, designing collectively. We value individual excellence – but it only flourishes through engagement with the collective. On equal terms.
Economics is a factor. Work must be remunerated. We are not looking for clients or commissions. We are looking for: collaborators and challenges. It is not about being avant-garde. We are interested in who comes after us, who carries on what we have started. That is why we are founding mut&anmut – an institute for design dedicated to promoting student initiatives, sustainable teaching and creative experiments aimed at further developing our professional field.
Anyone who still has a few slats left on their fence is very welcome to join us in building a stately treehouse.