#design #laufer+keichel

This year some of our products are the fruits of new collaborations with innovative designers. LÄUFER + KEICHEL is a creative partnership between Julia Läufer and Marcus Keichel. The pair has been working together since 2003. Their studio is located in the heart of Berlin. Focusing on sustainable design solutions, their disciplines range from furniture design and industrial design, through exhibition to corporate and communication design. Their work has been internationally exhibited, published and awarded.

New OFFECCT Designers: LÄUFER + KEICHEL

JULIA LÄUFER was born in Freiburg in the South of Germany. She studied fashion and textile design at St. Martin’s School of Arts in London, and at the University of the Arts in Berlin. During her studies she worked at Christian Dior in Paris, Apropos in Zürich and at the Stadttheater in Freiburg. Later on, she was a product manager for the fashion label Street One. She also had spells as a camera assistant and assistant
director, including projects with Serge Roman and Stanley Kubrick. After these experiences, Julia went back to working in the design field as an art director in communication before founding the studio with Marcus.

MARCUS KEICHEL was born in Frankfurt/Main. He studied industrial design, architecture and cultural studies at the University of the Arts in Berlin. After graduating, he worked as a freelance product and communication
designer before setting up the studio, Läufer + Keichel, with Julia. Since 2008 Marcus is also a guest professor at the University of the Arts in Berlin.

LÄUFER + KEICHEL in their own words: “Designing sustainable Things”

We search for ways to create sustainable relationships between people and the objects they use. When designing, there are two particular things on which we focus: the expression of the object and its utility. We believe that the successful synthesis of these aspects creates an object that transcends fleeting fashions and the tendency to dispose of things quickly.

We consider our objects as tools to enhance the management of daily activities. However, the objects are also symbols, of the ideals that influenced their conception or the traditions to which their design might allude.

People communicate through the objects they use and own. So design can have a profound effect on human relationships and the way people behave towards one another. Accordingly, we are committed to an inclusive aesthetic, one that corresponds to the humane values of democracy and an open society.

New products may not only signify some change in society, they may indeed be the impetus for such change. While developing new ideas we seek to balance creative innovation with a respect for established cultural norms. We believe the key to cultural progress lies in respecting traditional design mores while also maintaining an awareness of people’s inherited patterns of perception.

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