Is the design industry gender-equitable?

The creative industry considers itself to be woke and progressive, and is often even seen as a pioneer for work transformation – unfortunately, the reality is different. IN*VISIBLE is an exhibition that makes the invisible problems of women and other underrepresented designers in Austria visible. Each exhibit addresses a gender-specific problem and shows that we are still confronted with inequalities in the design industry. Because invisible problems cannot be solved, they must first be made visible.

Tangible data

As budding designers, Johanna Wicht and Christine Poplavski asked themselves what the situation is regarding equality in the industry. They listened to the Austrian scene, conducted interviews, read studies and observed. In the process, they came across facts about gender-specific injustices, which they brought to life in “tangible data” objects. The exhibition is based on Johanna Wicht’s master’s thesis of the same name at the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, which was supported by the Arthur Zelger Scholarship in 2023.

Space for excitement

Letitia Lehner and Kira Schinko pose the question in the participatory poster installation “Raum für Erregung”: Will design become the next “women’s profession”? More and more women are studying design and working in the creative industry – a situation that has long been desired. But what is this majority changing? And what is it not changing? A reflection on feminization and the threat of devaluation.

Das Designforum Steiermark öffnet seine Türen im Frühjahr 2024 im Zentrum der Grazer Innenstadt. Die Räumlichkeiten in der Landhausgasse 7, 8010 Graz werden nun gemeinsam mit der chillout area genutzt, einem Unternehmen, dessen Augenmerk geschmackvollen und einzigartigen Outdoor-Möbeln, aber auch der individuellen Garten- und Terrassengestaltung gilt. So wird ein Ort der Begegnung geschaffen, dessen gemeinsamer Nenner das Interesse an Design und der Vielseitigkeit von (Produkt-)Gestaltung ist.