Member of the month
Prof. Karsten Henze
IDZ Member of the Month for April is our Chairman of the Board, Prof. Karsten Henze. From 2001 to 2018, he worked at Deutsche Bahn, including as Head of CI/CD and Creation. Based in Group Marketing, he and his team were responsible for the Group's global image.
Today, Karsten Henze works as a freelance management consultant in the design sector.
German Ecodesign Award 2023
Award ceremony
Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke and UBA Vice President Dr. Lilian Busse presented twelve projects with the German Ecodesign Award on 4 December. You can find all the award-winning projects on the award website. Congratulations to the winners!
The application phase for the German Ecodesign Award 2024 starts on 22 January!
IDZ Event
wirDesign
On 25 April, we are hosting an event together with our member wirDesign: Under the heading “Responsibility is the reason why | Responsibility and Brand Performance”, Brigida Kempf and Silke Parnack, board members at wirDesign, will show how their brand agency works successfully.
Please register now!
We are the IDZ!
Our members of the month
Since 2020, we have featured one of our members with a short video interview, which we publish monthly in our newsletter.
On our website, you can find all the interviews we have done so far.
International Design Forum
From passenger experience to connected vehicles - co-innovation for successful mobility solutions: IDZ and InnoTrans, the world's leading trade fair for transport technology and mobility, invite you to the “International Design Forum” (#IDF22) conference in Berlin on 21 September.
The complete program and further information can be found here.
IDZ virtual Meetup
The Inconvenience Space
“As if we were a nation of morons!” - When we heard Erik Spiekermann on the radio the other day, ranting in his usual sharp-tongued way about the election posters for the upcoming super election, we knew immediately: This is our candidate for the pre-election meetup on 23 September!
We look forward to your registration!
Photo: Norman Posselt
UX Design Awards
UX Conversations
On 18 April, Awards Director Ake Rudolf will have an in-depth conversation with one of the members of the #UXDA24 jury.
Sofia Ryan, Principal Design Director at Microsoft, creates UX visions and strategies that bridge AI design goals with business objectives in the Microsoft 365 product ecosystem.
UX Design Awards – Autumn 2023: 11 Winners Announced
The UX Design Awards 2023 announced its second round of winners. From well over 500 participants from 54 countries, 158 were nominated to compete. The #UXDA23 jury selected 11 winners, two of which received Gold awards.
The winning projects are showcased in an online exhibition on the UX Design Awards website. Congrats to all winners; we are proud to share your work!
German Federal Ecodesign Award
Jury & Expo
In its meeting on 16 September, the #BPEcodesign19 jury nominated 31 projects out of 130 accepted submissions for the German Federal Ecodesign Award 2019.
The special exhibition at the Designers' Open in Leipzig from 25 to 27 October offers a last chance to see last year's prizewinners and nominees.
IDZ Design Excursion
Retrotopia
On 11 July, IDZ member Silke Ihden-Rothkirch will guide us through the special exhibition “Retrotopia - Design for Socialist Spaces” at the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin.
Silke was co-curator and editor in the project, which showcases little-known design projects from former socialist countries in Europe, including former Yugoslavia.
EcoDesign Circle 4.0
EcoDesign Sprint 4.0
In mid-November we conducted the pilot of the EcoDesign Sprint 4.0.
Peter Post, Managing Director of Scholz & Volkmer and expert in service and UX design, and Markus Vihma, consultant for circular design and recycling management, developed numerous ideas for digital services with representatives of the management and various divisional managers of a large German furniture manufacturer.
DESIGN INSIGHTS #2
The Halle Process
On 19 June, we will continue our DESIGN INSIGHTS series with the presentation of the publication project “Der Halle-Prozess”. It deals with the right-wing terrorist attack in Halle of 9 October 2019.
Guests are Prof. Matthias Görlich, Maja Redlin and Nils Krüger from the study group Information Design (SI) of Burg Giebichenstein, Kunsthochschule Halle.
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Berlin Showroom
Paris Fashion Week
Berlin Showroom will show the most exciting Berlin collections twice this year at Fashion Week in Paris: The Pre-Order event will kick things off from June 22 to 25, for the first time in cooperation with the Tranoï fashion fair.
The collections of Gina Melosi, Impari, Katharina Dubbick, Luise Zücker, Perlensau, Starstyling and Vladimir Karaleev will be on display.
UX Design Awards
Winner Announcement
On 1 March, we will unveil the winners of the UX Design Awards – Spring 2024. Among the 118 outstanding projects nominated, our esteemed jury has diligently chosen the finest.
Users worldwide can actively support their favorite projects by voting in the online poll for the UX Design Award | Public Choice before it concludes on 25 February.
Design Discourse
Designing Beyond Crises
What do we mean by a future worth living and how can we design it? How do we stay innovative and find workable solutions? Can creativity act as a catalyst?
