Nina Buschendorf brings an abstract historical dimension to life in »Sexismus gibt es erst seit 23 Stunden«. To do this, she chose to use a shift in scale that is as simple as it is clever: She condensed two million years of human history into a single calendar year. Her work reveals just how recent systematic injustice and everyday violence are in the history of our species. These aspects only appear on the last day of this imaginary year. Buschendorf’s Master’s thesis translates this insight into an infographic journey through time. A 55-metre-long printed strip of fabric runs through a mechanically operated installation. Day by day, the crank turns and a different image of humanity and gender relations unfolds. The final day is represented in a leporello that includes the developments that have transformed the way we have been living together for the past 5,000 years or so.

Silver Nail in the »Semesterarbeiten > Brand Identity / Brand Design« Category
Advisors: Prof. Burkhart von Scheven and Masihne Rasuli

In »VOXAIPE – Decoded«, Mai Do makes visible what would otherwise remain fleeting: the form of a voice. The semester project uses an AI-supported system. It analyses vocal characteristics such as timbre, rhythm, pitch, and volume. It then uses them to generate variable letter forms. In this way, speech becomes design, and typography becomes a graphic record of voice. The work explores how artificial intelligence understands human expression and translates it into a tangible form. A 228-page artist’s book that documents the typographic progression of a monologue lasting several minutes complements the installation.

Bronze Nail in the »Experiment > Kreativer Einsatz von Technik« Category
Advisor: Marcel Saidov

»ARTGERECHT« explores speciesism, a form of discrimination that is deeply ingrained in everyday life but rarely acknowledged. Instead of relying on confrontation or shocking imagery, the project offers a playful way to reflect on how humans treat animals. The board game encourages players to engage in conversation and, through constant changes of role and perspective, enables them to understand the realities of life for different animals in our society. The popularity, value, and function of the species drawn at random determine whether players move forward or backward in the game. »ARTGERECHT« gives both adults and children an accessible introduction to a complex topic.

Two Awards Given in the »Konzeption & Entwurf von Corporate Publishing« and »Illustration« Categories
Advisors: Prof. Burkhart von Scheven and Masihne Rasuli

By Emelie Brockhaus, Bruno Domingos, Johannes Fest, Ames Grund, Pauline Kuritz, Bennet Mielke, Christina Reinfant, Sina Robering, Denise Sawade, and Hauke Scholz

The team developed an exhibition stand representing the Faculty of Art and Design and showcasing the University’s creative work for the Leipzig Book Fair. The project is designed to look like an underground station symbolic of a quick hop to Weimar. The design was inspired by Martin Kippenberger’s »Metro-Net« project from the 1990s. The exhibition stand combines spatial staging, reference, and an invitation to an imaginary journey to Weimar and the university campus.

Award in the »Public Space« Category
Advisor: Florian Hesselbarth

The self-published »SET« magazine explores the complexity of beauty with its end, its persistence, and its transformation. Together with female artists and designers, the first issue offers new perspectives on a topic that is often treated superficially. The magazine creates space for emotional and in-depth exploration, understanding beauty as a shifting, multi-layered, individual phenomenon.

Award in the »Konzeption & Design von unabhängigen Verlagsprodukten« Category
Advisor: Marcel Saidov

»Von einem freien Pups« tells the story of a little fart who suffers from a terrible fear of enclosed spaces. After his stay in the gut, he is not met – as was originally expected – by sniffing noses and the limitless outside world. Instead, Püpschen finds himself in a tight spot once again. In his darkest hour, however, he realises: Maybe freedom begins in the mind sometimes. This semester project combines illustration, humour, and a surprisingly poetic perspective on confinement, escape, and self-liberation.

Award in the »Craft > Illustration« Category
Advisor: Hannes Naumann