Michael
Speranza
Michael Speranza is a designer, teacher, and researcher at the Lucerne School of Design, Film & Art (HSLU DFK). He leads the Nodo Creative Hub, is part of the research team at the Competence Center Transformation Design, and contributes to the new BA in Creative Transformation. He is also a member of the group sustainability@dfk and co-initiated the funding platform Basislager Nachhaltigkeit (now Sprout). Within the university, he serves as maternity leave representative in the Diversity Team and contributes to projects addressing mental health, diversity, and social transformation. Alongside this, he works as a Eco-Social Designer at Sentitreff Luzern.
He holds a BA in Graphic Design and an MA in Eco-Social Design and brings many years of experience as a graphic designer and art director. He is interested in developing support structures for social transformation. As a passionate poster designer, he has also received multiple international awards for his poster works.
Professional Activities
- (07/2025–heute) Contributor – Bachelor Creative Transformation, HSLU DFK
- (07/2025–04/2026) Part of the research team at the Competence Center Transformation Design
- (07/2025–04/2026) Maternity leave representative in the Diversity Team
- (09/2024–heute) Co-Lead, Creative Hub «Nodo», HSLU DFK
- (03/2024–heute) Lecturer / Coach / Smart-Up-Coach, HSLU DFK
- (03/2024–08/2024) Co-Projektleiter, Aufbau «Nodo – Creative Hub», HSLU DFK
- (02/2023–12/2023) Art Director und Projektmanager, Silent Studio
- (11/2022–heute) Mitglied, SGV Schweizer Grafiker Verband
- (02/2021–02/2023) Art Director und Projektmanager, Christen Visuelle Kommunikation
- (2021–heute) Gründer und Art Director, Studio Speranza (Früher Studio Flex)
- (09/2020–11/2020) Freelance Art Director, Neum Collective (Lattesso Coffee Rebranding) und Clavadetscher Gestaltung
- (04/2020–06/2020) Art Director und Grafikdesigner, Just Live AG (Openair Frauenfeld)
- (2019–2021) Art Director, Festival am Bach
- (2016–2021) Mitgründer und Art Director, Studio Flex
- (2015–2020) Projektleiter, Grafik- und Motion Designer, Clavadetscher Gestaltung
- (04/2013–08/2013) Praktikum, Wolf Studio
- (2010–2014) Div. Nebenjobs, Migros-Kassier
Awards
2025 | 7 Finalistenplakate bei 100 Beste Plakate
2025 | United States International Poster Biennial 2025 – Award
2025 | Poster Biennial BICeBé 2025 Award (and selected for the Main Exhibition)
2025 | Typography Day 2025 Poster Design Competition
2025 | C-IDEA Awards: HSLU DFK – Master Design Yearbook & Posters won the C-IDEAGolden Award
2025 | C-IDEA Awards: HSLU DFK – Making Mistakes won the New Star Award
2024 | Posterheroes Ambassador
2024 | Teil der permanenten Plakatsammlung im Museum für Gestaltung Zürich
2024 | 3 Finalistenplakate bei 100 Beste Plakate
2023 | Typography Day 2023 Poster Design Competition
2023 | 3 Posters selected in the 1st edition of the United States International Poster Biennial 2023.
2023 | BICeBé’s International Poster Award winner
2023 | Finalistenplakat bei 100 Beste Plakate
2023 | typo/graphic posters exhibition
2023 | typo/graphic posters platform author
2022 | Mitglied, SGV Schweizer Grafiker Verband
2022 | Typography Day 2022, IDC, IIT Bombay
2022 | BICeBé’s International Poster Award
2022 | CIPB 21 China International Poster Biennial
2021 | China international Poster contest | CIPB 2021
2021 | BICeBé’s International Poster Award
2021 | 100 Beste Plakate
2020 | Finalist biophilia poster competition
2020 | 4 selected posters for Golden Bee 14 Global Biennale Moscow, Russland
2020 | The Ecuador Poster Bienal 2020.
2020 | C-IDEA Design Award
2019 | Swiss Poster Award, Poster Innovation, Silber
2018 | Escucha mi voz
2018 | Graphis Poster Annual 2019, New York
2018 | Trnava Poster Triennial, Trnava (SK)
2018 | Best of Swiss Web Award: Bronze
2017 | 8th China Int. Poster Biennial
2017 | Golden Bee Vilnius, Littauen
2016 | Type Directors Club New York, Certificate of Typographic Excellence
2016 | Golden Bee Moscow, Russland
2016 | Ecuador Poster Bienal
2016 | Essence, Schweizer Grafiker Verband SGV
2015 | German Design Award
2015 | 7th China Int. Poster Biennial
2015 | Taiwan Int. Graphic Design Award
2014 | Mut Zur Wut, Top 30
Volunteering
2024–now | Eco-Social Design | Sentitreff Luzern
2023–now | HSLU Nachhaltigkeitskommission
2022–now | Mitglied, SGV Schweizer Grafiker Verband
2022–now | Grafik/Marketing | VENALU (Verein Nachhaltigkeit Luzern)
2018–now | Grafikpool | Neubad Luzern
2014–2021 | Grafikpool | Treibhaus Luzern
PublikationenPublikationen
- Speranza, M., & Kaindl, K. (2025). Sustainability Basecamp – Designing Participatory Funding Criteria for Sufficiency, Social Impact and Institutional Culture in Higher Education.In A. Unteidig, B. Herlo, & P. Pierri (Eds.), Reassessing the Social – Understanding Transformation: Proceedings of the Social Design Network Conference 2025 (pp. 162–172). Hochschule Luzern – Design Film Kunst. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17559020
Lectures
2025–now | BA Objektdesign; «Visuelle Identität, früher Portfolio Design»
2025 | MA Design; FM 15_The aesthetics of misalignment: Finding design language in AI's beautiful failures, Yaniv Steiner & Michael Speranza
2024 | MA Design; Connect project: spring semester’24: Building reputation: imagining your yearbook (Jan-Christoph Zoels and Michael Speranza)
Workshops
2023 Workshop «The visual approach» HSLU D&K
2022 Workshop Treibhaus Luzern
2020 Workshop Treibhaus Luzern
2019 Workshop Treibhaus Luzern