Wahl-Lokal

Ein wunderbares Wahllokal

Anyone who goes to vote is familiar with the procedure. On a Sunday, you arrive with your polling card in hand at a converted classroom or another municipal venue, register, receive a ballot paper that feels cheap, then sit down at a cardboard box, mark your cross with a pen that writes poorly, drop your ballot into a repurposed bin and say: Goodbye.

The fourth-semester design students at the Brüder Grimm Vocational Academy asked themselves: “How could the most important act in a democracy be made more appropriate?”

Six design teams analysed the entire electoral process and sought improved solutions in specific project areas. From a corporate design for elections through to merchandising and the ballot boxes and voting booths, a redesign of the entire electoral process was undertaken. “To achieve improvements in complex systems, we must think inclusively.

“Our students learn to analyse problem areas holistically. This involves considering the individual factors in their complex interplay.” This is how the Academy Director, Prof. Martin Krämer, described the methodological approach.

The design outcomes will be on display from 17 June 2026 in an exhibition by the BGBA at the Stadhof Hanau. From 3 July to 9 August, the outcomes will be on display as part of the WDC – Campus exhibition at the Museum of Applied Arts in Frankfurt am Main.

Martin Krämer is a professor at the Brüder Grimm Berufsakademie Hanau. He has been head of the academy since 2021. Simone Schmitt is deputy head of the state art academy. She is leading the project together with Martin Krämer. Design teams comprising a total of 15 to 20 students are working on the modules.

The exhibition is on display on the 3rd floor of the Stadthof Hanau, in the BGBA cafeteria. It is open to visitors Monday to Friday from 10 am to 2.30 pm. Following the exhibition at the Museum of Applied Arts as part of the Campus event, it will return there. In the autumn, it will then move to Hanau Town Hall.