Issue #04: A Year for Optimism

January 8, 2025

Hi guys ❄️

2024 was a year full with new projects and collaborations. Last year, I took a vow to focus on sparking new network with design agencies. It was a tough one, considering the more effective and easier way out is often retaining and caring for the existing network one already has. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the trust in my work — Ponder, Village One and adlerschmidt.

Looking back at last years’ freelancing experience, I enjoyed and learned a lot through my work with client sectors from responsible tech, local cultural institutions to politics. I learned and acquired skills such as self-organised project management and having an overview on projects with managing expectations, measuring risks and deadlines. This is made possible with the uncomplicated communication and trust I have established between the agencies, client and myself.

Moving forward, I would like to place my next focus on larger scope of my design competence on strategic work. At the same time, I am still wondering is how might we navigate with measuring our successes and failures with the current obstacles and restrictions with the crisis.

I have no answers to this question yet, but I think it is more important now (than ever) to practice constant exchange of insights with our fellow colleagues. 

No one would like to hear this in the New Years but I would still like to mention it: Albeit the current crises where we are undergoing slow-progression in public infrastructures building, many of us are still distracted by the parallel trends of Artificial Intelligence without acknowledging that our local skill shortage and deskilling situation is still unresolved and in need of attention. If these fundamental problems remain unresolved, the technologies will not bring us forward when the infrastructure itself malfunctions.

Johannes Kleske’s recent talk eloquently describes the problematic fear-based relationship with the future trends, generating defensive, reactive strategies, while positive future narratives and working-towards-betterment strategies are proven to bring more positive impact for companies’ well-being. 

The German Green Party’s web revamp from 2024, a design collaboration with Ponder.

My biggest project over the last years was German Green Party, for which we redesigned and restructured the website. The goal was to facilitate clear and accessible communication of political agendas and policies to voters. On another note, the election is happening earlier than we expected this year and Ponder recently launched the website for party’s candidate, Robert Habeck. Check it out! 

Work in progress web library impressions from anabrid

anabrid Web Library Design

Currently, I am working with a deep-tech startup which develops analog and hybrid computers. With Tim Gruisbourne from adlerschmidt, we are building and developing anabrid’s web library from scratch. adlerschmidt has developed a line of brand and product communication strategies which includes brand architecture, touchpoints, print and web facelift. My work covers defining the design elements and types of Figma components and modules with the goal of building a solid scalable design system.

Impressions from the students’ work process via design thinking exercises facilitated by myself at BURG Halle.

Design Workshop at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle

In December, I was invited to teach for a week at the prestigious school of Halle. I developed a facilitation format for the students’ to create new narrative for their final project.

I also gave a talk at the Faculty of Design, providing insights on the use of crafts as a design tool to connect with people and the environments they cohabit. Basically, the question of how and what Crafts can teach Design. I pressed the importance of staying multi-disciplinary in their praxis and the role of autonomous learning after school. 

Long story cut short: the wonderful results of the students’ work can be found on my futurprimitiv website.

All is to say: I am looking forward to 2025 and am available again for design project commissions and collaborations. Or feel free to (re)connect with me! 🙃

Hi guys ❄️

2024 was a year full with new projects and collaborations. Last year, I took a vow to focus on sparking new network with design agencies. It was a tough one, considering the more effective and easier way out is often retaining and caring for the existing network one already has. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the trust in my work — Ponder, Village One and adlerschmidt.

Looking back at last years’ freelancing experience, I enjoyed and learned a lot through my work with client sectors from responsible tech, local cultural institutions to politics. I learned and acquired skills such as self-organised project management and having an overview on projects with managing expectations, measuring risks and deadlines. This is made possible with the uncomplicated communication and trust I have established between the agencies, client and myself.

Moving forward, I would like to place my next focus on larger scope of my design competence on strategic work. At the same time, I am still wondering is how might we navigate with measuring our successes and failures with the current obstacles and restrictions with the crisis.

I have no answers to this question yet, but I think it is more important now (than ever) to practice constant exchange of insights with our fellow colleagues. 

No one would like to hear this in the New Years but I would still like to mention it: Albeit the current crises where we are undergoing slow-progression in public infrastructures building, many of us are still distracted by the parallel trends of Artificial Intelligence without acknowledging that our local skill shortage and deskilling situation is still unresolved and in need of attention. If these fundamental problems remain unresolved, the technologies will not bring us forward when the infrastructure itself malfunctions.

Johannes Kleske’s recent talk eloquently describes the problematic fear-based relationship with the future trends, generating defensive, reactive strategies, while positive future narratives and working-towards-betterment strategies are proven to bring more positive effect on companies’ well-being. 

The German Green Party’s web revamp from 2024, a design collaboration with Ponder.

Work in progress web library impressions from anabrid

anabrid Web Library Design

Currently, I am working with a deep-tech startup which develops analog and hybrid computers. With Tim Gruisbourne from adlerschmidt, we are building and developing anabrid’s web library from scratch. adlerschmidt has developed a line of brand and product communication strategies which includes brand architecture, touchpoints, print and web facelift. My work covers defining the design elements and types of Figma components and modules with the goal of building a solid scalable design system.

Impressions from the students’ work process via design thinking exercises facilitated by myself at BURG Halle.

Design Workshop at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle

In December, I was invited to teach for a week at the prestigious school of Halle. I developed a facilitation format for the students’ to create new narrative for their final project.

I also gave a talk at the Faculty of Design, providing insights on the use of crafts as a design tool to connect with people and the environments they cohabit. Basically, the question of how and what Crafts can teach Design. I pressed the importance of staying multi-disciplinary in their praxis and the role of autonomous learning after school. 

Long story cut short: the wonderful results of the students’ work can be found on my futurprimitiv website.

All is to say: I am looking forward to 2025 and am available again for design project commissions and collaborations. Or feel free to (re)connect with me! 🙃

Random Order is a newsletter with the intention to provide readers insights, case studies and observations. Random order is an oxymoron in that the two words are an apparent contradiction in terms: order suggests organization while random suggests a lack thereof. However, like many oxymora, the contradiction is incidental and resolvable by careful consideration.

In the world of polarized opinions and chaos of natural order, the socio-cultural-political incidents have become random; unpredictable. Experts and policy makers have been trying to introduce deliberate order. The intention here is to bring a line of thoughts on design, and how design can shape policies, tackle complex human and more-than-human issues; to bring order. Sign up here.