Office

Overview

What is it, that sets us apart?

gewerkdesign provides custom-made solutions, resorting to creative ideas from all areas of design. These different creative sources serve as tools for making concepts, content and mental images visible, beforehand contemplating about the topics, the rooms and implications carefully. By taking into account the views of all parties involved, gewerkdesign is able to make creative decisions that have a positive influence on the exhibition space, graphics, products, media applications and projects.

A creative process seldom resembles a straight line, it is a dynamic process rather like an organic, dynamic movement.

 July 5, 2023
• Exhibitions “Munich Displaced”

Two exhibitions in Munich are dedicated to the research of a blank space in German Remembrance Culture: the history of the so-called “Displaced Persons” (DPs). The term refers to all those foreign civilians who, after 1945, found themselves outside their homeland as a result of the Second World War and were unable to return to their homeland without further ado. The group of DPs is very diverse, including political prisoners, concentration camp inmates, civilian Eastern European workers, former forced laborers, and collaborators.

The exhibition of the Münchener Stadtmuseum “Munich Displaced. After 1945 and without a Homeland”, the Munich City Museum sheds light on the history of this group from a local perspective and shows how these communities lived and worked in Munich after 1945, determined to shape their own destiny. In a parallel exhibition titled “MUNICH DISPLACED. The Surviving Remnant” the Jewish Museum Munich focuses on the history of the Jewish DPs in Munich. By holding the two exhibitions at the same time, the histories of the DP communities are to be placed in interrelated context.

> Where: Münchener Stadtmuseum, St.-Jakobs-Platz 1, 80331 Munich / Jewish Museum Munich, St.-Jakobs-Platz 16, 80331 Munich.

> When: July 5, 2023 – January 7, 2024 / July 5, 2023 – March 17, 2024

 September 14, 2023
• gewerk in the garden #4

The fourth issue of the event series “gewerk in the garden” focuses on the topic of design and capitalism. Capitalism is much more than just an economic system. Its logic has long permeated all parts of our lives. So how should we deal with capitalism, its structures and effects, as a society, as cultural professionals, as creatives and designers? What is the relationship between capitalism and design? Can design contribute to a change, even undermine capitalist structures? Together with our guests and exciting lectures by our speakers, we will discuss these and further questions this summer in the lovely backyard of our studio.

Speakers
– Mara Recklies, philosopher with a focus on design, epistemology of design and design criticism, among others at HTW Berlin, Burg Giebichenstein and HFBK Hamburg
– Van Bo Le-Mentzel, architect and designer, was a professor at the HFBK Hamburg and curator of the Bauhaus Campus Berlin

> Where: In the garden of our Berlin studio

> When: September 14, 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.

> Interested? Then send us your registration: inthegarden@gewerk.com

 September 18, 2023
Opening of the exhibition “Hamburg 1923. A City under Threat”

The exhibition “Hamburg 1923. A City under Threat” focuses on the so-called “Hamburg Revolt”, which put the city in a state of emergency exactly one hundred years ago, in the course of ongoing domestic political disputes in the still young Weimar Republic. In the fall of 1923, armed workers and functionaries of the KPD erected barricades throughout the city and engaged in brutal street battles with the police. With reference to the economic and social situation of the city and its inhabitants at that time, the political system of the city as well as that of the Weimar Republic is researched against the backdrop of these riots, which went down in history as the bloodiest revolt in Hamburg with numerous deaths and injuries. With this exhibition, the Museum of Hamburg History not only provides us with exciting insights into the turbulent political history of today’s Hanseatic city, but also calls us to consider how we want to shape our democracy. A visit is therefore worthwhile!

> Where: Museum of Hamburg History, Holstenwall 24, 20355 Hamburg

> When: September 18, 2023 – January 7, 2024

The name of our company states our agenda. The Middle High German term »gewerk« was first noted in the 13th century. Our company’s founders found the term very appealing because it aptly described their conceptual, interdisciplinary design approach, when they founded the company in 1993 – perhaps today even more so:

• describing a unit working together with other units
• a facility setting something in motion
• an entirety of handycraftsmen, guild
• the wickerwork of spiders, the honeycomb of bees
• place or institution, in which tasks are performed

(cited from: Grimm, J. and W. – Deutsches Wörterbuch 1854 und Paul, H. – Deutsches Wörterbuch, 1897.)

Phonetically, the German term »gewerk« goes well with the English term »design«. Combining these two terms also indicates how design in our opinion is more than its separate creative disciplines. Only by combining many different kinds of creative skills and entering the designing process together with our clients we are able to create design solutions that are durable and effective, and a design process that is a design creation in itself.

Underlining this special design approach, the terms »gewerk« und »gewerkdesign« have been trademarked in 2008.

gewerk is also a place where our skills are being pooled together, a place for working and communicating. It usually is here that first introductions are made and first meetings take place.

