Bayerischer Staatspreis für Nachwuchsdesigner

A fundamental truth of everyday life is the fact that without exception – even in harmless situations where there is no risk of being caught – all of us tend to lie to ourselves or to others without having a guilty conscience. Motives for lying and the impact lies have on those they address are many.

The idea behind this book was to show that not all lies are told with bad intentions and to delineate the border between good and bad lies.

The work is intended to bring this abstract topic to the reader with a bit of irony. The design of the pages is reminiscent of the printouts of lie detector tests. A grid of lines and curves similar to that found in the printout of the results of a lie detector test straddles the entire book, only now and then covered by white spaces or photos. The lines form into the headings of the eight chapters as if written by the lie detector itself. The book’s design elements, for example, Polaroid photos, post-its, coffee stains and inserted notes, are intended to give the reader the impression that a lie detector test has been conducted and its data analyzed.

The book has 124 pages and is bound in the Japanese style to create the impression of an endless paper strip, and because it can be handled more easily than a fanfold.

This work deals with navigation, monitoring and strategy development in complex three-dimensional areas in connection with disaster control and abatement. It is focused on an interface for task force leaders and rescue staff. Information is transmitted to the leader via a touch screen and to the staff via data goggles integrated into their helmets.

The system is based on a detailed, interactive, three-dimensional, digital plan of the area of operation or of the building. This plan is provided to the leaders via a database that contains the plans of all of the buildings in one area of operation and from which they can be retrieved at any time. All of the information that has priority in a specific operation is displayed in real time. Via a network, all of the persons involved have access to the information in the system at any time.

The information is displayed in the order of the priority of its contents and is processed in such a way as to send only that information the individuals need depending on their locations or duties. Individual units can be defined through the interface. In addition, the system manages the entire material logistics, controls the firefighting technology inside the building, and monitors the location and work of the persons in the building.

The system also provides an extensive range of tools that facilitate instructing and reporting quickly and precisely. These tools work visually, taking the strain off the audio-radio traffic which is available optionally at all times but is reserved for feedback from the rescue staff and for general emergencies.

As opposed to those used by the task force leaders, the interfaces in the helmets of the rescue staff are output interfaces only, since data goggles for firefighters need not have an input option and all of the feedback is given orally. The functions of the interfaces are limited to monitoring time, amount of compressed air, and the persons’ positions and to transmitting orders.