Kieler Woche 2017

More than 130 years ago, every June since 1882, the coastal city of Kiel (capital of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein in the shore of the Baltic Sea) hosts an urban exhibition and sailing contest called Kieler Woche. Since 1959, the event’s integrated visual identity and poster are unveiled at the same time with the competitions. These design practices are selected from among the works of the world’s most prominent designers who are invited to take part in the competition. It is almost five decades that Kieler Woche visual identity design has turned into an international contest.
This year, Kiel City Council invited Majid Abbasi, design director of Studio Abbasi, to participate in 2017 Kieler Woche design contest, according to the jury’s suggestion. Majid is invited to engage in this contest along with 4 designers from Germany and Italy.
One of Germany’s greatest and most prestigious national events, Kieler Woche is also outstanding with regard to its longevity and international design standards and is sponsored by companies such as Audi, Nordbank, and SAP.

Theme and concept development
The main idea and visual identity development of Majid Abbasi’s designs for Kieler Woche are, in fact, based on a combination of the Persian forms (such as Muqarnas and Girih tiles) and the contemporary universal visual language. The rhythmic pattern of the forms in these designs attempts to evoke a picture of the sea and the horizon, in addition to the waves and, of course, sailing. To conclude, while imperceptibly influenced by the designer’s native orientations, these designs demonstrate the capability of the geometry of Iranian patterns for development in the design of an international event.

http://www.kieler-woche.de