at Academy of Media Arts Cologne/Germany
(1997-2026)
info[at]peterstephan.org
How can design and technology help to transform communities, businesses and society? We initiate and facilitate transformation with cutting edge aesthetics and emergent technology. We develop new tools for designing transformation published here. For other projects see ARCHIVE.
My keynote »Manifesto Madness« presented manifestos in art, design and activism and criticised the so called „ManifestoS“. Conference »NERD 7th Heaven – New Experimental Research in Design«, hosted by New Practice / MA Design and Computation, Technische Universität Berlin & Berlin University of the Arts, November 6 – 7, 2025.
My contribution discusses the shift from sharing as a practice of social emancipation to the business and politics of plattform capitalism. Peter Friedrich Stephan 2025: Von »Nutzen statt Besitzen« zu »Zugang und Kontrolle«, in: »Nutzen statt Besitzen: Michael Erlhoff Revisited (Board of International Research in Design)«, Basel: Birkhäuser, S. 235–246
Presentations and workshops in the US and China
Lectures, workshops and talks on Transformation Design in China: Chinese Academy of Fine Arts – CAFA/Beijing, Tongji University/Shanghai, Chinese Art Academy – CAA/Hangzhou
Designing Concerns of Future Cities – Bauhaus Transformed
Presentation at Media Architecture Biennale, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing/China, 2018
Designing “matters of concern“ (Latour): A future design task? (PDF)
Chapter in Jonas, Zerwas, von Anshelm 2015: Transformation Design – Perspectives on a New Design Attitude, Birkhäuser (BIRD – Board of International Researchers in Design), p. 202-226
Study with VORN Strategy Consulting and Institute for Electronic Business. download PDF at www.schluesselfaktoren.de
Wissens-Räume – Wissens-Bäume, räumlich erfahrbare Vermittlug von Wissens-Zusammenhängen
Students work from Masterprogram »Leadership in Digital Innovation« at University of the Arts Berlin
presentation on slideshare
presentation on slideshare
The Design of Knowledge Communities based on Pattern Language
Given the corporate goal of innovation it is crucial to tap into the informal and tacit knowledge types that knowledge management fails to address (Master Thesis Soenke Petersen, cooperation Daimler)
While search engines collect and display more and more data, there is not enough aggregation to larger chunks of information. MIND 17 delivers comprehensive views of large data sets rendered in real time and featuring advanced tools for interaction. The focus is on constellations and contexts.
For articles and book chapters in german, english, french and japanese, see > Researchgate
Sample texts of my book are available at > Transcript Publishing
english version in preparation
Peter is the editor of two books
– Knowledge Media Design (Oldenbourg 2005)
– Events and E-Commerce (Springer 2000)
Article on MEDIUM from 2020, co-authored with > Raz Godelnik, Parsons School of Design, New York, USA
»Künstliche Intelligenz und Kreativität« Artificial Intelligence and Creativity
Peter Friedrich Stephan interviewed by Andreas Höll for MDR Radio
Listen here
»System and Design – Over 100 Years of Chaos in Everyday Life«
Peter Friedrich Stephan interviewed by Prof. Dr. René Spitz (curator)
Catalogue of an exhibition at Museum für angewandte Kunst Cologne/Germany, p. 122-128
pdf (english version), pdf (german version)
»Design Thinking – Research and Consultancy by Design«
Peter Friedrich Stephan interviewed by Dr. Bernhard Krusche
in: Magazine REVUE – Magazine for the next society #8 2011, p.10–19
pdf (english version), pdf (german version)
»Künstliche Intelligenz und Kreativität« Artificial Intelligence and Creativity
Peter Friedrich Stephan interviewed by Andreas Höll for MDR Radio
Listen here
»System and Design – Over 100 Years of Chaos in Everyday Life«
Peter Friedrich Stephan interviewed by Prof. Dr. René Spitz (curator)
Catalogue of an exhibition at Museum für angewandte Kunst Cologne/Germany, p. 122-128
pdf (english version), pdf (german version)
»Design Thinking – Research and Consultancy by Design«
Peter Friedrich Stephan interviewed by Dr. Bernhard Krusche
in: Magazine REVUE – Magazine for the next society #8 2011, p.10–19
pdf (english version), pdf (german version)
Some projects will be remembered for pioneering concepts and new media platforms (to be continued…)
»Scope and drill down« method introduced by PFS
seamlessly scaling from the most complete scope of a project to the smallest detail
Performance Arts integrating music, dance, poetry and video, Student work 2003-2004
Interactive tool for research into visualization and cognition with Prof. Dr. Dr. Mihai Nadin for the Research Cluster »Bits – Bilder – Bedeutung« 1994–1996
Film by Martin Hawie Diploma at Academy of Media Arts Cologne 2015
Seminar at Schloß Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Center for Computer Sciences (with Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Coy), Lecture by PFS: Two Paradigms of Modeling, 1996
Cooperation with Joseph Weizenbaum while he was a scientific advisor for the Institute of Electronic Business in Berlin (2002–2005).
