What was design? Launch & Apéro
An Evening of Design Concepts, Drinks and Conversation
What was design, really? A discipline, a tool, a promise—or simply a remarkably persistent buzzword of modernity? Few terms have been invoked as often, interpreted as differently, and debated as passionately over the past century as “design.” A good reason to pause and look back.
On April 9, 2026, open.form invites you to the launch of What was design?—Declarations and definitions from a century of creative quest. The publication brings together 87 historical one-sentence answers to the discipline’s most familiar question: What is design? Voices from practice, theory, and philosophy enter into a polyphonic dialogue—concise, contradictory, and surprisingly relevant.
The collection is accompanied by an essay by editor Florian Walzel, who explores the persistent conceptual ambiguity of design. Why does design continue to resist clear definition? And what does that reveal about its role in society, economy, and culture?
The book is designed by Paul Jürgens and editorially supported by Jurek Werth. It is published by Slanted Publishers.
The launch offers not only first insights into the project, but above all a space for exchange: over an aperó, friends, colleagues, and the curious are invited to come together and discuss design—and perhaps its very ambiguity.
More informations can be found here.
When?
Thursday, April 9, 2026
Start: 7:00 PM
Where?
open.form
Rundeturmstr. 16
64283 Darmstadt
The event language will be German.
