Whereas the 20th century is the century of classical design, in which design established identities in the various sectors and professional branches, the recent years appear to be marked by the search for a pan-branch, interdisciplinary approach to design themes. By the interplay of various competencies, technologists, designers, computer scientists and craftspersons are attempting to tap as many new fields as possible in the interface between technology and design.
In the Rhine-Main region various projects have been launched in which some quite surprising and indeed award-winning results have been achieved. For example, with the project »Zirkeltraining« (compass training), the design studio and media laboratory meso has created a virtual platform for work in the field of digital design. Another project is the initiative of the Fraunhofer Institute on the theme rapid prototyping, and many other design studios and companies are increasingly giving their work an interdisciplinary definition.