We will discuss these and other questions in a panel discussion on 2 November in the context of the Berlin Science Week. Together with our member Archimedes Exhibitions, we invite you to join us at the AMDX Workshop.
Book Release
Visible. Women in Architecture
On 23 June, in our project space in the Metropolenhaus, together with Anke Illing, editor and photographer, and Dominika Hasse, professor for corporate and editorial design at the HAWK Hildesheim, we will present the illustrated book "SICHTBAR. FRAUEN IN DER ARCHITEKTUR”.
Registration by email is requested.
Transforming People & Places II
Redesigning the Asphalt
On April 30, the second event in the series, which was launched in cooperation with Archimedes Exhibitions, will once again focus on urban mobility – from urban design and smart mobility to sharing and participation and climate change.
The series creates space for exchange and discussion between the designers and residents of our city.
Berlin Showroom
Autumn/Winter 21/22
The DACH Showroom continues this season. In Vienna, Berlin and Tokyo, buyers have the opportunity to view the fall/winter collections of 19 designers, including nine from Berlin. In the new virtual showroom, buyers and press representatives can also experience the collections digitally and call up all relevant information.
UX Conversations
Jury Digest
Watch again! Learn more about what our UX Design Awards judges look for when making their decisions. Which are the deciding criteria? What does it take to effectively communicate the value of design or the impact of a product?
We offer you first-hand, behind-the-scenes insights from the people who decide our design competition.
German Ecodesign Award
Call for entries
Until 15 April, companies of all industries and sizes, designers, and students from across Europe have the opportunity to submit their projects for the Federal Ecodesign Award. The focus is on innovative ideas that are convincing not only in terms of design but also in ecological aspects.
Applications can be made via the German Ecodesign Award website.
IDZ members
introduce themselves
Anfang 2020 haben wir begonnen, in unserem monatlichen Newsletter ein IDZ-Mitglied des Monats vorzustellen.
Wir haben inzwischen vier dieser Beiträge auf der Website gesammelt, und hoffen, mit der Zeit einen interessanten Einblick in unsere Mitgliederstruktur zu geben.
otl aicher 100
kritik am auto
The IDZ continues its series of events with a retrospective of Aicher's exhibition and book „kritik am auto - schwierige verteidigung des autos gegen seine anbeter“.
The evening of talks will take place on June 25, 2022 in the rooms of the former Ulm University of Design. Click here for registration!
UX Design Awards
Deep Dive: Award Winners
In the UXDA Deep Dive on April 24, Camillo König and Bastian Renner of Imago Design GmbH will guide us through the development process of the “Mahlkönig EK OMNIA”.
The high-end coffee grinder - every barista's dream! - won the Gold Award at the UX Design Awards - Spring 2024.
IDZ virtual Meetup
German Design Graduates
As a supporter of the German Design Graduates, the IDZ has awarded free annual memberships to three participants. Congratulations to Tobias Trübenbacher, Abdelrahman Ibrahim and Tien Han Huang! The three will present their projects on 28 October at the IDZ Meetup in the exhibition at KGM Berlin. We will be streaming live via Zoom.
We look forward to your registration!
otl aicher 100
bread and games
This summer marks the fiftieth anniversary of the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. Otl Aicher created a style-defining design system for them with the rainbow as the color palette and a dachshund as the mascot.
On August 26, as part of our initiative otlaicher100.de, we will pay tribute to Aicher's contribution and discuss the political dimension of the games.
UX Design Awards
Nominees announced
We invite you to visit the UX Design Awards website to discover the nominees and their impressive work. The online exhibition showcases the nominees’ innovative solutions and creativity across various sectors.
Users worldwide can also actively support their favorite projects by voting in the online poll for the UX Design Award | Public Choice before it concludes on 25 February.
German Ecodesign Award
Exhibition at the Metropolenhaus

From 30 September to 3 October, all entries admitted to the jury session as well as the nominees of the German Ecodesign Award 2023 will be presented to the public at the Metropolenhaus Berlin.
Please check the website of the German Ecodesign Award for further info.
otl aicher 100
Online Platform
On May 13, Otl Aicher would have had his 100th birthday. The IDZ pays tribute to this great designer with the online platform www.otlaicher100.de - a curated space that provides information about his life and work and invites discourse.
It is flanked by a series of events that approach Otl Aicher's work from today's perspective.
UX Design Awards
Autumn 2024
The call for entries for the UX Design Awards—Autumn 2024 is open until 31 May. Companies, agencies, professionals, and new talents are invited to submit their work for the global competition for outstanding experience design.
All information can be found on the UXDA website.
UX Design Awards – Autumn 2023: 11 Winners Announced
The UX Design Awards 2023 announced its second round of winners. From well over 500 participants from 54 countries, 158 were nominated to compete. The #UXDA23 jury selected 11 winners, two of which received Gold awards.
The winning projects are showcased in an online exhibition on the UX Design Awards website. Congrats to all winners; we are proud to share your work!