Frankfurter Buchmesse 2025

The WDC Programme at the Frankfurter Buchmesse

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the fair, visitors can take a seat in a pop-up version of the LeiseLounge – a quiet zone planned by the Frankfurt City Library for 2026. Equipped with deckchairs, it offers a moment to pause and unwind. The programme is complemented by a presentation of the festival TEXT MATTERS. MATTERS OF TEXT, featuring a soundscape and the publication Neue Erschöpfungsgeschichten (New Tales of Exhaustion), edited by Holm-Uwe Burgemann.

A curated reading list exploring expanded understandings of design will also be available – visitors can add their own recommendations on site, or access the list online via QR code. At our mobile workshop stand, visitors can learn more about upcoming WDC projects, with our team available for conversations and questions.

In addition, we are presenting the publication What Difference Can Design Make? – Design for Democracy Reader, edited by Matthias Wagner K, Anna Scheuermann and Design FRM gGmbH. Featuring contributions from renowned authors, it explores the ten fields of action within Design for Democracy and invites readers to take an active role in shaping the spaces we live in.

A place to pause, listen and discover – right in the middle of the fair.

Beyond our stand, we’ll also be part of two events at the Frankfurt Book Fair:

Thursday, 16 October, 11:00 – 11:30 a.m., Hall 3.1, Stand K95 (Stiftung Buchkunst):
Panel talk on the Design for Democracy Reader – insights into the publication and the development of the World Design Capital year 2026.

Thursday, 16 October, from 6:30 p.m., MOMEM Frankfurt:
Feels like World Design Capital Hessen – a reception for the creative industries, including an impulse talk on the vision, practice and economic impact of WDC 2026.

with: Kerstin Blöcher, Head of Marketing & CRM in the Marketing, Sales and Innovation Division at RMV and Daniel Schleidt, a business editor at the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, where he serves as coordinating editor of the Rhein-Main business desk and managing editor of the F.A.Z. business magazine Metropol.