When was the last time you have been to North Rhine-Westphalia? (Local residents excluded, naturally) …precisely, why should you? The 16th issue of the Heimatdesign magazine wants to answer this question and offers a Guide to the West to make NRW perceptible on a touristic level, without being touristy while doing so. A collection of about 200 locations, confided to the magazine by 21 creative workers. Their favourite places which, under different circumstances, would not have been able to gain such a radiant appreciation. Or, to say it with a quote from the editorial: “No luck finding the Eiffel Tower here, but instead you can discover the best kebap place at the corner, recommended by the guy at the gallery just recently”.

The magazine is divided in geographical categories: Cologne, Düsseldorf, the Ruhr Area, Münster, and Bielefeld as well as Wuppertal and Krefeld. Each chapter was outfitted with its own colour which also influenced the photographic concept. There, the portraits of the particular subject-matter providers are keyed in the specific colour of the region.

Therefore, this special issue is not only content-wise intended to be different: it was developed through a so-far-unique collaboration between five graphic design agencies from Dortmund, during which each of them was able to contribute their personal concepts into the realisation of the issue. That way, Neu Designbüro interpreted Cologne, KoeperHerfurth the Ruhr Area, JAC-Gestaltung Düsseldorf, florida creative lab Bielefeld, Münster, Krefeld and Wuppertal and Brückner & Brückner the editorial section. Only the colour and photographic concept were fixed, as well as the column.

The special issue is not only on the shelves in North Rhine-Westphalia as usual, but, matching the subject, is made available at selected locations all over Germany, England, France, and Belgium, the Netherlands as well as Denmark and Austria. It can also be ordered for free at NRW Tourismus. Since it also makes sense to have these kind of tips in a handy format for your pockets, the articles including their location can be found at Guide to the West website.

Heimatdesign No. 16 is an issue with five different approaches on design, a successful experiment, a collection of tips — sometimes more, sometimes less secret, a subjective guide, a visually diverse and exciting magazine which excellently mirrors the multifaceted nature of NRW. Simply put, a Heimatdesign Guide to the West.