Dundee student Paul Hinnrichs has one special trip at the top of his to-do list – taking his partner’s young daughter to Saint-Etienne so she can ride the tram wrapped in his artwork.
“She missed the unveiling, and she was gutted,” he laughs.
“But we’ll go back. And hopefully it’ll inspire her, too.”
The nine-year-old girl is a self-declared tram enthusiast, and for Paul, watching her marvel at the moving canvas he created will be as meaningful as the international recognition it’s brought him.
That artwork – Weaving Tomorrow’s Currents – now glides daily through the streets of Saint-Etienne, France’s Unesco City of Design, in the form of a full-sized tram transformed into a vibrant, data-driven tapestry.
What inspired Dundee design student Paul Hinnrichs to win competition?
It’s a career-defining moment for Paul, a 45-year-old mature student at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in Dundee, whose journey into the design world has been anything but traditional.
His design was chosen as the winner of a prestigious competition open only to students living in Unesco Cities of Design. That’s a global network of places championing innovation, collaboration, and creative excellence.
A last-minute solo entry, it almost didn’t happen. “I saw the callout through a friend at the Centre for Entrepreneurship, and almost didn’t go through with it,” he recalls.
“I originally suggested we do it together, but she wasn’t quite into my concept. So I thought, ‘why not just finish it and submit it anyway?’ And I’m glad I did.”
The result is a stunning, flowing visual story that merges historical craftsmanship with modern innovation.
What does the award-winning design depict?
Inspired by Saint-Etienne’s ribbon-weaving heritage and the graceful graphic work of Italian designer Federica Fragapane, Paul’s concept reimagines the tram as a dynamic map of the French energy ecosystem.
Ribbon-like bands of colour and varying thickness represent different energy sources and their relative contributions to the national grid.
These strands converge into a central textile motif, paying homage to the city’s past, then spill into streams of data that evoke the constant current of energy, information, and progress.
“I wanted the tramway to become a symbol of continuity,” he explains.
“A narrative that ties the city’s industrial roots to its sustainable future.”
Seeing that vision come to life – on a scale both public and permanent – was emotional.
At the formal unveiling in Saint-Etienne, Paul was honoured with a commemorative glass plaque and gave a short speech alongside French design winner Lilou Thieffenat and local dignitaries.
For someone who once joked about hoping to get his work on a billboard, the experience was surreal. “But this? This was better than a billboard – it moves. It’s alive in the city.”
Paul’s Dundee roots set him on a journey
Paul’s path to this moment is rich with reinvention. A former pupil of Morgan Academy, he’s been a musician, sound engineer, and hospitality manager.
“I’d worked in hospitality for years, then decided to retrain – initially looking into network engineering,” he says.
But a web design module at Dundee College lit a spark that quickly grew into a full-blown creative calling.
Now entering his fourth year in Digital Interaction Design at DJCAD, he also runs a freelance digital design business and is embedded in the university’s Centre for Entrepreneurship, helping hospitality venues craft sharp, engaging digital identities.
Why is Dundee’s Unesco City of Design status important?
Underpinning it all is Dundee’s own status as a Unesco City of Design – a designation that helped make this opportunity possible.
“Being part of this Unesco network creates these incredible international connections,” he says.
“For a long time, creative people in Dundee felt like they had to leave – Glasgow, London, wherever – to find real opportunity. But things like this show that you can stay, and still reach the world.”
As Dundee celebrates more than a decade since earning that title, Paul’s achievement offers a tangible, moving example – literally – of what global visibility can mean for local talent. It’s a win not just for him, but for the city that helped him find a second creative life.
And in future when that tram rounds a corner in Saint-Etienne, Paul hopes he’ll be on it – with one very excited little girl by his side.
Conversation