Germany has one of the largest national economies of the world, climbing to the top of the global economy via its extensive tradition in craft industries. Its products stand for quality and precision. Nowadays, exactly those values are still pursued in the making of niche products in small companies and manufactures, far away from the industrial mass-produced goods. This project with the subject “traditional craft” deals socially critical with the importance of crafts in our modern society.

The book publication shows a cross section of small companies and manufactures in an emotional and social context. The intention is to immerse the reader into the world of craft in an thematic and aesthetical way. My concern was to create a design dialogue between the documentary photography and the interview text-section, to increase the awareness of the value in handmade products, be it shoes, cutlery, organs, watches or violins. One important issue was to rethink the negative associations of these “old dying” professions.