Writing = Design

Are words enough? In a world full of artificial imagery, we want to highlight one of our simplest yet most powerful tools: words. Learn about writing for and about yourself, and about using text as a design tool. Make words work for you!

Are words enough? In a world full of fast-paced and artificial imagery, we want to highlight one of our simplest yet most powerful tools: words. They are easy to use, and one word can go a long way - to surprise, clarify, oppose and convince.

Learn about writing as a tool. Make words work for you!

For artists, designers and visual thinkers, words are a crucial starting point. However, many of us struggle with them. Creative writing provides you with manifold possibilities in private and professional communication. Writing is design if you know the how-to. Get to know your creative potential in dealing with words. No need to be afraid! We’ll show you techniques that will make it easy for you to get started.

Words are enough of a tool to get your ideas across. Little exercises, both orally and in writing, are our preferred method. Learn how to condense your thoughts via words. Learn to grasp your ideas and observations by describing them to an audience. Learn how to speak about yourself and the offer you make for professional markets. The best thing: get instant feedback from the group, plus professional assessment. We will support you in finding your way with words, your verbal personality, thus adding to your visual identity and making it even more convincing.

Elements of professional copywriting we will address: starting out (overcome the fear of the blank page), text hierarchy, editing, functions of a headline, guiding your reader, target groups, short vs. longer texts, different verbal styles, tonality. Please feel free to bring your topics – we will try to include them in our schedule.
 

Schedule (to be defined)

Day 1 / Monday: Exploration

• Get to know each other: background, expectations, topics
• Get started: exercise 1 (description, self-presentation)
   

Day 2 / Tuesday: Essence

• Lecture by Sonja: what is text, why is it needed/useful
• Learn: exercise 2 (headline, text hierarchy, structure)

Day 3 / Wednesday: Experience

• Lecture by Christoph: why and how do I write as a designer
• Learn: exercise 3 (style/tonality, short vs. longer texts)

Day 4 / Thursday: Expression

• Reflect on your style: what suits me best? (verbal identity)
• Send half a day practising, reworking your texts from the 3 exercises

Day 5 / Friday: Effects

• Present your work: who I am / what I want to say (authorship)
• Get group response and discuss: do I reach my target audience

Prior application requirements
Bring one word, and pack a book you would like to share with the group
 

Knowledge requirements
German and/or English; students welcome
 

Equipment requirements
Pen, paper (notebook), no laptops!

Sonja Knecht ist an artist-writer. She was born in Indonesia, grew up in Venezuela, and is deep-rooted in Deutsch. Having studied languages and humanities, explorations as a graphic artist led her to what she loves most: typography and text – text as language, designed. Sonja was Edenspiekermann’s text director and built up their blog; for TYPO International Design Talks she built up a 30-strong editorial team and served as their moderator; she supports corporate and cultural institutions in their language, branding, storytelling. Since 2016, she concentrates on teaching. She became an associated lecturer to Berlin University of the Arts’ Institute of Transmedia Design, and to more renowned art schools (currently in Berlin-Weißensee, Vienna/A and St.Gallen/CH), In 2021, Sonja started to share her word art in exhibitions and poetry performances.

https://txet.de

Christoph Rauscher is a designer who writes. After studying Interface Design (B.A.) and Design and Media Theory (M.A.) in Berlin and Potsdam, he worked as a designer and design director at Edenspiekermann. There, he developed new ideas for digital journalism with publishing houses from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Until 2020, Christoph served as the art director of ZEIT ONLINE, one of Germany’s most prestigious news sites. He collaborates with companies, agencies, and publishing houses, using design and text as tools to make ideas more tangible. Also, he writes a monthly newsletter on personal observations, and had a quarterly column on technology in Germany’s renowned form design magazine. In 2022, Christoph co-founded the design and tech cooperative Village One. 

https://christophrauscher.de