On 4 March 2026, two practice-oriented workshops with our alumna Hina Asghar took place at the Media University of Applied Sciences campus. Students from various study programmes came together to explore topics related to global production systems, sustainability, design and visual communication.
Each workshop brought together 15 to 20 participants and combined practical exercises with analytical and conceptual work. The aim was to engage with current questions in design, photography, sustainable production and ethical communication in a hands-on learning environment. Such formats are a central element of the practice-oriented teaching approach at Media University in Berlin, Cologne and Frankfurt, where alumni regularly contribute their professional experience from the creative and design industries to academic teaching.
In the second workshop, Hina Asghar led a session on product label design and transparent communication. The starting point was the question: How is sustainability communicated on products – and why do many claims remain unclear or difficult to verify?
Examples such as:
– “eco-friendly”
– “ethically made”
– “reduced emissions”
illustrate that sustainability claims are often difficult to interpret when clear benchmarks, measurable indicators or verifiable sources are missing. Students analysed existing labels and subsequently developed their own approaches for clearer, more comprehensible and responsible information design. The aim was to explore how design can contribute to greater transparency in global production systems.
Photography: Tracing Global Connections
The workshop “Portraits with Recycled Props”, led by Anna Martynenko, invited participants to explore sustainability through creative photography. After a short introduction to portrait photography and image composition, participants designed their own props using recycled materials and photographed each other using these objects. The activity encouraged them to think about consumption, resources, and global responsibility while expressing these ideas visually. The session concluded with a presentation of the portraits and a short reflection, where participants discussed the meaning behind their objects and the broader global impacts related to sustainability.
