A poster for the Magnum photobook exhibition.
Various photobooks are arranged, with the exhibition title placed among them. The typography gives the impression of the curve formed when a book is opened.
Typography Meets Teaching
Lars Harmsen successfully combines theory and practice in the world of design. As the co-founder and publisher of Slanted Publishers, as well as partner and Creative Director at Melville Brand Design, he brings extensive experience, which he passes on to his students as professor of Typography and Editorial Design at Fachhochschule Dortmund–University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
What motivated you to become a professor?
I became a professor to pass on my experience and out of gratitude for the guidance I was given. During my training at an agency, I benefited from great support. While I studied in Basel and Pforzheim, I met inspiring professors who introduced me to the world of American design and the digital future. These experiences motivated me to share my knowledge with the next generation. I particularly appreciate the interdisciplinary teaching and creative freedom at Fachhochschule Dortmund. My practical experience from working in both an agency and a publishing house feeds directly into my teaching, helping me conduct a kind of reality check.
What is it like working in the Faculty of Design?
As a professor, I work with young people as equals. This collaborative relationship is the main reason why I find teaching at the university so exciting and enriching. These interactions not only keep me on my toes, but also reflect different perspectives back to me. I find it fascinating to observe how students think, what they learn here and how they apply it.
Why did you apply to Fachhochschule Dortmund?
I deliberately applied to universities that offer more than just a single design degree program. I am interested in interdisciplinary exchange, and as a graphic designer I want insights into fields such as film or scenography. At Fachhochschule Dortmund, I found the rich mix I was looking for. I also wanted to apply to a university in a city that is not constantly in the spotlight like Berlin or Munich but instead offers growth potential. Dortmund has established itself as an outstanding location for exhibitions and events.
You founded an agency and are the publisher of a magazine. Can you pass this entrepreneurial spirit on to your students?
Yes, with mixed feelings. After I completed my studies, I made the mistake of not working at a large agency first to build a network. However, going independent early on taught me to work autonomously and gave me a sense of freedom and pride. Many students prefer to start their own business straight after graduation, often out of fear of being stuck in a rat race and in search of a better work-life balance. I think it depends on the individual: some benefit from gaining experience and building a network before becoming self-employed. I recommend thinking carefully about this step.
How do you manage to balance your professional and personal life while also being involved in other projects?
I’m able to do this by working with partners across all my projects instead of doing everything on my own.
How do you approach your teaching?
I design every day because I love it and because it helps me expand and pass on my knowledge. I also enjoy traveling and organizing excursions with my students. These intensive experiences in different cultural contexts are extremely enriching. I believe it is important to take students out of Dortmund and offer them new perspectives.
What makes your teaching special?
The publishing house I have built over the past 20 years enjoys international recognition and offers numerous collaborations with students. These connections between teaching and publishing are very valuable.
How important is research to you?
Research holds great importance for me. Each issue of Slanted explores aspects of research. I also believe it is esssential to take a historical perspective in order to better understand future developments. A central aspect of my research is the creative use of tools. By questioning their original function and using them in new ways, new possibilities emerge. For example, it is possible to design a poster using Excel. This kind of experimentation is fun and fosters innovative approaches in design.
What do you think the future of your field looks like?
I believe we need to approach curricula more flexibly, as cycles continue to accelerate. Internationalization is crucial, and there is still room for growth in this area at our university, for example through English-taught degree programs. We should also move away from traditional tools and adapt our teaching methods to the pace of the digital age. It is important that students develop critical thinking skills and learn to question content. They also need inner strength to cope with the challenges of rapid change.
Additional information on professorships at Fachhochschule Dortmund – University of Applied Sciences and Arts can be found here.
