Every year the ED Awards identity is designed by a different design studio. Based on a single typographic element, the Meta FF Bold asterisk, how difficult is it to reimagine a brand that is both established and versatile?
It is not difficult, but it is challenging. Experimenting with the asterisk was so much fun. I think we became more and more creative while we were working on the redesign. Our aim was to create a flexible implementation. We like the idea that the brand gets reinterpreted every year. At the same time, the award keeps its identity. We are curious what the brand will like look next year.
Your design for one cover of Novum – World of Graphic Design uses silkscreen print on line and thread stitching. Do you think unusual materials enhance the design experience and, if yes, how so?
Using different materials definitely enhances people’s experience. It is also important that the materials correspond with the content and reinforce it. In our opinion, certain types of bookbinding and print techniques still have their justification. Otherwise, you end up with a beautiful but rather empty cover. Since that Novum issue was about book design, we wanted to present it as a book.
Langesommer is a small-sized studio in a very competitive market. How easy is it for you to carve your niche in such an environment?
We are not aware of carving a niche. We focus on the aspects that are important to us, excellency in typography, for example. Maybe that’s our niche. We are open minded, curious and always interested in new subjects. It certainly helps to have skills that others do not have. Yet, being stuck in a specific field can slow you down. We do what interests us the most, and perhaps that is why we do things well.
How do you see Langesommer in the near future? Do you plan to expand or are you happy maintaining your current scale?
We would love to have one or two more people on the team. They would bring in new ideas and diversity. At the moment, only one of us needs to defend an idea to the other. That’s rather convenient, I guess, but we would also welcome insights and thoughts from others.
langesommer is a studio for graphic design and typography in Berlin.
“We develop intelligent and ambitious design solutions with a high standard of typography from the concept to the finished product. We believe in a both effective and appealing design and are particularly passionate about design as a means of communication. Our focus: Editorial Design—books, brochures, catalogues, magazines, corporate communications and other kinds of publications. Corporate Design—logo, font, color, imagery and implementation.”