In this episode, I talk to Eike König, a Berlin-based graphic designer, and creative director, who’s also a teacher, and an artist. We cover topics such as his approach to teaching, challenges on his career journey, advice to young creative professionals, his struggle with depression, and much more.

Biography

Eike König, born 1968 in Hanau, studied Graphic Design at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. He was the Art Director of Logic Records and has been running his own studio for visual communication, