There are well over a hundred graphic collections in German museums – but only a few that specialise in graphic design. Graphic design: that is the print or drawing that has a concrete function in everyday life – from the stamp to the document, from the illustration to the draft drawing, from the ornamental print to the typography. In Hamburg, as in many museums of applied art, the collection of ornamental prints was the beginning. The collection grew – to more than 270,000 sheets – and with it the themes. There are designers’ estates and special collections, for example of book covers or portraits or political prints. The exhibition shows in 22 small chapters a cross-section of the diversity. The chapters are arranged chronologically and represent exemplary individual areas of collecting.