History
Hans Gugelot, 1958
Herbert Ohl teaching in the Building Department, 1959
Tomás Maldonado with architects and designers from Italy, 1959
Walter Zeischegg with students, 1962
Photos: Wolfgang Siol
«Scholarship and Design»
(Tomás Maldonado and Gui Bonsiepe, «Wissenschaft und Gestaltung,» ulm 10/11, May 1964)
Max Bill’s departure from the school heralded in a new phase: «development groups» were set up specifically to create links with industry. They worked like independent design agencies within the HfG. Many of the resulting designs went into production immediately; among the most successful were audio equipment for the Braun company, the corporate identity for the West German airline Lufthansa, and trains for the Hamburg elevated railway. These industrial commissions brought a wealth of practical experience to the teaching and decisively influenced the school and its reputation.
In fall 1958 a large exhibition was held at the HfG. Five years after it opened, the HfG presented itself to the general public for the first time, showing both results from the classroom and work by lecturers. 1958 also saw the first issue of the HfG magazine ulm, which was published in German and English right up until the school closed.