The office provides room for interconnecting the creative skills of our experienced and talented scenographic artists, architects, graphic designers, media designers, product designers, and interior designers.

We value a friendly atmosphere and treat each other with respect and kindness.

Profile: Roughly, our projects can be divided into three different phases: evaluation, design, and implementation. Our team offers all three of these services. In order to see the approved design translated into the imagined form, trusting us with the implementation phase of the project is especially important. Resulting from this particular approach are both a design product and a process custom-made for our clients.

Evaluation: In the beginning of a designing process it is of key importance to thoroughly register the task in its entirety and to take all its complex implications into account. Best practice for this is listening attentively and observing the rooms and situations to be designed carefully. Working together, communicating openly and at eye level, the project with gather momentum and live up to its potential.

Design: As soon as the evaluation is complete, the next task is to agree upon a design solution and to identify the creative tools and resources that will lead to this solution, rendering the design process  constructive, time-saving, and cost-efficient for all involved.

Implementation: For the implementation phase it takes experience, reliability and perseverance. Many of our clients have been working with us for years, rely on several of our services and entrust us with their projects through many stages of its development.

We assemble our team according to the respective phase of the project and rely on a network of partners and experts for very specific tasks.

In the roughly 30 years of our company’s existence, we have accompanied more than 175 exhibitions and complex museum projects. We offer the experiences gathered from these projects to our clients for other projects as well, for instance creating durable brand designs (Berlin Congress Center since 2002 bcc), globally trend-setting products (velotaxis City Cruiser I, II and Delivery Crusier), or internationally awarded graphic designs (Logo of the Berlin Wall). We also provide consultancy services for project management and design processes, and organize strategy workshops for developing a sustainable future vision for a project (Masterplan study Bremer Landesmuseum).

A

• Amt für Kultur der Stadt Dessau-FRoßlau
• ARD Hauptstadtstudio
• Arolsen Archives – International FCenter on Nazi Persecution
• Augustinermuseum Freiburg

B

• Bauhaus-Archiv, Museum für FGestaltung Berlin
• BBWA Berlin-Brandenburgische FAkademie der Wissenschaften
• bcc Berlin Congress Center GmbH
• Berliner Forsten – Landesforstamt
• Berliner Forum für Geschichte und FGegenwart e.V.
• Bertelsmann AG Berlin
• Bundesbeauftragter für die Unterlagen Fdes Staatssicherheitsdienstes der Fehemaligen Deutschen FDemokratischen Republik (BStU) FBerlin
• Bundeskanzler-Willy-Brandt-Stiftung FBerlin
• Bürger Museum Wolfenbüttel

C

• Cronos Verlag, Zürich (Switzerland)

D

• Danfoss Universe Nordborg F(Denmark)
• Das Verborgene Museum, Berlin
• Der Beauftragte für Kunst und Medien Fder Bundesrepublik Deutschland FBerlin
• Design Zentrum Bremen
• Deutsche Bahn AG Berlin
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für FGefäßchirurgie Berlin und Dresden
• Deutsches Architektur-Museum FFrankfurt
• Deutsches Historisches Museum FBerlin
• Deutsches Museum München
• Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin
• Deutschlandradio Kultur Berlin

E

• Europäische Kommission Berlin

F

• Focke Museum – Bremer FLandesmuseum für Kunst und FKulturgeschichte

G

• Gasometer Oberhausen GmbH
• Gärtnermuseum Wolfenbüttel e.V.
• Gedenkstätte Berlin-FHohenschönhausen
• Georg-Kolbe-Museum Berlin
• Grün Berlin GmbH

H

• Hansestadt Wismar
• Haus der Brandenburgisch-FPreußischen Geschichte Potsdam
• Haus der Geschichte Nordrhein-FWestfalen
• Hertha BSC GmbH + Co. KG
• Hochschule für Künste im Sozialen FOttersberg
• Hochschule Luzern (Schweiz)
• Hochschulübergreifendes Zentrum FTanz Berlin SODA.WORKS

I

• Industriemuseum Chemnitz
• Interstuhl Büromöbel GmbH + Co. KG FMeßstetten-Tieringen

J

• Jüdisches Museum Berlin
• Jüdisches Museum Frankfurt

K

• Kernkraftwerk Gösgen-Däniken AG F(Switzerland)
• Knesebeck Verlag, München
• Kulturstiftung des Bundes
• Kulturstiftung Dessau-Wörlitz

L

• Landesmuseen Schleswig-Holstein, FMuseum für Kunst und FKulturgeschichte Schloss Gottorf

