Ralf Dringenberg
Professor of Design Foundations
Rector
HfG Schwaebisch Gmuend
University of Design
Occupation:
Prof. Dringenberg has taught Foundations of Design at the HfG Schwaebisch Gmuend, University of Design since 2007. Upon 2008 he was head of the Communicationdesign Department. Since 2015 he is the Rector of the University. He also co-directs the z zg – Zentrum Zeitbasierte Gestaltung (Centre for Time-based Design) together with Prof. Anja Stöffler (Mainz University).
Education:
Dringenberg finished his Visual Communication course of study at the HfG Schwaebisch Gmuend, University of Design with an Dipl.-Des. degree. (1984 – 1989)
Professional Experience:
Dringenberg is an established media designer who also has comprehensive experience in economics. Upon 1989 he initially worked as a freelance designer for AEG Lighting Technology, Alcatel, Bosch Rexroth Group, Hewlett Packard and IBM, among other companies, and often in cooperation with prestigious agencies. In 1996 Dringenberg was already co-founder and head of the company Streamdesign, which was involved in the design and development of interactive communication systems based on internet technologies. In 2001 he founded Visication, a company for the development of systems for real-time visualization of audio events. He is a patent holder, researches and implements exhibition-projects.
Since the end of the 1990’s he was also a lecturer at different Universities of Applied Sciences in the area of design foundations and interactive design. In 2003 Dringenberg was appointed Professor of Foundations of Design in media design at Mainz University (until 2007), and as of 2005 he was the acting director of the Institut of Mediadesign.
He was co-initiator, curator and designer of the already frequently displayed and distinguished retrospective exhibition, Moving Types – Letters in Motion. He is also co-founder and curator of the international media festivals MOTYF located in Warsaw, 2013 and 2014, Mainz 2016, Dublin 2018 and upcomming Wellington 2020. He co-founded the z zg (Center for Time-based Design) in 2010 with Prof. Anja Stöffler (Mainz University) et al with the digital archive of international moving images in the area of dynamic typography named Moving Types – Letters in Motion. The archive have compiled over 800 visual examples of animated typefaces and cited the history from the first film-examples in the19th century up to the 21st century.
Works (selection):
2005 ongoing: Moving Types – Archive of Visual Communication; 2011 ongoing Interactive Media-Exhibtion “Moving Types – Letters in Motion” Gutenberg Museum Mainz (2011), Galerie im Prediger Schwaebisch Gmuend (2011/12), Dortmunder U (2013), Alte Post Schwaebisch Gmuend (2014), Frankfurt (2015), Germany; 2011 ongoing Media facades Gutenberg-Museum, Mainz; Dortmunder U (2013), Schwäbisch Gmünd (2012, 2014).
Publications (selection):
Ralf Dringenberg, Anja Stöffler (z zg – Mainz/Schwaebisch Gmuend) and Dr. Annette Ludwig (Gutenberg Museum, Mainz): ‚Moving Types – Letters in Motion. A retrospective of the beginnings of film to the present day.’ (Augmented exhibition catalogue), 2nd, ext. edition Mainz 2013 (1. Ed. Mainz 2011), Mainz, Germany, 2011.
Hrsg. Anja Stöffler, Ralf Dringenberg: Gutenberg goes Media. Schrift und Poesie in Bewegung (e-Publication), EPUB3, mobile devices (iOS via iBooks, Android via Adobe Digital Editions), Mainz, Germany, 2017.
z zg — Centre for Time-based Design
https://www.zeitbasierte-gestaltung.de/en/home/
Moving Types – Letters in Motion
https://www.zeitbasierte-gestaltung.de/en/home/#moving-types-exhibition
HfG Schwaebisch Gmuend, University of Design
https://www.hfg-gmuend.de/en/ProfilePhilosophy.html