Fons Hickmann

Fons Hickmann (born 1966) is a German graphic designer and professor of Communication Design at the Berlin University of the Arts. He is the founder and director of the design studio Fons Hickmann m23.

Fons Hickmann
Fons Hickmann is reading out his book The Best Game Ever at the See-Conference (2016)
Born
Fons Matthias Hickmann

1966 (1966)
Hamm, Germany
Occupation

Life and career

Hickmann was born in the German city of Hamm and studied photography and communication design combined with philosophy at the University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf, and aesthetics and media theory in Wuppertal. In 2001 Hickmann and Gesine Grotrian-Steinweg founded the design studio Fons Hickmann m23 in Berlin. Hickmann serves as its director. The emphasis of the studio's work is on the development of complex communication systems and corporate design as well as book, poster, magazine and web design. The studio has received numerous international awards, and its works have been represented at every international design biennial.[1][2][3]

Hickmann was a professor at the University of Applied Arts Vienna from 2001 to 2007, before taking over the professorship in Graphic Design in the Berlin University of the Arts Faculty of Design in 2007.[2] Previously, he had taught at the Universities of Essen and Dortmund, and gave lectures and seminars in, among other places, London, Ljubliana, Istanbul, Beijing and Shanghai. He is an appointed member of the Type Directors Club of New York and the Art Directors Club Germany, as well as of the Alliance Graphique Internationale.[4]

Hickmann and his colleagues promoted the initiative "11 Designers for Germany" which tried to bring a consciousness of graphic design into the public sphere. The group received wide media attention for their effort to prevent the adoption of an embarrassing logo for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.[5]

Hickmann and his studio were invited to exhibit at the opening of Museum of the Image (MOTI) in the Netherlands, the world's first graphic design museum. The exhibition, European Championship of Graphic Design was opened by Queen Beatrix in June 2008.[6][7]

From 2012 to 2014 he was a member of the expert jury of the "Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany". Since 2018 he is president of the professional association 100 Beste Plakate (100 Best Posters).[8]


Publications

Hickmann's publications include:

  • Das beste Spiel aller Zeiten! (2014) (with Markus Büsges and Oliver Gehrs). Kein & Aber. ISBN 9783036957005
  • Von erfolgreichen Designern lernen (2014) (with Boris Kochan, Rolf Mehnert, Daniel Rothaug, Raban Ruddigkeit, and Jochen Theurer). Galileo Design. ISBN 978-3836225403
  • Beyond Graphic Design (2007). Verlag Hermann Schmidt. ISBN 978-3-87439-741-4
  • Touch Me There (2005). Die Gestalten Verlag. ISBN 3-89955-079-X
  • Fons Hickmann & Students (2004). China Youth Press. ISBN 7-5006-5665-3
  • Displace yourself! (2002). University of Applied Arts Vienna (published in conjunction with his retrospective exhibition in Vienna)

References
  1. Foster, John (2008). New Masters of Poster Design: Poster Design for the Next Century, pp. 84-91. Rockport Publishers
  2. Morlok, Franziska and Beckmann, Till (2013). Extra: Encyclopaedia of Experimental Print Finishing, p. 118. De Gruyter
  3. Jong, Cees de; Burger, Stefanie; Both, Jorre (2008). New Poster Art, p. 225. Thames & Hudson
  4. Kobuss, Joachim and Bretz, Alexander (2012). Erfolgreich als Designer – Designrechte international schützen und managen, p. 41. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 3034608519 (in German)
  5. Fishel, Catharine M. and Gardner, Bill K. (2010). LogoLounge 4: 2,000 International Identities by Leading Designers, pp. 57-60. Rockport Publishers
  6. Museum of the Image. Past exhibitions: European Championship of Graphic Design Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  7. Bos, Ben (July 2008). "Dutch open first Graphic Design Museum". Alliance Graphique Internationale. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  8. "Zahlen und Fakten | 100 Beste Plakate e. V." (in German). Retrieved 2019-06-24.

Further reading
  • 5 x Berlin. Designfestival Chaumont. Pyramid Press, Paris 2006,
  • AREA, Phaidon Press, New York (2003) p. 140 – 143
  • Black & White Graphics Gingko Press, Corte Madera (2004) p. 08 – 09, 134 – 139
  • Graphic Design for the 21st Century, Taschen Verlag Cologne (2003), p. 266 – 271
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