Institute Digital Communication Environments HGK Basel FHNW

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Institute Digital Communication Environments HGK Basel FHNW

Institute Digital Communication Environments (IDCE)
Basel Academy of Art and Design FHNW They were outstanding models for a modernist design education.

The Basel School of Design and its students have influenced the international Graphic Design community since the 1960’s. Under the direction of Armin Hofmann and Emil Ruder courses for Graphic Design and Typography were developed. Since the year 2000, the Swiss educational system has undergone an astonishingly rapid process of adapting its educational institutions to the international standards of

the Bachelor and Master curricula at the University level. In this process the Visual Communication department became a separate institute from the vocational level School of Design (Schule für Gestaltung Basel). We are now part of the University system of Northwest Switzerland and have developed a curriculum for the University level with international accreditation. This University level institute is officially called the «Visual Communication Institute/The Basel School of Design» and forms together with seven other Design- and Art oriented Institutes the Academy of Art and Design Basel (HGK Basel) as a Department of the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW). Today the Visual Communication Institute/The Basel School of Design offers a Bachelor's Degree programm, an international Master’s Degree program, international Summer Workshops, and is involved in many national and international research and development projects. We are proud of what our institute has achieved during the past few years. The institute has a curriculum for today and tomorrow’s design world continuing the rich tradition of Swiss Design and Typography.

01/06/2026

Please join us on Wednesday, June 3, for the next lecture of this semester’s ‘Return’ series with Marcus Kraft.

Studio Marcus Kraft is a Swiss graphic design studio based in Zurich. The studio creates custom-made projects with strong visual narratives for national and international clients.
Its focus lies in elaborate design concepts, art direction, identities, branding, publications, exhibitions, packaging, signage, digital, and motion — always with the bigger picture in mind, a great attention to detail, and a strong emphasis on typographic quality. The studio operates as a collaborative practice, often involving a broader circle of specialists to meet the unique multi-disciplinary requirements of each project. To learn more about the studio’s approach, readers are invited to explore its manifesto.
The studio’s work has been internationally awarded, exhibited, and published. It also runs two spin-off projects: Pop Music Wisdom and Tableau Zurich.

5.15 pm, Freilager-Platz 1, Münchenstein, Open to public.

28/05/2026

APPLY NOW: Summer Workshops , HGK Basel FHNW
June–July 2026

Inquiry by Design
by Michael Renner (23.06.-27.06.2026)

Poster Design
by Leander Eisenmann (29.06.-03.07.2026)eisenmann

Type Design
by Philipp Stamm (06.07.–10.07. 2026)

Creative Coding
by Ted Davis (06.07.–10.07. 2026)

Please find the full program here: www.baselsummerworkshops.ch

Application Deadline: 4 weeks before the respective workshop. The workshops will be held in German and English.

20/05/2026

Please join us on Wednesday May 27 for the next lecture of the ‘Return’ series with Lena Friedli.

Lena Friedli (b. 1985) has been director of Forum Schlossplatz—an exhibition space for art and contemporary issues in Aarau—since late 2019. Her program features socially relevant thematic group exhibitions and projects in the fields of visual arts, performance, and literature, with a focus on site-specific formats, residencies, and performative projects.

The art historian and cultural studies scholar previously served as artistic director of the akku Kunstplattform in Emmenbrücke. In earlier years, Lena Friedli was a research assistant at the Kunstmuseum Luzern, co-director of the Ausstellungsraum Klingental in Basel, and co-founder of the Projektraum KECK in Basel. Lena Friedli lives in Suhr near Aarau, is the mother of a daughter, serves on boards, expert committees, and juries, and works as a freelancer on exhibitions and publications.

Credits:
Displays in Dialogue, MA-Thesis by Lena Friedli and Michael Huebner, 2015.
Mit Haut und Haar, Publikation, hrsg. v. Lena Friedli und Theres Inauen, Forum Schlossplatz, 2022, graphicdesign by upset Zürich.
Performance von Martina Lussi, akku Kunstplattform Emmenbrücke 2019, Foto: Luis Hartl.
Residenz Residenz mit Stirnimann-Stojanovic, Forum Schlossplatz Aarau 2022, Foto: Peter Koehl
We would prefer not to, Ausstellung im Forum Schlossplatz Aarau mit Werken von Alex Hanimann und Katharina Anna Wieser, 2023, Foto: Peter Koehl

11/05/2026

APPLY NOW: Summer Workshop „Poster Design“
by Leander Eisenmann .eisenmann, June 29–July 3, 2026

Everyone realizes whether a poster is outstanding immediately upon seeing it: its visual appeal, the stringency of its content, a surprising punch line, its topicality and individuality convince us in an instant. But how can we design such a mind-blowing poster ourselves? A poster is a large, two-dimensional surface with a fascinating illusion of colour and form, movement, space, and perspective. Its design will have to correspond to many different aspects: a key concept and an existing corporate identity, for instance. It will have to be recognizable, understandable, original, and project an independent artistic expression.

Right at the beginning of the workshop, we shall enter an inspired, creative flow and develop such a work by means of playful, experimental design techniques and a sharply analytical eye, discovering that there are virtually no limits to the possibilities of good design!

