In 2005, Germany’s »other Frankfurt« – Frankfurt (Oder), on the Polish border – was a rapidly shrinking city, hit hard by migration. We were hired by European University Viadrina to try to make a difference. As instructors in their Cultural Management program, we developed a concept that united Polish and German students (a third of the student body is Polish) and emphasized the importance of revitalizing the city center. In this way, a building slated for demolition became a student-run residence hall.
Archives: Case Studies
Democracy and Its Eagles
How did expressionism and modernist objectivism influence the state aesthetics of the first German democracy? How were decisions made about the design of national emblems such as the eagle and the flag?
Back to the Future?
The crowdsourcing of work has brought about a profound shift in the nature of labor. The German metalworkers’ union, IG Metall, hired us to design a guidebook for these trying times. Essays, interviews and haikus deal with work networks, fair wages and the future of value creation inside the digital bubble.
Utopias, Pioneers, Future
After two years away, the team behind Berlin’s Theater an der Parkaue returned to their freshly renovated venue in 2017. With them came a new visual identity that was just as fresh, including action shots of the ensemble amidst the urban jungle, captured by Maxime Ballesteros. Enjoy your flight!
Room Service
In 2014, the Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden presented Room Service, an exhibition about the hotel in art and artists in hotels. We designed the accompanying catalog, which was honored with design awards from Red Dot and the New York Type Directors Club.
Pottfiction
In 2010, the Ruhr district (aka »Ruhrpott«) was designated a European Capital of Culture. We were hired to create a networking project in collaboration with local youth theaters. With Pottfiction, we brought a small and temporary world to life, in which young people would set their own coordinates for a better tomorrow.
