protest kindl

event branding
client: kreativ quartier munich

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 branding for the protest activities across all touchpoints under very tight time constraints.

Consider the need for branding and communication collateral that can be seamlessly adapted to different tools, means and channels, and used collectively (not just by professional designers using professional tools).

MY APPROACH:

1) Brainstorm with the 'Design & Communication' team dedicated to PR and internal and external communication for all those adhering to the protest.

2) Find a concept-driven key visual that embodies the sentiment of the protesting artists and conveys the purpose of the protest.

3) Incorporate the key visual into visually appealing and shareable branding. 
Collaborate and art direct with a team of three designers to deliver the required material on time.

4) Using Miro and Google Drive as shared virtual spaces, organise a set of flexible online and offline assets that can be shared again or embedded in further communication materials or new, spontaneous actions.

RESULT:

A witty and striking key visual that grabs attention with its rebellious yet hilarious style, and has been deliberately designed to facilitate smooth teamwork.

By subverting the very symbol of the city of Munich - the Münchner Kindl - the "Protest Kindl" challenges the city’s very identity whose traditional values include both economic prosperity and the aspiration to occupy a prominent place on the international cultural scene. 

The key visual draws attention to the fact that making it impossible for freelance artists to work, by making it difficult for them to afford a workspace, ultimately hurts the city itself.

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) stands to 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: 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 - EXAMPLES

WEBSITE (CONCEPT)

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.

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. 

(in the figure: with actions and information about the current situation)

The flyer in the press reports

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

SPECIAL IDEAS

The open studio days are accompanied by protests in which most of the artists whose rent has been increased are taking part.

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 from the Kreativ Quartier make their way through its narrow streets.
Some have made masks out of empty cardboard boxes, with a poster of the key visual attached to the sides.

Report on the procession on BR.de

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.