DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim
DesignPF (Fakultät für Gestaltung, Hochschule Pforzheim) is a German public university faculty founded in 1875 offering six BA and four MA design programs — Fashion, Industrial, Accessoire, Visual Communication, Transportation, and Jewellery — supported by extensive workshop facilities and industry partnerships with Volkswagen, Louis Vuitton, and BINDER.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1875
- HeadquartersPforzheim, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim does
DesignPF (Fakultät für Gestaltung at Hochschule Pforzheim) is a public German university faculty founded as the Kunstgewerbeschule in 1875 and headquartered at Holzgartenstr. 36, 75175 Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg. It delivers design higher education across six bachelor programs (Fashion, Industrial Design, Accessoire Design, Visual Communication, Transportation Design, Jewellery) and four master programs (Design & Future Making, Transportation Design, Creative Direction, Jewellery), plus the KATAPULT preparatory course and Werkschau exhibition series. The pedagogy is built around an unusually extensive workshop and laboratory infrastructure spanning goldsmithing, gem cutting, leather/shoe, textile, ceramics, plastics, CAD/CAM, galvanics, screen printing, photography, video/podcast, and a Designfactory makerspace.
The institution's core technology is workshop-based design education supported by laboratories (Audio-Lab, AV-Medien-Labor, CAD-Labore, Clay-Werkstatt, DesignLab, MAD-Lab, MAC-Lab, Makerspace) and digital media facilities. Research is anchored by the BMBF-funded KUPFER project (2023-2027), which applies media-archaeological methods to the historical Lehrmittelsammlung (teaching collection of 6,500+ glass slides and related artifacts). Industry integration runs through recurring partnerships with Volkswagen AG (Future Center Potsdam), Louis Vuitton (competition semifinals), BINDER, STABILO, Lidl/Bimmerle Distillery, ZKM Karlsruhe, La Biosthétique, Wilhelm-Lorch-Stiftung, and the Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim.
The business model is a public-university funding stack rather than a commercial revenue model. As a state institution under Baden-Württemberg law, DesignPF charges nominal semester contributions rather than tuition; operating budgets are predominantly state appropriations, supplemented by BMBF research grants (e.g., KUPFER), industry co-project funding, prize sponsorship (La Biosthétique, Wilhelm-Lorch-Stiftung, BINDER Design Awards), alumni and donor funding through the Förderverein Design PF e.V., and nominal semester fees. The customer base is primarily prospective and enrolled design students, with secondary stakeholders including corporate partners, cultural institutions, and the general public attending Werkschau exhibitions.
DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim
- Legal name
- Hochschule Pforzheim - Fakultät für Gestaltung
- Website
- https://designpf.hs-pforzheim.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1875
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- DesignPF (Fakultät für Gestaltung, Hochschule Pforzheim) is a German public university faculty founded in 1875 offering six BA and four MA design programs — Fashion, Industrial, Accessoire, Visual Communication, Transportation, and Jewellery — supported by extensive workshop facilities and industry partnerships with Volkswagen, Louis Vuitton, and BINDER.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher education design school
- NAICS
- Fine Arts Schools (61161)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Design Colleges (Graphic, Industrial, UX/UI, Interior) (EDAHAJAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Fashion & Apparel Design Colleges (EDAHAJAF)
Keywords
Where DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pforzheim
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Semester contribution fees |
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DesignPF delivers state-accredited higher-education design programs at bachelor and master levels in Fashion, Industrial Design, Accessory Design, Visual Communication, Transportation Design, and Jewellery, supplemented by the KATAPULT preparatory foundation course. Teaching is delivered through an integrated theory-and-practice model using on-site workshops (metalwork, textile, leather, ceramics, wood/model-making, screen printing), CAD/CAM and digital-fabrication labs, photography/video/podcast studios, and a makerspace. Student work is showcased publicly through the Werkschau exhibition and at external events such as Berlin Fashion Week.
Product overview
DesignPF (School of Design Pforzheim) is a faculty of Hochschule Pforzheim offering a comprehensive design education portfolio. The institution provides six Bachelor programs (Fashion, Industrial Design, Accessory Design, Visual Communication, Transportation Design, and Jewellery) and four Master programs (Design & Future Making, Transportation Design, Creative Direction, and Jewellery). The offering is structured as a multi-disciplinary design school with a preparatory foundation course (KATAPULT), extensive workshop and laboratory infrastructure (Werkstätten, Labore & Studios), a research initiative (KUPFER project), and an annual public exhibition (Werkschau). The institution operates a digital calendar service and various specialized labs including video/podcast, audio, CAD, and maker spaces.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Designfactory: Video and podcast laboratory facility at DesignPF offering video production, podcasting, and maker space services for students.
- KUPFER
- KATAPULT
- Werkschau
Products and services
- B.A. in Mode (Fashion) Undergraduate degree program offering comprehensive training in fashion creation, textile design and fashion-industry practice for prospective fashion designers.
