Blog

New studio!

Wild pansies on sidewalk

Folks, I have a new studio. Here’s the sidewalk in front of it. My neighbors are pansies!

I just moved in this week and am thrilled to have more space to work on design and translation projects, experiment with new ideas, and meet colleagues and clients. It’s a shared storefront space in the Oberbaum City / Rudolfkiez area of Berlin-Friedrichshain and is also home to Multiverso, a creative team of nice folks who make educational websites and games. If you want to come visit, just get in touch!

Lecken

Lettering in Boxhagener Kiez, Berlin-Friedrichshain. This used to be a shop for used leather apparel; the sign originally read GEILE JACKEN, which means AWESOME JACKETS. Now it appears to be a record shop named, via subtraction, LECKEN, which means LICKING.

Gastronomy Typography

Lettering on sign on a fruit shop

Colorful label on fine French butter in gold foil

Two colorful examples of fine food related design seen this weekend: charming cursive plastic lettering at a fruit shop in Berlin-Karlshorst, and a regal package of Échiré, the butter with its own Appellation d’Origine Protégée.

East German design: poster and textile pattern

East German poster in antique shop window

Red and orange flowered fabric

On a photography walk around Oberbaum City in Berlin-Friedrichshain today, I stumbled across several colorful examples of East German design. I admired the window display Intershop 2000, which specializes in DDR memorabilia and has just moved to a new location due to construction of high-end apartments on their former site. I have mixed feelings about the message on this poster commemorating International Women’s Day, 1988 (“Our women: our Ahlpha and Ohmega” – empowering? objectifying? both?) but I wholly endorse the graphics and colors. Later, in the courtyard of the entertainingly hip Hotel Michelberger, A. and I enjoyed the hotel café’s excellent coffee while swinging on an old Hollywoodschaukel covered in this lovely flowered fabric.

Mobile home with double golden cats

Golden lion coat of arms on mobile home

Gold lucky cat figurine on dashboard

Noticed this mobile home among the many parked on Gürtelstraße in Berlin-Friedrichshain. Like other streets that are wide enough to offer perpendicular parking spots, it seems to be used by many van and camper owners. There is something fascinating to me about these homes on wheels and how their owners/inhabitants decorate them.