Play the System
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is a platform for parametric design in graphic design. It documents the work of students and teachers at the Department of Design at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW), who are investigating the significance of the system as a conceptual model and design method under the title “Parametric Design in Graphic Design.”

Design is less about intuitive, even ingenious “strokes of genius” and more about a holistic and rule-based (systemic and systematic) process of gaining knowledge and shaping form. It is becoming increasingly important to be able to design dynamic systems that both guide and inspire the design process.

Parametric design refers to this design in and of systems—with rules, their modes of operation, and systematic manipulability. The research project, led by Prof. Heike Grebin, is an integral part of teaching and aims to raise awareness of design as a performative process.

Play the System brings together selected study projects in which the system plays an important role as a design method – whether analog or digital. The works are created in a fruitful symbiosis of theory, design, and technology. Socially relevant issues and positions from philosophy, art, and avant-garde design from around 1900 to the present day are repeatedly discussed.

Play the System is an invitation to become aware of the systemic competence of graphic design and to gain the maturity to use the tools of digital design critically.

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Play the System Courses /

c36 [Re]Play the System

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This course focuses on the (re)design, development, and programming of the website for the research project Play The System. At its core is the question of how to make content available both online and in print form. The rapid evolution of digital technologies makes it increasingly difficult to ensure the long-term accessibility of web content. Too often, users are met after an update with “404–Not found.” How can we design websites that remain functional and accessible over time, independent of server or CMS updates? What design strategies or reductions might emerge from this challenge?
Building on the history of archiving—from the invention of print to the digital age—we examine the differences between publishing online and in print and explore hybrid, sustainable approaches to preservation. Working in teams, students develop web-to-print concepts that make digital content also available in printed form. Along the way, they learn how servers and content management systems (particularly Kirby) work, and how the browser itself can be used as a design tool for print production.