Typeradio Podcast

Kenya Hara discusses his interest in the concept of emptiness and the relation to the Shinto religion. The haptic qualities of his work and how technology gives us the power to expand our senses. The future of graphic design and the evolution of typography.

Pierre Bernard continues to talk about his activities with Grapus. The difference between French and Dutch design. The current situation of design and how design should have a relation with society. If there is no commissioner there is no design. Lastly what it meant to him to receive the Erasmus Prize.

Pierre Bernard talks about how he became interested in design and how he discovered it in Poland with Henryk Tomaszewski. The greatest lesson he learned. His initial working life in advertising. How Grapus was invented and what ideologies they followed.

Uwe Loesch tells us why he enters competitions and why young designers also should! How he approaches design, with the thought of every innovation needs an accident. How he convinces clients and irritates the observer. How he became a designer and his choice between journalism and design.

Uwe Loesch tells us the story behind his black and white shoes. If he really is a typical German designer or is he more Japanese? How Dada and Surrealism have influenced his work. How language makes an impression on design. The essence of his work which he considers to be ironical sophisticated messages.

Reza Abedini discusses his work rituals, how he initially studied painting, and the Iranian touch in his work. He also talks about the current state of Iranian design, the richness of Persian calligraphy and its importance in design. The influence of the revolution on current design, and how he approaches design and finally what it means to receive the Prins Claus Award.

Niklaus Troxler talks about his home town Willisau in Switzerland, his love for jazz and initiating the Willisau Jazz festival. How he designs posters for the concerts and how you set yourself free when you design your 100th poster.

Michael Bierut talks about words, and why design can’t fix bad content. Writing well is a challenge. Initiating Design Observer, his motivation and what he found the hardest. And finally the most important lesson he has learned.

Michael Bierut talks about his particular rituals and obsessions. He compares song writing to design and why it is similar. The most important quality of a designer. His heroes, how he doesn’t collect. His ideologies such as ‘there is always more than one way to solve a design problem’.

Rudi Protrudi explains how the news works in the USA, how the youth movement in the 60s died and more political issues. Rudi is very sure that here is no hope for the US, especially for creatives. And the people in the US do not even care. He ends this episode with telling us how he would like to be remembered. (Recorded at Typeradio’s Sweet16)

Fuzztones frontman Rudi Protrudi talks about his art education and how he came to run his own record label. The last Fuzztones tour was in 2007. What now? After working at Meta design Markus Strumpel moved to India to work as a graphic designer for the Tibetan government in exile and the Dalai Lama. He talks about how this came about, the cultural differences between the West and Tibet and his upcoming projects. Finally he reflects on the current political situation in Tibet and China. (Recorded at Typeradio’s Sweet16)

Graphic designer Markus Strümpel and Fuzztones frontman Rudi Protrudi start off by telling us how they met and how they started working together. Rudi explains why musicians should do everything when running a band, and why he moved to Berlin. He also reminisces about his own ‘sweet 16’ years. Single handedly responsible for the garage rock revival (duly noted), Rudi talks about his influences and the early days of his career. We end this episode with the Fuzztones song ‘Johnson In A Headlock’. (Recorded at Typeradio’s Sweet16)

In what way does Yang Liu think the economic boom affected Chinese graphic design? Teaching both in Bejing and Berlin, in what way are the students different? What city does she consider her ideal city as a designer? Yang Liu talks about her interest in the Bejing Opera and upcoming projects like a book and an exhibit called East Meets West. Is it different to work for Chinese clients? And does Yang work with both western as Chinese writing systems? (Recorded at Typeradio’s Sweet16)

Yang Liu has tried various religions but chooses to be part-time religious. She talks about what inspired her to be a graphic designer. She doesn’t feel more German nor Chinese, she thinks she belongs everywhere. She talks about her favourite dish and her heroes, her poster designs for the Berlin Aquarium, local Berlin hero polar bear Knut and where you can hug a panda bear. What is specifically chinese about her work? Is she considered a foreigner in China? (Recorded at Typeradio’s Sweet16)

Via Malcolm’s first choice of music, early German experimental electronic music, we stumble upon a fascination for all things German. Malcolm feels a little disappointed with current bands, but he does admire Rammstein and Kraftwerk. He explains how this German fascination influences his design work and way of thinking. As he embraced digital technologies early on, going hand in hand with his interest in mass communication, he saw it rather as an opportunity to explore new disciplines and ways of thinking. And things will keep on changing dramatically, also the role of the designer. New media have been democratised. Malcolm doesn’t care about the technology, he is much more interested in how people communicate. (Recorded at Typeradio’s Sweet16)