The long march to fame and glory 

 
Book Benjamin Bartels and Maximilian Kohler went on the road as journeymen graphic designers in America. How the internship became a journey.  
The Walz, popularly known as the journeyman's journey, has a long tradition in Europe. In the 12th century, the first craftsmen set off to learn abroad. Today, however, the custom is only practiced by carpenters. In their typical garb - wide-brimmed hats and black flared pants - they wander the country in search of masters. Two designers from Germany prove that a waltz is not just a matter for a trade guild. Benjamin Bartels and Maximilian Kohler embarked on a graphic design journey about a year ago. As part of their studies at Wiesbaden University of Applied Sciences, the two students went on a journey to deepen their knowledge in agencies abroad. "We wanted to follow the idea of the Walz," says Bartels. Just as carpenters are subject to a strict set of rules, the graphics students also wanted to establish one in order to give the project a certain seriousness. The most important guiding principle was the "two plus one" rule. "Never stay in one place for more than two weeks and one day," explains Bartels.
They were based on the walking time of carpenters who, according to guild regulations, now travel for two years and one day. For Maximilian Kohler and Benjamin Bartels, however, the "two plus one" rule had a temporal purpose: "We wanted to get to know as many customs, beer brands and other keyboard assignments as possible."
The two students chose the Autopista Panamericana, the intercontinental highway that connects North and South America, for their journeyman's piece. There were various reasons for choosing the Panamericana. On the one hand, it seemed possible for the graphic designers to complete the 17,000-kilometer route in six months due to the road conditions. Secondly, it allowed contact with a wide variety of cultures and social classes. The most important criterion, however, was that the German passport is recognized as a 90-day visa in most American countries.
To help Bartels and Kohler get to work on the road, they gave themselves the internationally understandable name "Gringografico" and set up a website that served as a digital business card.
On July 7, 2005, the time had come. Equipped with the bare essentials, the duo set off on their journey across America from Vancouver. Just like their fellow craftsmen, they even had their own outfit. Wearing sporty black clothing and carrying a bright yellow belt bag, they knocked on agency doors. The bag contained the so-called rolling book, in which they had received their certificates from the master craftsmen and which ultimately also served as a sketchbook. The idea obviously appealed to many agency bosses. Creative Director Jell Helm from W+K: "A ballsy, fucked-up, optimistic idea."

To start their work as graphic artisans, the graphic day laborers had a laptop, a digital camera, a camcorder and sketchpads with them. The two adventurers recently told an Orell Füssli event in Zurich that finding work had never been a problem. "In the end, the implementation showed us the limits very clearly," says Bartels. "Instead of a printer, we used pen and paper. The digital camera served as a scanner. Photo shoots didn't take place in the studio, but on rusty washing machines in the garden. An Ikea curtain served as the background," says Kohler.
Bartels and Kohler worked their way through eleven countries and four time zones. In the process, they discovered that people work differently on the American continent than in Germany. Benjamin Bartels says: "Advertising on the American continent is not based on concepts and briefings. First and foremost, everything has to be simple. The ideas that originated in our German minds and those that work in American minds were sometimes worlds apart."
Bartels and Kohler were able to deepen their knowledge in 14 agencies. They were only allowed to implement a few ideas during their time on the road that were actually used by clients. "We mostly helped the agency staff with day-to-day things to take the pressure off them," says Bartels.
Convincing the agencies was not always easy. The renowned advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy, for example, was a big nut to crack. Although the two journeymen had contact addresses, it proved almost impossible to convince the "dragon" at reception. Wieden + Kennedy is the largest agency in Portland and one of the largest in the USA. A construct with a huge organization. "After annoying phone calls and persistent e-mail correspondence, we ended up at W+K 12," recalls Bartels.
This subdivision of the agency is an internal school. Every year, twelve applicants are selected from thousands to work together as an independent agency for real clients. Bartels and Kohler were allowed to help build a creative donut mini-golf hole.
A documentation of their adventures, which is also their diploma thesis, was published as a book entitled "Gringografico - on the road for food and fame!". The publisher Hermann Schmidt has published their anecdotes as a diary. A must-read for all those who want to undertake a similar journey in times of globalization. Photo series, sketches, illustrations and commentaries flow together to form an impressive overall picture of this pioneering achievement. The book comes in a bright yellow belt pouch, just like the two heroes actually wore on their journey. The book by Bartels and Kohler was awarded a silver nail by ADC Germany at the beginning of April.
 
Christian Lüscher