Please let the flowers live!

Marijana Babic, Alexander Brade, Michaela Dechert, Linnea Erlich, Patrick Gasselsdorfer, Christoph Kronenberg, Rade Matic, Pawel Napiorkowski, Florian Renschke, Oliver Schendzielorz, Andreas Strack (2010)

Part 2 of the workshop ‘the good the bad and the ugly’ with the main goal of giving the existing text (quotes of teaching formulas and opinions found within books of our FbG-library during the first session in 2009) an equivalent and relevant visual language. The result presents 48 ‘flower pictures’ from all areas of visual life within a publication, ‘Please let the flowers live!’, 96 pages in an edition of 200 copies, font: Akzidenz Grotesk + Helvetica Monospace. What’s good, what’s bad, what’s ugly (in design)? These questions were discussed in two workshops. The task was initially to collect quotes, statements and visual material within the respective subject area. After an intensive discussion about what ‘Good’, what ‘Bad’ and what ‘Ugly’ (after the Western of the same name ‘Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo’, in English: ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ from 1966) means and who represents what and why, the conclusion was: no ultimate answers can be given. Based on this knowledge, we have decided to present the collected material in this publication with all contradictions without comment and in a disordered manner. This project indirectly questions the meaningfulness of doctrines, rules and thus of design education in general. The booklet received an ADC NY 2011 Bronze Cube Award at the Art Directors Club New York in the category ‘Book Design / University Press Book’.