(SMS) Studio Michael Schmitz
How Communication Design Works is a comprehensive publication that addresses the radical changes communication designers are currently facing. In a time shaped by artificial intelligence, social media, information overload, and economic pressure, the book highlights the urgent need for critical reflection, interdisciplinary thinking, and a redefinition of design’s societal role. Published by Verlag Niggli, it offers both theoretical insights and practical approaches for the discipline’s future.
Client: Verlag Niggli
Funded by: VG Bildkunst Bonn, Hochschule Mainz – Fachbereich Gestaltung, Institut Designlabor Gutenberg
Communication design as a profession is under strain: time pressure, commodification, and automation reduce the space for critical, reflective work. The challenge was to address these issues in a way that goes beyond short-lived design trends and instead provides a meaningful framework for future-oriented design practice.
Collaboration between academics, practitioners, and students to connect theory with applied design practice.
Case studies, criteria for good design, and critical analyses of technological and societal shifts.
Clear visual language that supports accessibility while underlining the book’s professional authority.
The publication serves as a reference manual for students, educators, and professionals in communication design. It consolidates key debates about the discipline’s future, providing actionable knowledge for a new generation of designers. Its influence lies in bridging professional practice with social responsibility, ensuring that communication design remains relevant in shaping how society communicates and perceives the world.
Publication exploring the societal relevance of communication design beyond aesthetics. → See project
Research publication on design principles and structural clarity in communication design. → See project
Reader exploring typographic culture, trends, and developments from history to the present. → See project