Image Credits:
FH Dortmund, Campus Max-Ophüls-Platz, Fachbereich Design
Portrait Lars Harmsen
Workshop Prag
Workshop Prag, Saeeda Shabbir
ARTHELPS
Laura Lipinski
Im flüstern der wellen
Konterfrei Reinhard
Wundertüte, Hannah Baumann, Lars Allenberg
Siebdruck Workshop Graz
Naughty Pobi
2025, Naughty Pobi. Scope: Brand Identity Design, Package & Web Design
REPXIMUM
The newly unveiled symbol of REPXIMUM embodies the core philosophy of the brand. Designed as a circulating form of the letter ‘R,’ it also incorporates the infinity symbol, representing limitless potential. This symbol of circulation and infinity reflects REPXIMUM’s spirit: the relentless pursuit of higher goals, the determination to overcome challenges, and the journey to continuously expand one’s potential.
Pause, Flow, Memory
specific
poster, printed matter,594*841mm
client
동작문화재단
2025. 11
This poster was created for an exhibition showcasing photographs taken by residents of Dongjak-gu, Seoul. Through a community program, participants learned how to use film cameras and captured scenes from their own neighborhood.
2025 lalame dance festival
specific
poster, printed matter,594*841mm
client
lalame dance festival
2025. 08
This poster was created for a performance project in which a dancer and a physically disabled participant collaborated over six months, communicating nonverbally through their bodies and transforming that process into a dance piece.
REPXIMUM
The newly unveiled symbol of REPXIMUM embodies the core philosophy of the brand. Designed as a circulating form of the letter ‘R,’ it also incorporates the infinity symbol, representing limitless potential. This symbol of circulation and infinity reflects REPXIMUM’s spirit: the relentless pursuit of higher goals, the determination to overcome challenges, and the journey to continuously expand one’s potential.
REPXIMUM
The newly unveiled symbol of REPXIMUM embodies the core philosophy of the brand. Designed as a circulating form of the letter ‘R,’ it also incorporates the infinity symbol, representing limitless potential. This symbol of circulation and infinity reflects REPXIMUM’s spirit: the relentless pursuit of higher goals, the determination to overcome challenges, and the journey to continuously expand one’s potential.
REPXIMUM
The newly unveiled symbol of REPXIMUM embodies the core philosophy of the brand. Designed as a circulating form of the letter ‘R,’ it also incorporates the infinity symbol, representing limitless potential. This symbol of circulation and infinity reflects REPXIMUM’s spirit: the relentless pursuit of higher goals, the determination to overcome challenges, and the journey to continuously expand one’s potential.
REPXIMUM
The newly unveiled symbol of REPXIMUM embodies the core philosophy of the brand. Designed as a circulating form of the letter ‘R,’ it also incorporates the infinity symbol, representing limitless potential. This symbol of circulation and infinity reflects REPXIMUM’s spirit: the relentless pursuit of higher goals, the determination to overcome challenges, and the journey to continuously expand one’s potential.
REPXIMUM
The newly unveiled symbol of REPXIMUM embodies the core philosophy of the brand. Designed as a circulating form of the letter ‘R,’ it also incorporates the infinity symbol, representing limitless potential. This symbol of circulation and infinity reflects REPXIMUM’s spirit: the relentless pursuit of higher goals, the determination to overcome challenges, and the journey to continuously expand one’s potential.
leer mil libros, caminar mil leguas.
specific
poster, printed matter,1,100*1,700mm
client
centro cultural coreano en argentina
2025. 04
This poster was created for an exhibition at the Korean Cultural Center in Argentina, introducing Chaekgado, a traditional Korean painting style.
To express the intriguing combination of presenting Korean culture in Argentina, I incorporated mate—a symbolic Argentine element—into the composition of the Chaekgado.
Naughty Pobi
Naughty Pobi is a brand inspired by an imperfect but happy family. The guardian carefully chooses ingredients for their dog, while Pobi playfully teases them. The logo captures both personalities, the calm and thoughtful caregiver and Pobi’s lively spirit, through cozy dog motifs, shampoo bubbles, and expressive typography. Rather than showing the character directly, the design relies on subtle metaphors so it can blend naturally into everyday home spaces.
Naughty Pobi
Naughty Pobi is a brand inspired by an imperfect but happy family. The guardian carefully chooses ingredients for their dog, while Pobi playfully teases them. The logo captures both personalities, the calm and thoughtful caregiver and Pobi’s lively spirit, through cozy dog motifs, shampoo bubbles, and expressive typography. Rather than showing the character directly, the design relies on subtle metaphors so it can blend naturally into everyday home spaces.
