"Anscheinend" is the title of my final year project at the University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt, Faculty of Design. "Anscheinend" is the German word for "apparently". This project explored authenticity in the design profession.

Nowadays, authenticity has become a value like no other. It is said that only by being true to yourself can you cope with our modern world, which is filled with artificiality and staging.

But what does design have to do with authenticity? Is there such a thing as authentic design? Doesn't all design require staging? When attempting to answer these questions, one quickly becomes involved in communication studies. Scholars suggest that every form of communication requires staging. The main challenge in attributing authenticity is that you cannot judge acts based solely on what you see. As a spectator, you must rely on visual cues and cannot access the intentions of the acting person. Even the acting person may not be fully aware of their real intentions. However, this doesn't make the concept of authenticity redundant—it serves as orientation.