Designmonat Graz 2012
From 27 April to 27 May 2012, Creative Industries Styria network association brought together and bundled sixty different events covering the areas of design, communication and creativity in the Design Month programme. The number of visitors at the fourth Design Month Graz totalled an amazing 57,000.

The international network was especially large that year and included contributions from places like Buenos Aires, Switzerland, New York, Los Angeles and Amsterdam. Austrian born Stefan Sagmeister, an internationally acclaimed graphic designer, for instance, came all the way from New York. On 17 May alone, as many as 900 visitors came to listen to his lecture on “Design and Happiness” on the Kasematten stage.

A factory building covering 2000 m² opposite the CITYPARK shopping mall played a central role as Design Month Graz’s designHalle. It served as a presentation venue, amongst others, for UNESCO City of Design Buenos Aires, Graz designer Herms Fritz and programme focus SELECTED – Sustainable Design, the exhibition SKIN – Future Materials as well as numerous workshops and lectures. Events held in the designHalle attracted 8170 visitors in all. ´

“Due to increasing internationalisation, Design Month 2012 has succeeded in raising the quality fundamentally, bringing us ever closer to our target of meeting other internationally established design festivals at eye level, as well as boosting public awareness for design. This is vital to help our regional creatives build international networks,” says Eberhard Schrempf, CEO Creative Industries Styria, drawing a highly positive conclusion, “and with the help of our partners and co-organisers, we managed to impressively show our visitors why Graz is a UNESCO City of Design.”