The Open Eyes 2023 design and media tour took place on June 15 at the Gutenberg Digital Hub. Students and design enthusiasts from Mainz took part. The aim of the event was to create an exchange with agencies, studios, and freelancers eye-to-eye. Under the direction of Prof. Gregor Ade and with the support of Hannah Krauskopf from the Press and Communications Department, students from the Communication Design degree program at the School of Design developed and organized the third Open Eyes tour of Mainz held in the summer semester of 2023. The idea of expanding contacts with the diverse creative and media industry in Mainz, networking and making the industry more visible came to Hannah Krauskopf in 2019 while she was a student at Mainz University of Applied Sciences with her then fellow student Christine Kuncke.
The Open Eyes team defined seven routes along which participants could visit different creative spots in Mainz at their premises, engage in conversation, and gain insights into the Mainz creative and media scene. In 2023, a total of 28 agencies and creative professionals from the fields of corporate design, illustration, motion design, moving image, architecture, type design, and photography participated: Pioneers, Staatstheater Mainz, Formaat, Designforum & Film- und Medienforum Rheinland- Pfalz, Bastian Hansl, Dropout Films, 3st Kommunikation, Herzblut & Bock, Formen+Normen, Kontrastfilm, Agentur Alma, this is motion, Lisa Timpe, Stilmanöver, Bartenbach AG, Lucie Langston, funk, Studio Mux, Schiebezimmer GmbH, Muna Kollektiv, Studio SeeYa, StijlMarkt (Mona Wingerter & Christian Voigt) Wehr & Weissweiler, Butter & Salz, Elisa Biscotti, Thomas Pirat and Frauke Bönsch.
The event kicked off on Thursday morning at the Gutenberg Digital Hub with a welcome address by Prof. Gregor Ade, Corporate Design Professor and Vice President for Communication and Community Outreach, Hannah Krauskopf, and the Managing Director of the Gutenberg Digital Hub, Antje Buchholz. Each route group then visited their first two stations. This was followed by a joint lunch break with plenty of pizza, drinks, ice cream and a speech by a Mayor of Mainz, Günter Beck. After the final two stations, the evening event began with a get-together. Looking back on the day, a moderated panel discussion took place with Communication Design students; StijlMarkt Managing Director Christian Voigt; Katharina Bahne from the Economic Development Department of the City of Mainz; Silke Philipps-Deters, Head of the Rhineland-Palatinate Design Forum; and University President Prof. Dr. Susanne Weissman. Afterwards, anyone interested in design had the opportunity to talk to agencies and freelancers in an eight-minute speed dating session.
To the delight of the Communication Design students, the Open Eyes event was not only a hit with the participants, it was also well received by Katharina Bahne from the Economic Development Agency, who would like to support and promote the Mainz design industry even more in the future. Overall, there was a positive response from the participants and from the agencies and freelancers, who are already looking forward to taking part in Open Eyes 2024.