Design without borders

A global player in the world of surface finishes, the KURZ Group is thoroughly familiar with cultural preferences and custom requests. Finishing and coating products, embossing, and packaging can express subtle and ultra-subtle distinctions that capture the values and dreams of their era. In fact, surface finishes can actually build bridges between cultures and continents. In Asia, gold is still an indicator of wealth and success, while Europe prefers matte materials with the bonus of sustainability. For the KURZ Group, surfaces are no mere technical ends in themselves, but expressions of cultural dialog.

“We are at home in many different cultures and markets,” says designer Annie Kuschel. “Design is an essential part of that, and a cornerstone of our company.” KURZ design offices are located in Europe, Asia, and North America, with each of their 56 designers contributing a personal and individual perspective, and design as the unifying force across all business areas from the outset. It all started with the auto industry, where requirements concerning color, decoration, and effects are particularly ambitious. Today the KURZ portfolio takes in packaging, consumer electronics, and security elements. That’s right—security too: KURZ uses high tech to deliver forgery-proof documents with a range of security features, from passports to critical industry products. 

All around the world

But why are designers particularly important? “Designers genuinely have a very special finely honed, open mindset, so they can network more easily with customers from the design field on equal footing,” says Kuschel. This direct and straightforward dialog means that “customers contact us directly because of our understanding of design and our ability to cater to their requests rapidly and precisely.”

Trend reports for various areas have been a classic resource for the past 14 years. What colors, what finishes, what technologies and methods will define the future? “We work across industries, visit design events and exhibitions, take in trend talks, and draw our own subjective conclusions,” explains Kuschel. Global dialog is the most intriguing: “Our colleagues in Asia conduct their own trend research, throwing up areas of intersection, but also highlighting traditional distinctions.” Every creation is a reflection of societal values and preferences. Perhaps the most surprising result is that “superficiality goes out of the window,” says Kuschel. Young designers are increasingly introducing topics such as war, climate change, and social inequality in their work, using humor, provocation, and drama as ways of generating attention. “We notice that they perceive design as a social tool,” reports Kuschel. “Although they strive to create something beautiful, communicating a message is far more of a priority for them.” What happens on the surface is, in fact, an invitation to take a closer look. 

Design with depth

Alongside aesthetic considerations, sustainability naturally plays a major role. “Decorative finishes on packaging do not impact its recyclability, and are actually resource-efficient as well,” says Elke Andersch, showing surface finishes that can easily be recycled. Sustainability has long been a driver for technical innovation: “Design is also about taking responsibility. By rethinking materials and optimizing processes, we create solutions that are fully convincing in both aesthetic and ecological terms.” So what does the future hold in terms of surface finishing? Kuschel is unequivocal in her response: more networking, more cultural diversity, and even more depth. Design is increasingly becoming a universal ambassador between different markets, people, and cultures. It tells stories and communicates emotions. And the surface? It becomes an invitation to examine the depth beneath more closely, and to join in working towards a better future—together. 

Anyone with an interest in understanding the trends that will dominate the coming years will find plenty of seminars to visit and experts to ask. Or they can simply check out the KURZ Trend Reports. Every year the design management team presents the results of its in-depth research in attractively packaged boxes. Annie Kuschel and Julia König showcase innovative packaging design while summarizing KURZ’s latest surface design effects, techniques, and technologies.

This year the box is entitled “60° – creative boxes to inspire.” The figure in the title is a reference to the ultra-fast-paced times we live in. “Where will the coming seconds, minutes, hours take us?” asks Annie Kuschel, Global Head of Design Management at KURZ. “What singularities, flaws, and frictions will emerge? Where will change reveal itself?” Initial answers can be found in the four Trend Boxes, this year in the form of equilateral triangles in a folded, slotted adhesive-free design. These breakaways from conventional and commonplace designs showcase an array of visual effects, tactile surfaces, and paper types – hot-stamped, matte, glossy, and transparent. Two new color trends and a new holographic product were created for each trend. “Every year we put out feelers to identify the sociocultural developments sparking new forms of creative expression,” says Kuschel. “Looking into the future is also playing with time.”

The tactile trend report also delivers insights into where society is heading. This year’s four focal topics are entitled “the New Drama,” “The Great Analog,” “The Non-Sense,” and “The Very Nothing.” They show how it is possible to overcome the many extremes and “reconcile differing philosophies.” It is time to bridge divides and come together in all our diversity.