M

• Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur FFörderung der Wissenschaften e.V. FMünchen
• Miraikan – National Museum of FEmerging Science and Innovation, FTokio (Japan)
• Modulor GmbH Berlin
• MODUS Möbel GmbH Berlin
• Museum für Kommunikation Berlin
• Museum für Kommunikation Bern F(Switzerland)
• Museum für Kommunikation FFrankfurt
• Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe FHamburg
• Museum für Kunst und FKulturgeschichte Dortmund
• Museum für Natur und Mensch FOldenburg
• Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
• Museum für Sepulkralkultur Kassel
• Museum Neukölln Berlin
• Museum Strauhof Zürich F(Switzerland)
• Museum Wolfenbüttel

N

• Naturhistorisches Museum Bern F(Switzerland)
• Nicolai Verlag, Berlin
• Nobel Museum Stockholm (Sweden)
• Norstedts Verlag, Stockholm F(Sweden)

O

• Ostfriesisches Landesmuseum FEmden
• Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg
• Ökodorf Brodowin

P

• Porzellanfabriken Christian Seltmann FGmbH
• Posteo e.V., Berlin
• Projektbüro Gartenregion Hannover

R

• Ricordi & C.S.r.l. Mailand (Italy)

S

• SCC Events GmbH
• Schiffahrtsmuseum der Foldenburgischen Unterweser e.V.
• Schloss Eutin
• Schwedische Botschaft Berlin
• Schwedisches Architekturmuseum FStockholm (Sweden)
• Senatsverwaltung für Umwelt, Verkehr Fund Klima Berlin
• Senatsverwaltung für Wissenschaft, FForschung und Kultur Berlin
• Sprengel Museum Hannover
• Staatliche Kunstsammlungen FDresden
• Staatliche Schlösser, Burgen und FGärten Sachsen gGmbH
• Stadt Doberlug-Kirchhain
• Stadt Frankfurt am Main
• Stadt Wolfenbüttel
• Stadtmuseum Oldenburg
• StadtPalais – Museum für Stuttgart
• Städtische Museen Freiburg
• Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin

Stiftungen

• Stiftung Berliner Mauer
• Stiftung Flucht, Vertreibung, FVersöhnung Berlin
• Stiftung Gedenkstätten Buchenwald Fund Mittelbau-Dora
• Stiftung Historische Museen FHamburg: Altonaer Museum, Museum Fder Arbeit
• Stiftung Luthergedenkstätten in FSachsen-Anhalt
• Stiftung niedersächsische FGedenkstätten Celle
• Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und FGärten Berlin-Brandenburg
• Stiftung Sächsische Gedenkstätten: FGedenkstätte Bautzen, Gedenkstätte FMünchner Platz Dresden, FGedenkstätte Pirna-Sonnenstein
• Stiftung Topographie des Terrors FBerlin

T

• Technische Universität Eindhoven
• Technoseum, Landesmuseum für FTechnik und Arbeit Mannheim

U

• Übersee-Museum Bremen
• Universität der Künste Berlin
• Universität Hamburg
• Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-FHolstein Campus Lübeck
• Universitätsstadt Marburg
• Universum Managementges. mbH FBremen

V

• Velotaxi GmbH Berlin
• Vertretung der Europäischen FKommission in der Bundesrepublik FDeutschland
• VolkswagenStiftung Hannover

W

• Wartburg-Stiftung Eisenach
• Whisky & Cigars Berlin
• Wilhelm Wagenfeld Stiftung Bremen
• WonderWolf Productions Düsseldorf
• Worpsweder Touristik- und FKulturmarketing GmbH

Z

• ZBW – Leibniz-Informationszentrum FWirtschaft, Kiel
• ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd FBucerius
• Züricher Hochschule der Künste F(Switzerland)

We admit that it might sound a bit idealistic, but we believe that a good design will have positive effects on our work and life in general. Therefore we sometimes dedicate some of our time and financial resources to implementing one of our own concepts.

This might be an event (e.g. a workshop about luck and felicity at Bazon Brock’s »Denkerei«), a publication (e.g. a richly illustrated monograph about Nelly Sachs together with the writer Aris Fioretos) and sometimes an item surmounting lingual barriers (the sign language card game »Nomo« together with Andy Costrau).

Pursuing our own projects sharpens our design focus, liberates us from restraints for a while and allows us to explore new design areas.

There are many projects waiting to be implemented … stay in touch to see what happens next!

Approaching more and more complex design tasks, we could hardly do without a network of skilled experts, inspiration, and talents. We constantly seek to broaden our horizon and improve the skills of our team. We would therefore like to encourage you to get in touch and send us an application! Please submit your resume via e-mail and indicate why you think your skills suit our profile.

Project Management (m/f/o)

Dedicated project manager with organizational skills wanted!

Why work for gewerkdesign?
With more than 175 realized, complex projects in the museum and exhibition sector, gewerkdesign looks back on about 30 years of experience. We design, plan and manage exhibition projects for mainly public clients. We take care of the entire process, from the determination of the basic principles, the design concept and the realization of the exhibition to the associated print and media productions. We are an interdisciplinary team of designers and specialists from the fields of art, science and culture.
Would you like to work in an environment characterized by fairness, openness and respect for one another? Would you like to work on projects that address socially relevant issues and help shape the local cultural landscape? Then send us your application! We are offering a permanent position as a project manager in our studio in Berlin-Friedenau with immediate effect. Ideally, you work with us 32-40 hours per week, but we are open to other models/flexible working hours.

Who are we looking for?
We are looking for a dedicated and considerate project manager with technical understanding, excellent organizational and communication skills and an eye for good design. You work at the intersection of clients, colleagues and production partners and mediate their interests. Communication is your strength, diligence and tact characterize your way of working when managing and coordinating a project and communicating with all the parties involved. You have experience in construction management/production of exhibitions, or in related areas such as interior design, events and trade fairs, as well as experience with tenders for public projects.

Your responsibilities:
• Support and coordination of production partners and their interests
• Communication with clients and internal coordination of the project team
• Budget management, cost control, negotiation of additional costs and changes in the time frame
• Scheduling, time management and sovereignty in dealing with deadlines as well as projects and trades to be managed in parallel
• Organizational site management and quality control
• Preparation of BOQs, solicitation of bids
• Monitoring and evaluation of tendering procedures
• Material research, requesting/evaluating material samples and tests
• Research of production methods
• and above all: keeping the overview!

What you ideally bring to the table:
• Several years of experience in production and project management in the above-mentioned areas
• You are friendly, structured, goal-oriented, even under deadline pressure
• Business fluent in written and spoken German
• You enjoy occasional project-related traveling within Germany, even for several days at a time
• Class B driving license

How do you apply?
Do you feel addressed? Then we would be pleased to receive your application as a PDF file (max. 5MB), with reference projects and contact persons for a personal reference.
Please send your application to: Jens Lohmann, eingang@gewerk.com. Please note that the main language spoken in the office is German. If you have any questions regarding the job profile, please do not hesitate to contact Ms. Schuh by phone: T +49 (0) 30 850 72 99 00

Assistant Project Management (m/f/o)

Our interdisciplinary approach to design thrives on transferring ideas to reality, where they then prove themselves and, in the best case, improve the circumstances of our lives and broaden our horizons. In order to be able to do this reliably and in the highest quality possible, project management is an integral part of our range of services. The main tasks of our senior project managers are to support our teams, to keep an eye on costs, time and processes, and to master sometimes difficult situations with our clients in a considerate, friendly and solution-oriented manner. To support them, we are now offering a position as a project management assistant.

If you are still a student or trainee, enjoy organizing processes, especially in the public and cultural sector, like to work with committed people and learn from others, if you and are not afraid of dealing with numbers, lists and deadlines, we look forward to your application for an internship, traineeship or for a position as a working student. A background in design is not absolutely necessary. Applications from the fields of business administration, stage and event management and event engineering are welcome as well, since we also like to learn from others.

Please send your application with a letter of motivation and CV as a PDF to Jens Lohmann, eingang (at) gewerk.com. Please note that the main language spoken in the office is German.

Unsolicited Applications

Please send your application directly to:
Jens Lohmann, eingang (at) gewerk.com

Internships

Our internship positions – one for the three-dimensional area, one for the two-dimensional/media area are intended for students of all design disciplines – who require a specialized internship as part of their education, but only as a mandatory internship. The duration should be between 3 to 6 months. Please call in advance to find out if there are any vacancies. Please send your application by e-mail and as a pdf. If you are invited to an interview, don’t be afraid to present sketchbooks, models and project progress.

Please send your application directly to:
Jens Lohmann, eingang (at) gewerk.com

gewerkdesign is a member of the following institutions:
IDZ Berlin / VerA / ICOM

Many of our competitions have evolved into projects and some of our projects have won international awards. But of course we don’t win every competition. Nontheless we are proud of the designs submitted to these competitions and consider them quite presentable.

If you plan to invite us for a competition or a negotiation for a project, we would appreciate giving us a short personal notice beforehand. It would make it easier for us to determine, whether the competition’s conditions suit our profile and our capacities.

A comprehensible tender answering all of the basic questions (who, what, where, when, why and how much?), too, will make it easier for us to commit to the competition. As a matter of course, the decision-making procedure should be transparent, the selection should be fair, and the jury should be competent and mentioned by name.

If you are unsure, whether your competition meets the requirements and codes of ethics for design competitions, please refer to the German Architectural Association (Architektenkammer) or the Association of Exhibition Designers VerA for further information.