freilich!

Promoting local and seasonal food 🌱

Together with Dani, Dani and Tom

We initiated freilich! (German for "sure!" or "of course!") as a team of three, later four, design students at the University of Applied Sciences Munich. We wanted to learn about food production, engage with ideas for more sustainability and promote appreciation for local and seasonal food.

Workshop building raised garden beds
Building raised garden beds
Filling raised garden beds with soil
Work in progress on raised garden beds
Work in progress
Plants growing in raised garden bed
Veggies and berries growing!

During the project we organized workshops and a pop up farmers' market. We invited students, locals and professors to build an urban garden behind our faculty and used the harvest for community lunches/dinners at uni.

The small garden became a meeting hub and was added on to by a new generation of students: Our efforts were a precursor to the university's urban gardening seminar being established in 2016.

freilich! plant markers
Plant markers
salad growing in garden bed
Garden beds have grown in and got expanded
The garden in 2017

The design

The name, logo and visual identity of freilich! were developed during intense and productive meetings in a short amount of time. We decided to limit ourselves to black on white and use colours only in the form of small watercolour blots.

We chose a simple illustration style (and all-caps handwriting) which all four of us would be able to execute – accepting that there would be inconsistencies and imperfections. We wanted the design of freilich! to be rooted in the ideas of DIY, collaboration and openness while conveying a spontaneous, sympathetic and accessible character.

freilich! seasonal calendar with fruit and veggie illustrations
freilich! postcard flyer, front side

We used posters and leaflets with illustrations and recipes to inform students about the seasonal fruits and vegetables of the month.

A round, white sticker with freilich! logo on a colourful, spray painted wall
freilich! laser cut plant markers

We set up a simple website as well as social media pages to coordinate events.

The instagram account:

freilich! instagram feed
instagram feed scrolled down
instagram single image

Cooperations

When we wrote down our goals and purpose for freilich! we expressed our hope to be able to connect with other initiatives. This proved to be easier than we initially thought, since many people involved in similar projects were eager to collaborate and combine ideas.

Customers at the popup farmers' market
Farmers' market with imperfect vegetables from local farmers.
Farmers' market in cooperation with Querfeld
In cooperation with Querfeld.
freilich! exhibition stand
Exhibition stand offering snacks made with unsold vegetables

PlantBuddies

One project that developed from my work for freilich! was my contribution to the PlantBuddies companion planting website. This open source website, developed by Botho at Permaculture Commons, helps gardeners by matching plants with their "buddies" – other crops that can be planted in proximity for various benefits.

Johannisbeere
Pflaume
Schalotte
Gurke
Karotte
Johannisbeere
Pflaume
Schalotte
Gurke
Karotte
Salbei
Walnuss
Fenchel
Kürbis
Tomate
Salbei
Walnuss
Fenchel
Kürbis
Tomate

I contributed over 100 illustrations for the different fruits and vegetables (licensed under CC BY-SA).

PlantBuddies Webseite

I also created an "old school web" repeating background.

seamless background pattern

Conclusion

freilich! as a project was interesting because we were using design as a starting point to ultimetely do "non-design-y" things: reaching out to others, initiating collaboration, shaping interaction.