FSG Hamburg

Published March 27, 2024

Cover of an information booklet for students

FSG Freie Schule für Gestaltung is a vocational school for graphic design founded in 2009 in Hamburg, Germany. The declared aim is to provide sound training in close cooperation with the industry, to take responsibility for starting a career, and to create a cooperative working atmosphere. Lecturers are committed to passing on their knowledge and experience in the most practical and project-oriented way possible. In addition to rooms in the Honigfabrik cultural center, students also meet on a houseboat: the school is located in the Wilhelmsburg district on an island in the Elbe river.

In 2022, Tim Heesen and Felix Bonge of allerzeiten reimagined the school’s own design. They chose Mars as the typeface for FSG’s visual identity. Alaric Garnier’s sans with its high-waisted capitals and diagonally cut terminals is used in all three widths: Mars Extended serves for the main menu, headlines, and intro paragraphs. Mars Condensed can be seen for eye-catchers, navigational items, and secondary headlines. Wherever those widths are too extreme – think longer copy – the moderate Mars Standard comes into play. Together with the color scheme (yellow and black) and the maritime details (paper boats, seagulls, etc.), this yields a witty and self-confident look for a small but powerful design school.

Mars is available for licensing from Production Type.

The FSG initials in the logo are based on Univers 59, but modified to exhibit the diagonal stroke endings that are so typical for Mars. The full name is added in Mars Standard. The website features various animated variants.

Main menu on the homepage

Full menu of the website

Intro paragraph in Mars Extended, featuring the stylistic alternate R with curved leg

“Show me” – interface element in caps from Mars Condensed

Selection of FSG’s Instagram posts

This post was originally published at Fonts In Use

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