About Kristin

Kristin Krause is studying Visual Communication at the Berlin University of the Arts and has been part of Prof. Fons Hickmann's Graphic Design class since October 2015. Her main focus lies on photography.

What inspired you to become a graphic designer?

Actually, I never planned to be a graphic designer at all. I have studied Film Studies and Art History before and felt quite unhappy about that because it was very theoretical and we would never produce anything. Back then, I had been taking photographs for a very long time already, so I thought how can I connect something with photography that would make sense in the end but is not pure photography? I was sure I would not like to study it full-time and an intense approach would ruin my actual passion for it. That’s why graphic design was fitting in that way. So I applied for it and it worked out.

What does your creative process look like?

Usually, I'm trying to work very solid and conceptual, hence the concept itself is the most important thing for me. I always have to find a good idea before I make it look nice or give it any shape or form. I’d like to design in a way that "speaks" with all kinds of audiences, not just other graphic designers.

Speaking of concept: how did the work on creating the poster for the Berlin Summer University go? 

We design posters for the Summer University every year and there’s always a huge iconography of what has been done before and what was designed in the class, so it’s really hard not to repeat the ideas, because the first obvious associations are "sun", "summer", "water", etc.  

How did the selection of the posters go? Did you have to present your ideas to the BSUA board?

Yes, there were two presentations in front of the board. After the first presentation everybody got feedback and continued working on their ideas, and after the second one the jury had to chose the final design out of the best three posters.

Which ideas did you have for the poster and where did you get your inspiration from?

I imagined someone taking the flyer outside to the lake and how the sand would collect in the folds of the paper. I liked the idea, that it was not too straightforward. Actually, part of the reason why I chose the Riviera typeface was its name and association with beaches.

What is your favorite (series of) poster(s) done by someone else?

An ongoing project very dear to my heart is Public Positions created by Timm Hartmann who is a former student of the Graphic Design class. The project was conceived as part of his Master’s degree. He has been collaborating with other designers, photographers and artists giving a voice to those who are often not heard. Amongst other media, there are various posters accompanying each series – it’s hard to decide on a favorite one!

What design projects are you currently working on?

Right now I’m working on my portfolio website.