the books are alright

The Institut für Buchgestaltung (IFB) at Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences invites you to celebrate the medium book at the symposium the books are alright, and discuss its future.

On October 28th, 2022, the IFB will hold a symposium on book design, which is aimed towards design students and friends of beautiful books. Guest speakers have been invited from teaching, research, and professional design backgrounds to share their critiques on time and media in the world of book making.

The Institut für Buchgestaltung (IFB) was founded in 2006 to offer students the possibility to intensively engage with the design of analogue and digital publications, or to participate in research and transfer projects. This is the second time the Institute has invited well-known personalities from Germany and abroad to Bielefeld.

the books are alright is a conclusion which can also be understood as an open question
While preparing for the symposium, the general mood of the student body was frequently discussed. Lars Vieth, an Undergraduate at the Department of Design and a member of the symposium organizational team, summed it up thus: “Somewhere between analogue nostalgia and digital hype, we are suffering from a loss of reality—we are at a frantic standstill. Intoxicated by an abundance of information, we stagger through our everyday lives in search of meaning within the chaos—and there we find the medium book, an object that by being grasped, also grasps us. Does it provide us with answers, or are we fleeing from our responsibility?”

Prof. Dirk Fütterer, Dean of the Department of Design and IFB head, states that the previous few digital, issue-laden semesters have led to great existential doubts within the department. “A few years ago, we heavily debated whether the analogue book and print media will have a future in the digital age. During the “Corona semesters” we teachers realized that the need for the analogue has greatly increased amongst the students, and its corporeal, meaningful presence is being celebrated. Print is very much alive—it seems to give the students a retreat and also a means to mentally decelerate!” Seven experts from design practice and research fields will present in Bielefeld over the course of seven inspiring lectures, the future opportunities and possibilities of the book as an analogue medium within a digital context will be considered and discussed. The interdisciplinary backgrounds of our guest speakers bring a wide range of reflections, critiques, and future-oriented design practices to the lectern, all of which are focused on the interface of analogue and digital, over which hangs the question: the books are alright, aren’t they?

the books are alright

When?
October 28th, 2022
The panel program starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 7 p.m., after which there will be a bar area for celebration and further discussion.

Where?
Institut für Buchgestaltung (IFB) at Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences
Lampingstraße 3
33615 Bielefeld

Speakers
Franziska Morlok, Hans-Jörg Pochmann, Simon Wahlers, Jonas Voegli, Ondine Pannet, essays on typography

Tickets
Get your tickets here!

In order to promote inter-university exchange, there will be specially priced tickets for students. Professionals can secure discounted seats with the Early Bird ticket.

Picture ©: Institut für Buchgestaltung