protest kindl
campaign branding
client: kreativ quartier munich
A campaign branding designed around a witty and striking key visual and organized in a system to facilitate smooth teamwork.
DESCRIPTION:
The Kreativ Quartier is an artist hub located northwest of Munich's centre that has been operating for almost 30 years.
October 2025 marks a turning point for 300 artists who work here. Following the administrative takeover by a private management company, the artists are facing rent increases of up to 300%, a sudden change that has prompted a wave of collective protest.
CHALLENGE:
Create memorable and impactful campaign branding for the protest activities across all touchpoints under very tight time constraints.
Consider the need for communication collateral that can be seamlessly adapted to different tools, means and channels, and used collectively (not just by professional designers using professional tools).
THE IDEA BEHIND THE KEY VISUAL
Münchner Kindl, meaning "Munich child" in the Bavarian dialect, is the name of the symbol on the coat of arms of the city of Munich.
Stripped of his clothes, he stands naked and is shamefully using the red book held in the left hand - the oath book of the city or perhaps the municipal law book - to cover its otherwise exposed intimate parts.
What does the cloak symbolise?
Warmth, added value, wealth, security.
That is what the child ( = Munich) will lose, if the artists and their art go somewhere else.
SLOGANS & COPYWRITING
The meaning thus attributed to the cloak – and by extension to the child who is missing it – makes it possible for the team to develop various slogans that operate on the same level of meaning (loss of protection and security) and can be used repeatedly throughout the days of protest.
From right to left, top to bottom: 1) we're being evicted (in german "We're being evicted" translates the same as "Our clothes are been taken off"; 2) artist-conservation area for munich; 3) the pure madness (in german "naked" and "pure" translates in this context the same); 4) building it together instead of getting rid of it; 5) the bare madness (in german "naked" and "bare" translates in this context the same); 6) the child fell into the well (a way of saying in german meaning: the damage is already done, or it is too late to prevent a negative outcome.
DESIGN SYSTEM
A library of components was created, accessible via Google Drive, and always kept up to date.
Its aim is to ensure visual consistency. It is also intended to simplify collaboration when working under time pressure.
It is used to create content for social media and internal communications, such as signage or small informative posters for printing in-house.
INSTAGRAM STORIES
WEBSITE
Clichés and misconceptions were widespread in the debate with some members of the public and the press. This was particularly evident online in the comments on social media posts.
This website aims simply to present the facts clearly and objectively about an artist’s life, including his financial situation and the studios that were the subject of the protest.
Translation from the german:
TRUE OR FALSE?
Artists contribute nothing to GDP or the economy.
Artists are disproportionately involved in social projects – often on a voluntary basis.
A writer doesn’t need a studio, does she?
Artists don’t have to pay taxes.
One can simply looks for another studio on the open market.
PRINTED MATERIALS
The communication campaign naturally also makes use of printed materials: leaflets, posters, stickers and badges.


The "Kindl" will continue to be used as a logo to indicate affiliation with the campaign.
OUTDOOR ADVERTISING
The key visual will be used outdoors to identify the buildings in the creative quarter that are taking part in the protest days.
The protest flag in the press report
The flags will remain flying for as long as
negotiations on the new lease terms continue.
By the end of April 2026, this is not yet be the case.
Design variations for the protest flag
Most of the artists whose rent has been increased are taking part in the protests.
Everyone is invited to devise and carry out a collective action that draws attention to the cause of the protest.
The initiatives are diverse, but thanks to the shared branding, they are perceived as part of a single communication campaign.
THE PROCESSION
To the sound of mournful music, the artists make their way through its narrow streets of the Quartier.
Some have made masks out of empty cardboard boxes, with a poster of the key visual attached to the sides.
THE EXHIBITION "PRICELESS" (UNBEZAHLBAR)
My contribution is the idea of an exhibition featuring artworks with exorbitantly high prices.
The basic idea is simple: when rents for artists become extremely high, so too do the prices of artworks, the sale of which provides artists with their income.
As a result, the paintings on display cost up to 8 million euros....
The exhibition’s branding design – a giant banknote worth one million euros – is, of course, inspired by the Monopoly banknote.
The artists feel, in fact, that they are forced to battle against fate in an unfair game of speculation, in which the winner is whoever has the most resources and the greatest decision-making power.
INDEPENDENT ART
I think it’s also because the ‘Münchner Kindl’ is so well known that people had no problem seeing it in all sorts of different versions.
The humour, simplicity and collective nature of the key visual, as well as the inclusive branding, allowed for freedom of expression and visual experimentation.
The "Protest Kindl" subverts the symbol of the city of Munich - the Münchner Kindl - and challenges the city, which aspires to occupy a prominent place on the international cultural scene.
But making it difficult for artists to afford a workspace and produce art, ultimately hurts the city itself.
more work
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