Information Design at Folkwang University of the Arts
Information Design is a core element of both the Bachelor’s and Master’s programs in Communication Design at Folkwang University of the Arts. The curriculum is structured into three interrelated focus areas:

1. Text – Typography and Visual Identity
2. Image – Illustration and Motion Design
3. Code – Interface and Information Design

Information Design is taught not in isolation, but always as part of a broader cultural and technological design context.

Designing in the Age of Information
In the Information Design track, we explore how data and information can be critically and creatively designed. We ask fundamental questions, such as:

- How can we make complex societal developments legible through design?
- How can we use design to navigate the overflow of information in our daily lives?
- What role does design play in shaping our relationship to data infrastructures, automation, and algorithmic systems?

A Critical Approach to Data and Representation
Contrary to its Latin root datum (“something given”), data is never neutral. It is always shaped—by decisions, contexts, and interpretations. At Folkwang, Information Design is thus also a critical practice: one that examines the media, infrastructures, and ideologies embedded in how we collect, process, and visualize information.

Our approach goes beyond charts and graphs to explore multimodal, experimental forms of engagement with data and knowledge. Students work with: