Typographic Research Lab

We were invited to contribute an artwork to the exhibition “Iliggocene – The Age of Dizziness” and came up with the idea of a type system that includes different states of dizziness. Finally the typeface was not only part of our specific artwork (wall graphic & type specimen, pic 7), but all over the exhibition space visualizing texts from different artists and authors that also had been invited to contribute. Even the museum’s corporate design was hijacked by our font. You still can visit and see “Iliggocene – The Age of Dizziness” at KINDL – Zentrum für zeitgenössische Kunst until 26 July @kindlberlin with contributions by Amanda Beech, Dominique Savitri Bonarjee, Colectivo Los Ingrávidos, Davide Deriu, Tim Etchells, Christian Falsnaes, Cao Fei, Julia Fiedorczuk, Dani Gal, María Auxiliadora Gálvez Pérez, William Gibson, Alexandra Grant, Eiko Grimberg, Anna Kim, Jack Halberstam, Daniel Meir, Ari Benjamin Meyers, Warren Neidich, João Onofre, Ana Prvački, Lucy Railton, Saas-Fee Summer Institute of Art, John Smith, Liv Schulman, Stefanie Schwarz & Dirk Wachowiak, Alexander Stahn, Marcus Steinweg, Dimitri Venkov, Catherine Yass, Ruth Anderwald + Leonhard Grond curated by Ruth Anderwald, Leonhard Grond @anderwaldgrond and Sergio Edelsztein type & typographic design by Stefanie Schwarz & Dirk Wachowiak

Referenz Grotesk Groundless — a typeface for the exhibition Iliggocene – The Age of Dizziness @kindlberlin until 26 July 2026 In the beginning we have been asking how dizziness can be translated to the field of typography and type design. Can a typeface make us dizzy and provoke a feeling of disorientation by interfering with the reading flow? We’ve created a type system with different states of dizziness via characters that shift from their baseline at different levels. The new font is based on our type family Referenz Grotesk and now expanded by a dizzying extension, with 15 grades of dizziness, including 140 dizzy characters, without any kerning pairs, the latter making especially type designers dizzy. Gradually or at once, Referenz Grotesk Groundless transforms readable text to an unreadable typographic structure, challenges readers that find themselves between dis-, re- and orientation. Its first comprehensive appearance is at KINDL – Zentrum für zeitgenössische Kunst Berlin during the exhibition “Iliggocene – The Age of Dizziness” (March – July 2026) curated by Ruth Anderwald, Leonhard Grond @anderwaldgrond and Sergio Edelsztein. type design & type specimen by Stefanie Schwarz & Dirk Wachowiak #open2type

Book design for a publication about artistic research including projects and essays from international artists, designers and researchers, published at Bauhaus Universität Weimar. The design plays with colour gradients underlining the book’s topics like shifting and blending contexts in different social, academic and art worlds. While turning the pages, Red, Green and Blue alternate and mark the switch from one author to the next. At the book edge these sections blend into a multilayered texture binding all positions together. design: Stefanie Schwarz & Dirk Wachowiak editors: Alex Toland, Stefanie Schwarz, Jan Willmann scientific editors: Be Körner, Alex Toland managing editor: Ivana Sidjimovska editorial assistance: Be Körner, Harriet von Froreich published at Bauhaus Universität Weimar (2024)

Muster & Moderne — William Morris meets Weissenhof OPEN NOW 🎉 every Sat & Sun 12—17 h until 2 March A project by Stefanie Schwarz and Patrick Thomas in collaboration with Tobias Bednarz and Anja Krämer. The British Arts and Crafts movement centred around the designer William Morris is often regarded as a pioneer in the development of modern design. While Morris’ interior designs were strongly characterised by craftsmanship and natural motifs, modernism developed an increasingly reduced and functionalist aesthetic. But was modernism really as free of patterns as is often assumed? Patrick @xpatrickthomas confronts the architecture of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe with a reinterpretation of Morris’ iconic “Willow” pattern (1874). Stefanie @stefanieschwarz_weissenhof expands this intervention with a typographic layer, placing quotes from representatives of modernism in the exhibition space. For this, she developed a typeface inspired by various historic patterns and ornaments.  An accompanying showcase exhibition throws spotlights on modern interior design, illustrating that decorative surface design and lavish patterns also played a role in modernism. address: Weissenhofwerkstatt im Haus Mies van der Rohe Am Weißenhof 20, 70191 Stuttgart @weissenhofmuseum printed matter by #stefanieschwarz

