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Interview with Martin Hoffmann |
Home > Designer Interviews > Martin Hoffmann |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Martin Hoffmann (MH) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Martin Hoffmann by clicking here.
FS: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
MH: I have been interested in creative subjects since my youth. Drawing and photography were fun and challenged my imagination. I developed an affinity for logos and typefaces and creative experiments at an early age. So it was logical that I decided to study communication design after a few semesters studying economics.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
MH: My design agency provides creative solutions in design, illustration and photography. With passion, ambition, a lot of heart and soul and the right connection to the customer, tailor-made and well thought-out designs are developed and realised. I see my roots in print-orientated times as a solid foundation for innovative creations in the digital world. One thing remains the same: creativity is born in the mind.
FS: What is "design" for you?
MH: Good design is self-explanatory. Good design works. Good design does not need a description of what - how - where - why.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
MH: These are not easy jobs. Work that challenges you, that you have to put yourself in, internalise and understand. Then you have to develop something new and different from it, something that has to fit perfectly. In doing so, you have to observe design and formal principles and perhaps even break them. Whether it's logos or complex diagrams, illustrations from unusual perspectives or the soul in a photo.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
MH: I don't have a special one when you ask me about my creations. They are the designs that you can't get enough of. The ones you like to look at again and again, with a smile and a good feeling. There are illustrations, logos and websites that I like to look at again and again. One of my favourite designs is the BMW R90S from the early 70s. A shape that is timelessly beautiful for me and that I have loved since I was a child. Or the Porsche 911 from the late 60s.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
MH: These were packaging labels for my first employer and the layout for a folder.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
MH: Scribbles with a pen. The Mac with Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom. My Canon R5 and the right lens.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
MH: When I've already put some thought into something and I notice how a good feeling builds up. When things are going well, one thing leads to another.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
MH: To test whether it is understandable. To look at it again and again from a different angle. To go a little further than planned. To remove elements to see whether it is better or worse afterwards.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
MH: Disinterest, curiosity, obsession, frustration, elation, questioning one's own abilities, satisfaction, perfectionism
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
MH: Contentment
FS: What makes a design successful?
MH: Formal perfection, coherence of content and the ability to create a feeling.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
MH: Is it aesthetically coherent and does it appeal to me?
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
MH: How can I contribute with my ideas and my design to do my part for a future worth living?
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
MH: Design and creation will always exist. But the job profile is constantly changing. From print to digital, now with AI. AI has come to stay. AI can and will take on many tasks in design. The important thing is that creativity, responding to the customer, to the content, empathising in order to develop better ideas, still needs people to develop the human touch. Unfortunately, many people are led to believe that design is as simple as a few clicks. Especially from software manufacturers who have earned their money with professionals for decades. It hasn't got any easier in the creative industry.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
MH: Keep your eyes open.
FS: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
MH: Clean, cleanly designed, with soul and heart I am an advocate of good design based on the principle that less is more. Make it easy for the viewer and offer them a visual feel-good atmosphere to bring them closer to the theme. And yet there is that little bit of contrast in the design to make it more interesting and give it a special character.
FS: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
MH: In Germany, more precisely in Bavaria. Our culture and our history are a part of us. Much is based on it, consciously or unconsciously, in acceptance or rejection. I found the style of the Blaue Reiter artists inspiring. Bauhaus and HfG played a role in my studies and were also partly reflected in my design. But also as a further development. The disadvantages are certainly the economic circumstances, which no longer make a calculation realistic if a customer obtains more favourable offers for some work in other EU countries.
FS: How do you work with companies?
MH: For me, personal contact and respectful, professional interaction are essential. The customer is king, he gets my full commitment. But he works with me to hear my professional opinion, my assessment. He won't get a yes or a nod from me, but he will get an honest, well-founded opinion. I defend my work if I am convinced that it is the better solution.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
MH: Good communication is the be-all and end-all. Wishes, briefings and ideas should be formulated precisely and ambiguities should be discussed carefully in order to minimise difficulties in advance. A good design needs time, just as a good whisky needs time to mature. A good designer listens, asks questions when things are unclear and should take an interest in the topic they are working on beyond the design horizon.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
MH: Design: information, research, considerations, brainstorming, scribbles, preliminary layouts, refinements, alternatives, optimisations, considerations, optimisations, considerations, optimisations, finalisation. Always in contact with the customer for questions. Illustration: Information, research, considerations, brainstorming, scribbles, preliminary drawings, finalisation. Always in contact with the customer for questions. Photography: Information, research, considerations on the topic in advance. On location: seeing, observing, capturing light, weather, moods, situations, ideas, moments.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
MH: Leica M4P, Rolf Benz sofa, Macbook, my A' Design trophy, a simple print by Picasso
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
MH: Believe in yourself and don't let your work be maligned, but be your harshest critic. Always question yourself and your work. Think through your work completely and you can explain it everywhere. Get to the bottom of things before you make a design. Recognise your value and don't let yourself be paid less than you're worth. Put your heart into it.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
MH: You're always creative. It sucks you dry sometimes.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
MH: Reduce to the max
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
MH: Being able to see things differently, imagination, discipline, perseverance, thinking and feeling, being sensitive and at the same time having a thick skin. Drawing skills.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
MH: Macbook pro, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, Indesign, Character Animator, After Effects, Firefly, Chat Gpt, Behance, design books, typo books, paper and pencil
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
MH: Discipline and planing
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
MH: That depends on the object form hours to days.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
MH: How much will it cost.
FS: What was your most important job experience?
MH: When one door closes, another opens.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
MH: Mostly by myself but also in cooperation with the client
FS: How can people contact you?
MH: mail@mhoffmann-design.de
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A’ Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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