- B.A. in Industrial Design Undergraduate degree program focused on product design, prototyping methodologies and industrial design practice.
- B.A. in Accessoire Design Undergraduate degree program specialising in accessory design including bags, shoes, belts and related fashion accessories.
- B.A. in Visuelle Kommunikation (Visual Communication) Undergraduate degree program in visual communication covering graphic design, branding and visual identity systems.
- B.A. in Transportation Design Undergraduate degree program focused on automotive design and mobility concept development, including projects with Volkswagen AG.
- B.A. in Schmuck (Jewellery) Undergraduate degree program in jewellery design covering traditional metalwork, contemporary jewellery art and gemology.
- M.A. in Design & Future Making (Prototyping Futures) Graduate degree program exploring future-oriented design methodologies, prototyping and emerging technologies including VR applications.
- M.A. in Transportation Design (Sustainable Future Mobility Concepts) Graduate degree program focused on sustainable mobility solutions and future transportation design.
- M.A. in Creative Direction (Leadership in Complex Design Projects) Graduate degree program developing leadership skills for managing complex creative projects and design teams.
- M.A. in Jewellery (Interdisciplinary Experimentation) Graduate degree program emphasising interdisciplinary approaches and experimental practices in contemporary jewellery art.
- KATAPULT - Gestalterischer Vorkurs (Foundation Course) Preparatory design course (gestalterischer Vorkurs) for prospective design students covering fundamental design skills and creative foundations before enrollment in a degree program.
Companies that use DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Volkswagen AGcoreInterdisciplinary student project where 49 students from Transportation Design, Visual Communication, MA Creative Direction, and MA Creative Communication & Brand Management developed a fictional automobile brand for VW using 360° Customer Experience Design methodology. Students worked at Volkswagen Future Center Potsdam with Design Director Peter Wouda and Design Strategist Sebastian Brunner.
- Bimmerle Private Distillery & LidlminorVisuelle Kommunikation students designed label for Lidl-Gin special edition 'Hagebutte' by Bimmerle Distillery. Student Gerhard Tessmann won the competition and his design went into production with his name on the back label.
- STABILOminorVK-OPEN SPACE course collaboration where students developed advertising campaign for STABILO Point 88. Project 'Stabilympics' by Letitia Sturm and Sophia Holstein showcased.
- Binder GruppecoreOngoing cooperation with Schmuck (Jewellery) program for BINDER Design Awards celebrating 5th anniversary. Binder is a major player in the Pforzheimer Schmuck-Business with 111-year history.
- Louis VuittoncoreFashion program cooperation with the Parisian luxury brand. Four DesignPF students reached the semifinals of the Louis Vuitton design competition.
- ZKM Karlsruhe (Zentrum für Kunst und Medien)minorDesign students won competition 'As We May Speak' to develop chatbot interface concepts for ZKM's future chatbot unit to be installed in publicly accessible spaces.
- Schmuckmuseum PforzheimcoreVerbundpartner (consortium partner) in the KUPFER research project. The museum holds thousands of historical and modern jewellery pieces and is the only public museum worldwide dedicated exclusively to jewellery.
- ILM (Internationale Lederwarenmesse)minorAccessoire Design students designed cases for ILM Awards trophies presented annually at the International Leather Goods Fair.
- La BiosthétiqueminorFashion award sponsor for outstanding graduate work, celebrating 15th anniversary. La Biosthétique Fashion Prize awarded to top fashion graduates.
- Wilhelm-Lorch-StiftungminorFoundation awarding development prize to fashion graduate Lennart Bohle for his collection 'Modi Funis – I am the printer'.
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim social profiles
Digital presenceDesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim
What does DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim do?
DesignPF delivers state-accredited higher-education design programs at bachelor and master levels in Fashion, Industrial Design, Accessory Design, Visual Communication, Transportation Design, and Jewellery, supplemented by the KATAPULT preparatory foundation course. Teaching is delivered through an integrated theory-and-practice model using on-site workshops (metalwork, textile, leather, ceramics, wood/model-making, screen printing), CAD/CAM and digital-fabrication labs, photography/video/podcast studios, and a makerspace. Student work is showcased publicly through the Werkschau exhibition and at external events such as Berlin Fashion Week.
Is DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim a public or private company?
DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim founded?
DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim was founded in 1875. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim based?
DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim is headquartered in Pforzheim, Germany, in the Europe region.
Does DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim have an API?
No public API is recorded for DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim.
What industry is DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim in?
DesignPF - School of Design Pforzheim's product category is Higher education design school. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHAJAB, Design Colleges (Graphic, Industrial, UX/UI, Interior), with a secondary code of EDAHAJAF, Fashion & Apparel Design Colleges. Its NAICS code is 61161 and its SIC code is 8200.