Hypermedia publication on design history 2000/02 (cooperation Enno Hyttrek)
Chair Wood 1983 (Foto: Uwe Arens)
Cover Design for Avantgarde Noise Band 1986-88
T-Shirt (Cooperation Volker Schneider), Joseph Beuys Exhibition, Berlin 1986
Academy of Media Arts 1997
Rendering of Data Traces, Diploma Carsten Becker
www.kontrollorgan.de
Presentation of QuickTime 1.0
PFS and Michael Spindler, CEO of Apple Computer at MacWorld Berlin 1991
Design of digital workflows at Burda Publishing, Berlin 1992
PFS (head of Burda´s Graphic Arts Department) with Günther Krumminga (head of Burda´s New York office) and Robert Lockwood (founder of news graphics)
Complex traffic data is displayed comprehensively in realtime on mobile devices.
Cutting edge in 2003!
Interaction and screen design, Munich 1991
One of the first applications for the new Apple Newton
Computer game, Munich 1991 Engaging audiences on the first Apple Powerbooks
Eventmarketing, Munich 1990 Interactive music mix station
Award of the British Interactive Mutimedia Association (BIMA)
Eventdesign, Munich 1991
Visuals in cinemascope, cutting edge at the time
Visualization for a publisher, Munich 1992 Visual metaphor for displaying business areas.
Advertising for Pash fashion, Munich 1990 Key visuals for a campaign promoting new denim styles
Wie kann Typografie heute aussehen? Schrift erscheint heute auf dynamischen Bildträgern vom Smartphone bis zur Medienfassade. Bisherige Schriften wurden jedoch ganz überwiegend für den Buchdruck entwickelt. Daher stellt sich die Frage, wie Raumstaben künftig die neuen Möglichkeiten für Darstellung und Wahrnehmung nutzen können. Studentisches Forschungsprojekt in Zusammenarbeit mit Prof. Claudius Lazzeroni, Folkwang Universität Essen.
A laser reads vinyldiscs, another laser cuts vinyldiscs. New Sounds and new forms for sculptures are created.
Diploma by Jens Standke at Academy of Media Arts Cologne. Designaward of the city of Cologne 2013.
Videos at vimeo: assembling of sculpture timelapse, custom built machine with lasercutters technofaktur, >website
CD-ROM of the Year 1999 (c‘t Magazine 25/99)
Multimediapreis der Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart
Storyboard: PFS, Screendesign/Production Eku Wand
Prof. Hans (Nick) Roericht called back students to »change parts«, »(…) die Lehr-/Bildungsteile auszuwechseln, die besonderem ideologischem und professionellen Verschleiß ausgesetzt waren (…) und statt dessen Teile anzubieten, die leistungsfähiger sind in Bezug auf die anstehenden, spezieller die sozio-kulturellen, Aufgaben eines Entwerfers am Ende des Industrialismus, d.h. im so genannten Info-Age oder Symbolzeitalter.« (DIE ZEIT, 17.04.1992)
International Workshop on Europe, Berlin 1987
Concept study for a hydraulic balance, Berlin 1986 (Photos: Uwe Arens)
Peter is a designer and consultant for digital and social transformation. For over 30 years he has worked for clients like Apple, Bertelsmann, Burda Publishing, KfW Bank, Medialab, Philip Morris and Telekom. For his projects in designing transformation he developed tools such as the ConcernCanvas that are published open source at designingtransformation.org – access to tools for the pluriverse. He conducts workshops on Concern Design in Europe, the US and China.
Peter was a full Professor at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne (1997–2016). From 2015 he established the field of Transformation Design after he was a professor for Electronic Publishing, Multimedia, and Networks since 1997. He still lectures at international universities on design, transformation and the concept of »concerns«. Peter was also a guestlecturer for Leadership in Digital Innovation at the University of the Arts Berlin and the University St. Gallen/Switzerland (2000–2012). In 1994 he co-founded a university program in Computational Design. He wrote a doctoral dissertation (Dr. phil) on Transformation Design, Actor-Network-Theory and Bruno Latour.
Peter‘s research interests focus on the cognitive and emotional aspects of digital and social transformation. Projects include:
– »Theorymachine« (documentation in preparation)
– »Medienquadrat/Knowledge Design« funded by Federal Ministery of Education and Research – BMBF
– »Intelligent Objects« funded by acatech – National Academy of Science and Engineering
– »Bits–Bilder–Bedeutung« – research cluster funded by the Ministery of Innovation, Science and Research Northrhine-Westfalia
Peter wrote 50+ scientific papers on transformation design and cognitive design available in German, English, French and Japanese at Academia and Researchgate. His latest book »Designing Concerns – Bruno Latour und das Transformation Design« was published in 2024 (Transcript Verlag). As an editor he published »Knowledge Media Design« (Oldenburg, 2005) and »Events and E-Commerce« (Springer, 2000).
Peter serves the creative and scientific communities as a consultant for the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, Wissenschaftsfonds Österreich – FWF and Zentrale Evaluations- und Akkreditierungsagentur – ZEvA. He was a peer reviewer for the conferences Mensch und Computer, retune and Learntec as well as for the magazines i-com and Revue – Magazine for the Next Society.
