Yukiko

What is the story of your studio ? Johannes has a film/photo production background and Michelle has a strictly graphic design one. At some point we decided to throw our skills into one big mixer, and we have been brewing and broadening them together now since 2012 in Berlin.

We saw that you work a lot with photographers. Have you a particular example that you want to talk about ? We have recently made books for Matt Lambert and Ewen Spencer. They clearly both have a highly refined and individual visual taste, but at the same time, they are both curious and excited by new ideas and possibilities… so it is really enjoyable working along side them to find their own design voice. They give us a lot of freedom to flex our design skills and the material is also always really beautiful and energetic. Like MAGIC !

You did the design of the Flaneur magazine. What is the story behind it ? Two years ago, we met publisher Ricarda Messner but also editors-in-chief Grashina Gabelmann and Fabian Saul for the first time in a bar on Berlin’s Kantstrasse (where we also launched the first issue). We quickly agreed to complete the Flaneur team and help define the visual aspects of the magazine. None of us had ever made a magazine, so it was not easy or straightforward. But it seemed we shared the same creative ideologies than the founding team of the magazine, so we knew intuitively which direction to head in. Since then, we have developed a really close working relationship where we are all extremely dedicated and involved. Thanks to that very aspect of the magazine is thoroughly considered, debated, worked on and pushed content-wise, in execution and creatively. This energy spreads to and from our very inspiring, wide-ranging collaborators, who always create unique works for the magazine. During peak production time, we have lots of meetings at the weekend with brunch or over beers in the evening, and we usually follow the editors in the different cities the magazine visits. It is like being in a band.

What are your stimulations outside design ? Most of our friends are doing interesting things in many differing lines of work. Just hanging out over a beer with them is always stimulating. But there are also all the usual Berlin's distractions… Interview conducted in February 2016 ©ktlg