JEONJU IFF × Hungarian Korean Film Festival Collaboration Event Identity Design
Don’t Worry Baby designed the JEONJU IFF × Hungarian Korean Film Festival Collaboration the posters, leaflets, and banners. This overseas special collaboration was held at the 18th Hungarian Korean Film Festival, hosted by the Korean Cultural Center in Hungary. This collaboration, the JEONJU IFF introduces Korean independent cinema and emerging directors to Hungarian audiences. We highlighted the event name in Hangul on the poster and designed graphics reminiscent of a camera lens and spotlight.
The 26th JEONJU International Film Festival Promotional Leaflet
Don’t Worry Baby designed a promotional leaflet for the 26th JEONJU International Film Festival “Looking for the Main Character to Shine Korean Film.” The leaflet is made of a narrow, open and folded structure for increased portability and readability. And with the design that visualizes various light forms along with the colors of the JEONJU International Film Festival and emphasizes the title, the focus was on conveying clear meaning and communication to readers.
Gyeonggi Story Writer’s Studio Goyang 5th Business Meeting Event Identity Design
Don’t Worry Baby designed web posters, web banners, card news, and book for the ‘Gyeonggi Story Writer’s Studio Goyang’ 5th Business Meeting. The ‘Gyeonggi Story Writer’s Studio Goyang’ event identity uses ‘Goyang’ to express the rhythm of space and time through typography using poetic expressions of movement between letters.
Gyeonggi Story Writer Creation Studio Paju 6th and 7th Business Meeting Event Identity Design
Don’t Worry Baby designed web posters, web banners, card news, and book for the ‘Gyeonggi Story Writer Creation Studio Paju’ 6th and 7th Business Meetings. The ‘Gyeonggi Story Writer Creation Studio Paju’ event identity metaphorically expressed the appearance of the Paju Creation Studio and various stories in the book by thinking of the script as a conversational space and overlapping the open pages of the book.
JEONJU Cinetour with FALLing in JEONJU Event Identity Design
Don’t Worry Baby designed the event identity, posters, banners, booklets, postcards, and SNS for
They hoped that through this event, which opens autumn in Jeonju, audiences and the public would feel the season on the streets of Jeonju and remember the 24th JEONJU International Film Festival. It expresses the movement of people gathering at the festival and enjoying various programs through typography.
MaTEriDeLIA poster
MaTEriDeLIA poster adopts the format of LSD blotter paper as a tearable structure. The exhibition explores a redefinition of psychedelic substances. Referencing its divisible structure and the standard 1/4×1/4 inch tab, the poster is composed by magnifying it threefold. Reflecting the inversion of established senses and norms, it functions as a variable, non-standard poster, allowing recombination and three-dimensional rearrangement. Gradient patterns draw from psychedelic visual language.
K-Arts Department of Fine Arts 2025 MFA Degree Show
A poster for the K-Arts Department of Fine Arts 2025 MFA Degree Show.
It visually expresses a painterly impression alongside a sense of fragmented, transient aggregation.
Love&Hate(2)
A work about ambivalence. The burger stands in for everything I want but won’t let myself have — pleasure filtered through the logic of health, diet, and self-management. Desire and denial are pressed into the same woven surface, where craving doesn’t disappear so much as get patterned over.
Spring Bom
This poster draws on the Korean concept of “Bom” (spring), symbolizing renewal, growth, and quiet resilience. A delicate sprout emerges through layered typography and concentric forms, suggesting the cyclical energy of the season. The visual tension between organic life and bold graphic structures reflects spring as a moment of both harmony and resistance, where new beginnings take shape within complex cultural and environmental contexts.
Stickers
Captured in the streets of Euljiro in Seoul, this 3D-scanned portion of the city was digitally processed and altered, then rendered as an image.
This piece was made with a deformed perspective camera in 3D software, rendering the physical into a surreal, almost cubist view.
This series is focused on the ordinary, forgotten or invisible areas and objects scattered in Seoul from an international artist’s viewpoint.