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Cutting Through the Noise: Silence Gets Louder
The summer semester of 2024 was marked by 100 POSTER BATTLE, a dynamic course focused on two impactful projects. The first, the FLAG-PROJECT and excursion to Warsaw, aimed to support activists working tirelessly to protect rivers from the harmful effects of pollution caused by industries and governmental institutions. The second, and centerpiece of the course, was the 100 POSTER BATTLE PROJECT.
The 100 POSTER BATTLE challenged students to create one poster each day for a hundred days-the duration of the semester. This project was driven by the pulse of political and current events, pushing students to explore unconventional techniques and defy traditional design tools. In the seminar, students operated much like a newsroom-but instead of producing news, they created sharp, visually striking posters. Around 100 of these works were recently showcased at the prestigious Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich. These posters are more than just aesthetic creations; they are powerful tools designed to invite, communicate, inform, convince, and provoke. Professor Lars Harmsen emphasizes that a good poster meets several criteria: the topic must be clear, the design original, and it should ignite an internal discourse-"When you look at it, the mental scissors should start to cut." Each week, students tackled current news topics, discovering themes, developing unique approaches, and completing their designs within a day, emulating the fast-paced environment of a newsroom. Harmsen also introduced technical challenges, such as creating posters using only typography or employing unconventional software like Excel or gaming programs.