Karl Gerstner's "morphological box" (Karl's Box), based on theories by Fritz Zwicky, is the source of inspiration for the ParaMat workshop. In the collective design process, the demand for a specific (good) design fades, and all students begin to experiment freely and playfully. In eight hours, 24 collectively designed posters are created, with three working groups of eight students each designing eight posters in eight rounds.
Each student chooses one of the more or less meaningful themes (anarchy, chaos, dada, intoxication, yodel, XXL, etc.) to start the design process. After each round, the poster design is passed on to the next member of the group in a clockwise direction. The designs are developed using a set of parameters from “Karl’s Kasten“ such as font, relationship, and color. Nothing from the previous round can be deleted—only altered or added to.
Everyone has only half an hour to react to the previous design and create a new idea. At the end of the workshop, everyone has been involved in every poster created in their group.