Hasta La Ideas

The European Design Festival starts today in Rotterdam, supported by a range of material by Studio Dumbar intended to recall the visual language of protest movements

The European Design Festival, which supposedly “celebrates European design with all its regional distinctive elements as well as its common grounds” has the theme of Shifting Perspectives this year, with speakers including Astrid Stavro, Philippe Apeloig and Reza Abedini.

In the light of the current financial crisis, Studio Dumbar wanted to raise what it thought were some important questions regarding the role of design and whether “we, in the current, global economic crisis, raise the right questions and address the current issues?”

The materials, including street banners, T-shirts, animations and printed materials, combine the handpainted styles of protest signs with abstracted flags of European nations.