HelloMe celebrates its tenth birthday and reflects on the past decade of design

Date
23 September 2019

Ten years ago, the design industry looked like a very different place. Emerging designers didn’t use Instagram as a tool for publicity, there was a lot less hype around variable fonts, and VR and AI were still to make their mark on the design scene. Back in 2009, not only was the industry a vastly different place, it was also the year that Berlin birthed a highly reputable design studio. In the past decade, HelloMe, founded by Till Wiedeck, has garnered clients including the likes of Nike, Cos, LVMH, The New York Times, Sony and Red Bull, just to name a few.

In celebration of its esteemed decade in the industry, Till mulls over the changes in the industry, and how HelloMe went from an extension of his personal practice to an international creative studio defining contemporary culture. For Till, “the largest impact on how design is perceived, has happened through social media platforms and an increasingly faster pace within the design community.” He tells It’s Nice That on this double-edged sword: “It’s led to both interesting new results on the one hand, and very uninspired trendy plagiarism on the other.”

Despite its downfalls, both avenues have been “interesting to witness” at the benefit of HelloMe, as the evident design trends “make you more aware of yourself and your own methodologies and pace,” explains Till. In other aspects of the industry, the designer remarks on how, over the years, the industry has evolved in a way that clients now view designers as equal collaborators and “key partners in every aspect of the creative process.” This increasing recognition of the role of the designer has resultantly led to a number of ongoing partnerships for the studio, seeking out creative services that extend far beyond the traditional design brief and harness the conceptual thinking behind many of the great design studios today.

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HelloMe: You May Also Like, Robert Stadler

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HelloMe: You May Also Like, Robert Stadler

As well as creatively problem solving the brief at hand, HelloMe’s collaborative and rational process has led to a studio that also values open conversation at its core. “We choose our collaborators and projects very carefully, and therefore are fortunate enough to say that we value all our projects equally,” says Till when asked about his favourite projects in the studio’s history. Needless to say, however, all designers have a soft spot, and for HelloMe, the ongoing collaboration with Warp Records has become a “significant part of our practice, and we are humbled to be part of that special universe which keep us exciting and moving,” adds Till.

Now a well-oiled team consisting of seven full-time designers, the studio takes on all calibre of projects across the spectrum of culture. From branding some of the biggest tech companies today, to creating bespoke artist publications for individuals, Till and his team operate under the mantra of “Trust your instincts and be aware of your vision” to continuously deliver their refined multidisciplinary output.

Having recently launched its first line of products in collaboration with Actual Source to commemorate its tenth birthday, the coming year beholds many other exciting instalments for the studio. Along with launching a new website, later this year, HelloMe will also be extending the studio to include its own publishing imprint and exhibition space in Berlin. So here’s to the next ten years of HelloMe, and its future design collaborations to come, delving ever-deeper into the realms of art, technology and contemporary culture.

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HelloMe: Kahmen Publication

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HelloMe: Berlin Art Prize 2014

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HelloMe: Berlin Art Prize 2014

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HelloMe: Warp Records, Cargaa

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HelloMe: Warp Records, Cargaa

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HelloMe: Warp Records

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HelloMe: Architecture Art Design

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HelloMe: Architecture Art Design

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HelloMe: Architecture Art Design

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HelloMe: Bon Ton Mais Non

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HelloMe, Actual Source: Receipt Scarf

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HelloMe: Hudson Mohawke

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About the Author

Jyni Ong

Jyni joined It’s Nice That as an editorial assistant in August 2018 after graduating from The Glasgow School of Art’s Communication Design degree. In March 2019 she became a staff writer and in June 2021, she was made associate editor.

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