DOMiD KÖLN

This exhibition traces the history of "Gastarbeiter" in Germany through a series of freestanding graphic panels. Old photographs and personal objects carry one story across decades.

Year

Industry

Museum

Product & Problem

DOMiD wanted a small, focused exhibition on the history of Gastarbeiter, workers who came to Germany as part of the country's labor recruitment programs, presented through a set of freestanding panels. The institution provided the historical photographs, objects, and the written content, so the challenge was to translate existing archival material into a cohesive, exhibition-ready visual design.

Role & Contribution

Working at C4 Berlin, I was responsible for the entire creative direction and execution, with a project manager handling client communication. While the text content was predetermined, every design decision was mine. Layout, color direction, and the full design of the graphic panels, through to preparing the final print files. It was my first fully self-directed project of this scale.

Key Design & Decisions

The biggest decision was how to handle the archival photographs. Since they were old and needed to be blown up to a much larger panel size, I applied a halftone treatment, which let me enlarge them without worrying about the quality while giving them a distinct stylistic identity. Combined with a considered, consistent color palette, the halftone style tied all the panels together into one visual thread that carried through the whole story. Getting the balance of text placement, proportions, and hierarchy right across the panels was a key part of making the exhibition feel coherent as a whole.

The Outcome

The client was happy with the result, and for me personally, it was a significant first. My first fully independent project from concept to print. It taught me a lot about composition and proportion, lessons that shaped how I approach layout in later projects.