Daniel Seemayer’s process and analysis-driven design work

Daniel Seemayer is a graphic designer and a jack of all trades. A typographer, occasional writer and editor, he widens his creative capabilities due to his “natural curiosity and urge to understand things”. His projects frequently apply typography that could be considered a brave choice, but it’s Daniel’s layout designs that make them appear natural.

The German designer achieves this “through analysis, research, reflection and experimentation” believing that those processes broaden the design practice. “Design becomes a practice that not only acts as a service but also an approach to pro-actively and critically reflect upon aesthetics and personal, social or cultural matters of our time.”

Interested in “creating collaborative situations and platforms”, the designer’s portfolio is an amalgamation of reference, from proposals for record sleeve design in Sohaso, to identity design in You Laugh an Ugly Laugh. One project that displays Daniel’s ability to get to the heart of a subject and visualise it appropriately is The New World Order, a publication exploring conspiracy theories. His mix of formats within the publication replicate the many layers to conspiracy theories, questioning “How come they are so popular?” in an investigation to the “sociological, psychological, political, cultural and historical roots that have led to the contemporary quality, quantity, and most of all popularity of conspiracy theories.”

Another is Kraut a type design project which revives blackletter typography as a reflection of how German personalities are perceived. “We are still incredibly critical of ourselves" he explains, "not only because of our history but also in terms of our reputation as a nation of grumpy, unfriendly and uptight mentality. The more I travel though, the more I get the impression that this reputation in the world is totally not as bad as we think it is” he says. This self-initiated project adds an enlightening aspect to the German language, The uplifting, swirling lettering represents another dimension, “we are a bit weird and we do have our history, the good and the bad, but we have also changed and learnt how to deal with it.”

Daniel is currently completing a masters at the Gerrit Ritveld Academy in Amsterdam whilst interning at Studio Adriaan Mellegers and Main Studio over his summer break.