New Talent: Designmetropole

When Germans are good at something, they’re really good at it. Stressed out? Get in a Porsche 911 Cabriolet, drop the top, and find the closest autobahn. Do a little joyriding and then treat yourself to an ice-cold Beck’s (in that order). If you’re a member of this species, you’ll feel better. Or maybe it’s cerebral stimulation you’re looking for. Open a copy of Immanuel Kant’s “Critique of Pure Reason” while listening to Beethoven’s “Mondscheinsonate” (the Moonlight Sonata). The Enlightenment awaits you.

So it isn’t surprising that during the 2005 Talents competition, Messe Frankfurt’s judges asked four young friends, “Is Aachen the new design capital or what?” The quartet of designers, along with several others, went on to form the Designmetropole network, and Aachen has enjoyed even more attention ever since. And incidentally, how did they respond to the question? “Yes, we are working hard on it.”

Designmetropole Aachen makes its purpose very clear: to pump up the Aachen scene and attract more attention to German designers in general. As an established presence in the creative community, the Designmetropole Aachen network can be leveraged by its members in both their collaborative and personal pursuits. The question, of course, is how did the young designers attach a reputation to their group? By any means necessary. Strapped for cash, they launched a series of guerilla marketing campaigns, the likes of which the industry had never before seen:

“We mixed up the furniture fair in Milan 2008. Armed with flags and sticky tape we burned Designmetropole Aachen into the consciousness of the design world... Running through the crowd, we just taped strangers. TV teams filmed us; hundreds of people took pictures. It was a great fun to notice how people looked irritated at first, but then started partying together!”

This crack team of marketing operatives doesn’t only work abroad, though. No, they’re not afraid of their own backyard in the slightest. Recently, about 40 street signs that originally indicated the Aachen city limits were found “modified.” Written above Aachen was – you guessed it – Designmetropole. This simple, yet inspired, take on the traditional billboard nicely illustrates Designmetropole’s brand of creative thinking.

Few people are privy to the secrets of success. Most of us wonder if there really are any and just get by on our instincts. We know that to get ahead, you’ve got to get noticed. And to get noticed, you’ve got to be original. If we ever get the originality bit sorted out, the next challenge is staying unique, which takes follow through. Being good at something interesting is what we want, but getting there requires an everlasting commitment to creativity, and that alone can prevent us from achieving our goals. After all, it’s hard to be original on a daily basis. But finding inspiration in others can help combat the lethargy, and Designmetropole Aachen is proof.

—Blaise Foley