Many
of your clients, including HKW that you just mentioned, are arts and cultural organizations, and you have been working with them for a long
time. Is there anything you try to
do to build trust with them?
Trust is usually formed
through our tireless efforts and reliability, I guess. As long as the client
and the issues interest us, we put a lot of energy into the projects.
What do you consider
clients expect from you, and what attracts them to work with you?
Clients usually expect
an exciting translation of their content—but
also availability and precision. If the pure service requirement prevails, it
becomes less interesting for us. Cooperation usually comes about through
recommendations or attention through realized projects.
It has been almost 20 years since the studio was
founded. Do you have any attitude or philosophies that have remained unchanged
since the beginning?
Not to fall into routines.
How do you see your own
transition as a designer when you look back at your work?
I don’t think I’ve
really changed much as a designer, at least not in my approach. Over time it
has become easier for me to work in teams. We have been brought up strongly as
lone warriors. I think I have also become more attentive and sensitive through teaching,
for example through the exchange with students. Over the years I have been able
to learn a lot from others. Anders, for example, had much more experience than
me on all levels, in communicating with clients and also with regard to
economic aspects. His wealth of experience was particularly valuable for me as
a beginner and has also influenced me in my work as a designer.
What was the biggest
trial or challenge you’ve faced so far as a studio and as a designer?
Today I spend a lot of
time on communication, meetings and organizing projects. The studio has grown a
bit over the years, so responsibilities shift. The biggest challenge is
probably to find the balance between these very different tasks — and to
regularly ask yourself how and in what form you actually want to go on.
Then, what has changed
most about your way of thinking as a graphic designer?
I think it’s important
to understand that the young discipline of design is constantly reinventing
itself. Since we started working, demands, tools and the challenges have
constantly changed and evolved. Around the year 2000, it was all about authorial
design and the focus on individuals, but today it is much more about
politically and socially responsible design, diversity and collaborations
outside the discipline. Also, the Western or Eurocentric view of the field is
now fortunately being questioned. One has to react to this and redefine one’s
point of view.
As you said, the demands of graphic designers are always changing with
time. But what are your thoughts on the role that
designers should play today?
Young designers should be willing to push
boundaries, question and rethink design discipline and education. Tolerance and
respect, along with the ability to share are essential today. In the best case scenario, we should use our political and social opportunities
to question the world.