Our new publication and research project “Bauhaus Type Action: Neue Typografien 2019–2023” tries to capture collectively new typographies 100 years after László Moholy-Nagy outlined “the” new typography in his essay “Die Neue Typographie” (1923). The book includes type designs and typographic works by students of Bauhaus-Universität Weimar from classes of Stefanie Schwarz. The second part contains texts about “new typography” from 22 designers who share their perspectives and approaches in the field of typography and type design. – type and typographic designs by students @bauhaus.type.action @vk_uniweimar – authors: Jonas Beuchert, Fernanda Cozzi, Oded Ezer, Allen Hori, Golnar Kat-Rahmani, Ricarda Löser, Michael Mischler, Anne Odling-Smee, Verena Panholzer, Rathna Ramanathan, Masihne Rasuli, Charlotte Rohde, Rajshree Saraf, Tilman Schlevogt, Stefanie Schwarz, Johanna Siebein, Patrick Thomas, Nik Thoenen, Andrea Tinnes, Dirk Wachowiak, Markus Weisbeck, Marcus Wichmann, Andrea Wilkinson – editor & designer: Stefanie Schwarz editorial assistance: Masihne Rasuli copy editing & proofreading: Anisha Peplinski publisher: LUCIA @lucia_verlag ISBN: 978-3-945301-76-0

typographic visual and printed matter for the exhibition “atmen & sehen” @kunstverein_pforzheim by #open2type #stefanieschwarz

book design for Transcript Verlag / Gerald Schröder — Isa Genzkens Ground Zero: Kunst, Architektur und Kapitalismus by #open2type #dirkwachowiak #stefanieschwarz

visual design for an exhibition at Kunsthalle Trier @kunsthalletrier @campus_gestaltung_trier more info about the design & printing process /typografie/typografische-identity-fuer-werkschau-der-hochschule-trier @pagemag Für die Werkschau des Campus Gestaltung/Hochschule Trier entwickelten Dirk Wachowiak und Masterstudent Sebastian Schubmehl ein Erscheinungsbild, das mit visuellen Codes spielt, die in allen sechs Design-Studiengängen wichtig sind: Entwurf, Prozess und Analyse. Sie erstellten einen farbigen Andruckbogen, der für alle Printmedien als Grundlage diente. Dabei wurde bewusst mit Zufall und Kontrolle gespielt, indem sie dem Drucker die Entscheidung über die exakte Position der schwarzen Nutzen auf dem farbigen Andruckbogen überließen. Die finalen Motive konnte man bis zur Anlieferung nur erahnen. design by #open2type #dirkwachowiak in collaboration with Sebastian Schubmehl @s.schubmehl

Weissenhof Grotesk Play on display until November 5 at Poster House 119 W. 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011 @posterhousenyc /exhibition/advertising-type-women-in-digital-design #weissenhofgrotesk #poster by #open2type #stefanieschwarz

design for an augmented reality exhibition at public places in Stuttgart. The spatial interventions of artist Karima Klasen @spaceascanvas have been translated into typographic features by modifying several glyphs of our Referenz Grotesk. by #open2type #dirkwachowiak #stefanieschwarz

logo & visual design for fashion designer Monika Markert since 2017 @mm_markert by #open2type #stefanieschwarz photo 5 & 8: Isolde Golderer

🎉🥂✨ our posters for »Satellit Stuttgart« have been selected by the Tokyo Type Directors Club @tokyotdc as »Excellent Work« and are now part of the book »TDC 33: The Best in International Typography and Type Design« The posters feature a customized version of our Weissenhof Grotesk. The diverse collection of vowels popping up between the regular letters reflect the various contexts of the exhibitions that took place at the temporary art space @satellit_stuttgart project partners @kuenstlerhausstuttgart @spaceascanvas @wuestenrotstiftung @open2type #poster #typography #typedesign #weissenhofgrotesk #open2type #stefanieschwarz photos: @johannesrave @mm_markert open2type