“Graphic design of any and every printed matter”: introducing Arc studio

Date
26 July 2017

Founded by three friends located in two cities, graphic design studio Arc was built on an authentic connection. Their ethos is simple: “We all agree on a style and way of thinking, particularly in the sense of typography, use of imagery and the things we value or not. But to be honest, we’re friends and that’s the glue,” explains Toni Schönbuchner.

Joachim Bartsch, Timo Grimberg and Toni are the creatives behind Arc. Having all studied graphic design at The Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in Leipzig, it was inevitable that they would end up as a collective. “We had already started working together on various projects during our studies. Following our degree in 2010, the logical consequence was to continue as we did before,” Toni says.

Through this sensibility, the team has created a diverse portfolio full of various design works of many disciplines. Their focus rests on abstraction in paint, design and drawing, while combining numerous digital techniques. Most prominently, their alliance of images with shapes, alongside experimental collage and the juxtaposition of languages in mark making, are brought forward as one of their greatest strengths. “Graphic design of any and every printed matter,” says the team when describing their philosophy.

From books, posters and leaflets through to stamps, flyers and letterheads, Arc has produced a broad range of work. Their most recent projects are a pure representation of these capabilities. “Libken is a group of young creatives who are providing an artist residency and a seminar house in a GDR apartment block built in 1965. The poster announces the upcoming second summer academy where we will hold a workshop,” says Toni. “The magazine Real Places is a project with or for Stefanie Pretnar. Her project focuses on the relationship between architecture and society — we designed a newspaper held together by a screen printed plastic envelope.”

Bruised Features is a book the studio published with Norwegian artist Stian Ådlandsvik. “The layout provides equal importance to the text and image. In this sense, the book reminds us of publications from the field of art history, such as John Berger´s Ways of Seeing,” Toni explains. Occupied is a redesign for the quarterly journal by The Hong Kong Institute of Architects with “more to come!”

Lastly, Tschau-Tschüssi is centred around a store based in Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst, Leipzig. “The display was designed in close collaboration with Miriam, the owner of the shop. The idea behind the furniture was to build a modular system which is easy to transport and variable in size.”

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Arc Studio: Libken

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Arc Studio: Real Places

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Arc Studio: Real Places

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Arc Studio: Real Places

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Arc Studio: Real Places

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Arc Studio: Real Places

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Arc Studio: Real Places

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Arc Studio: Bruised Features

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Arc Studio: Bruised Features

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Arc Studio: Bruised Features

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Arc Studio: Bruised Features

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Arc Studio: Bruised Features

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Arc Studio: Occupied

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Arc Studio: Occupied

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Arc Studio: Occupied

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Arc Studio: Occupied

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Arc Studio: Occupied

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Arc Studio: Occupied

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Arc Studio: Tschau-Tschüssi. Image courtesy of Studio Jo Zarth

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About the Author

Ayla Angelos

Ayla is a London-based freelance writer, editor and consultant specialising in art, photography, design and culture. After joining It’s Nice That in 2017 as editorial assistant, she was interim online editor in 2022/2023 and continues to work with us on a freelance basis. She has written for i-D, Dazed, AnOther, WePresent, Port, Elephant and more, and she is also the managing editor of design magazine Anima. 

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