In input sessions (a visit to an outstanding design studio, a visit to the Basel Poster Collection, plus insights into Leander Eisenmann’s own collection of exclusive screen-printed posters), we shall place the iconic Swiss poster culture in a current, contemporary context and explore what excellent poster design means in 2026. For all this, we have time, motivation, and a perfect setting at our disposal – so let’s get to it!

Please find the full program here: https://baselsummerworkshops.ch/

Application Deadline: June 1, 2026. The workshops will be held in German and English.

.eisenmann

27/04/2026

APPLY NOW: Summer Workshop „Inquiry by Design“
by Prof. Michael Renner , June 23–27, 2026

Typically, design processes are used to craft visual messages for a specific purpose. In contrast, the Inquiry by Designworkshop explores how design processes can be employed to enhance our understanding of how images create meaning in specific contexts. This approach, which we call Practice-led Image Research*, focuses on acquiring knowledge about the vast field of image phenomena. Various academic disciplines, including Art History, Linguistics, Psychology, and Anthropology, have emphasized the need for a scientific approach to studying images. While most academic fields address research questions through theoretical methodologies, the Inquiry by Design workshop introduces participants to practice-based methodologies in the field of Visual Communication.

Please find the full program here: https://baselsummerworkshops.ch/

Application Deadline: May 26, 2026. The workshops will be held in German and English.

23/04/2026

A glimpse into the exhibition of the Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communication and Digital Spaces.

Our sincere thanks to Claudia Perren and the advisory board members Christoph Schmid, Esther Zumsteg, and Prof. Gabi Schillig.

With thanks to the lecturers who contributed to the exhibition: Dirk Koy Ted Davis Jinsu Ahn .ahn_basel Viola Diehl Prof. Marion Fink Kambiz Shafei .shafei Prof. Philipp Stamm

22/04/2026

Please join us on Thursday April 30 for the next lecture of this semester’s lecture series ‘Return’ with Philip Burton.

Philip Burton, is professor emeritus and founding chair of the graphic design program in the School of Design in the College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts at the University of Illinois Chicago. Professor Burton has practiced and taught design for forty years, having held full-time faculty positions at the University of Houston, William Marsh Rice University and Yale University. He has coordinated and taught at the Yale-Brissago Program for more than 20 years. He served on the MDes faculty, the joined program between University of Illinois Chicago and the Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst in Basel, Switzerland. He is also a consultant to Chicago-based, Morningstar, Inc., a global financial investment research company. In 2003 he was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, and was awarded the Julius Adams Stratton Prize for Intercultural Achievement by the Friends of Switzerland/Boston in 2016.

5.30 pm, Freilager-Platz 1, Münchenstein, Open to public.

15/04/2026

APPLY NOW: Summer Workshop „Hacking Gutenberg“,
June 8–10, 2026

In Berlin, Erik Spiekermann and four other designers will introduce us to the basics of letterpress printing and typography. In a joint project in their unique letterpress workshop p98a, we will utilize the potential of historical techniques and digital approaches.

Please find the full program here:
https://baselsummerworkshops.ch/

The workshops will be held in German and English.

14/04/2026

Please join us on Wednesday, April 15, for the third lecture of this semester’s lecture series, ‘Return,’ with Max Frischknecht.

Max is a designer whose work and research is situated within the fields of Digital Humanities, Critical Data Studies, Generative Media and Data Visualisation.
He is interested in how data and algorithmic forces shape societal, cultural and political discourse and influence human interpretation. To explore a plurality of perspectives on data and critically interrogate it, he utilises generative design and creative coding. His research touches on topics such as the relation between data, social equality and oppression, digital sovereignty and resilience, sociotechnical imaginaries and questions of epistemology as well as counter data and data activism.
He is lecturer for Data Cultures + Technology in the Data Design + Art program at Lucerne School of Design, Film and Art, holds a PhD in Digital Humanities from the University of Bern (2025) and a Master in Design from the University of the Arts Bern (2019). In 2023 he was a visiting PhD Student at the Institute for Comparative Media Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and part of the MIT Active Archives Initiative. As a member of the Digitale Gesellschaft, he is committed to digital sustainability and privacy.

In this series, we have invited seven alumni to return to the Institute Digital Communication Environments (IDCE) and speak about their professional development since graduating from our BA, MA, or MDes programs. Active internationally across diverse fields — from professional practice and research to academia and curatorial work — the speakers will share insights into their career paths and experiences since completing their studies in Basel.

5.15 pm, Freilager-Platz 1, Münchenstein, Open to public.

13/04/2026

APPLY NOW: Summer Workshop „UX/UI Design“
by Thomas Bircher, July 13–17, 2026

The “UX/UI Design” workshop teaches the theoretical and creative basics of screen design. The workshop focuses on practical work. Course participants will develop their own interactive application through conceptualization, prototyping, and detailed design. Design principles for user guidance (navigation, editing & manipulation, and user assistance) and screen design (digital layouts, colour, and typography) are discussed in-depth. Aspects of user research and user testing will be discussed, but are not the main focus of this workshop week. Instead, the use of the Figma program as a tool will be taught.

Please find the full program here: https://baselsummerworkshops.ch/

Application Deadline: June 15, 2026. The workshops will be held in German and English.

Adresse

Freilager-Platz 1
Basel
4002

Webseite

https://linktr.ee/hgkbasel_idce

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