Dialog Beyond Disciplines

Published August 12, 2025

Open-disciplinary design opens up new perspectives by breaking down the boundaries between disciplines and positioning designers in a fluid in-between space. This dialogical process fosters new approaches that not only enrich creative practices, but also provide deeper answers to complex societal issues.

Challenging traditional definitions, this Master’s thesis made by Julia Klass and Corinna Gratzl at HTWG Konstanz explores the dynamics of a design practice where disciplines merge. Designers and experts at the intersections of architecture, scenography, product design, craftsmanship, graphic design, art, and science were visited and interviewed in their work environments. Photographs from this process capture details, moods and traces, enhanced by scans of materials and surfaces.

The resulting dialog illustrates how exchanging perspectives reshapes the role of design today. It also examines whether open-disciplinary work today is driven by a new mindset compared to earlier developments.

The design is guided by the central theme of “opening doors”. Metaphorically, it shifts from “in front of” to “behind” the door, combining two perspectives: the external view highlights structural factors, while the internal view delves into personal insights and introspective reflections.

A publication compiles insights from 13 interviews through quotes and visual material—not to portray individual positions, but to highlight overarching ways of thinking and enable connections.

Find more information on the project website at dialogbeyonddisciplines.com.

The fonts used are GT Alpina (with Typewriter) by Reto Moser for Grilli Type and ALT Riviera by Giulia Boggio for ALT.tf.