Design schools in Germany

Hartmut Esslinger (born June 5, 1944) is a German-American industrial designer and inventor. He is best known for founding the design consultancy Frog Design Inc. (stylized as frog).

Berlin International University of Applied Sciences (formerly known and BAU IB or BAU International Berlin – University of Applied Sciences) is a private, non-profit institution of higher education in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in 2014 as a Fachhochschule in its own right by the state of Berlin. It is registered as the 31st private university in Berlin under German law.

The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (German for 'building house'), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts. The school became famous for its approach to design, which attempted to unify individual artistic vision with the principles of mass production and emphasis on function. Along with the doctrine of functionalism, the Bauhaus initiated the conceptual understanding of architecture and design.

Merz Akademie is a non-profit university of art, design, and media, located in the Berg Kulturpark of Stuttgart, Germany and was established in 1985. Its roots lie in the "Free Academy for Recognition and Design" founded in 1918 by reformist pedagogue Albrecht Leo Merz. Under the direction of Markus Merz, University Rector from 1983 to 2016, the facility received state recognition in 1985. Martin Fritz took over as Rector from 2016 to October 2020, with Maren Schmohl leading the school until in 2023, Barbara M. Eggert took over the position of Rector.

The Ulm School of Design (German: Hochschule für Gestaltung Ulm) was a college of design based in Ulm, Germany. It was founded in 1953 by Inge Aicher-Scholl, Otl Aicher and Max Bill, the latter being first rector of the school and a former student at the Bauhaus. The HfG quickly gained international recognition by emphasizing the holistic, multidisciplinary context of design beyond the Bauhaus approach of integrating art, craft and technology. The subjects of sociology, psychology, politics, economics, philosophy and systems-thinking were integrated with aesthetics and technology. During HfG operations from 1953–1968, progressive approaches to the design process were implemented within the departments of Product Design, Visual Communication, Industrialized Building, Information and Filmmaking.

Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK, German: Zürcher Hochschule der Künste) has approximately 2,500 students, which makes it the largest arts university in Switzerland. The university was established in 2007, following the merger between Zurich's School of Art and Design (HGKZ) and the School of Music, Drama, and Dance (HMT). ZHdK is one of four universities affiliated with Zürcher Fachhochschule.

The Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (HfG) is a state art college founded in 1992 in Karlsruhe, Germany. It focuses on media art, communication design, product design, exhibition design and scenography, art research, and media philosophy, with a strong interdisciplinarity between the departments. The university has about 400 students.

The Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar or HBKsaar, (English: Saar College of Fine Arts) is an art and design university in the German State of Saarland.

The Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd’’’ (HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd) is a university of applied sciences in the German State of Baden-Württemberg.

The Hochschule für Gestaltung (HfG) Offenbach am Main (English: Offenbach am Main College of Design) is a German art and design university located in Offenbach am Main, in the German state of Hesse. It was given university status in 1970, and founded in 1832.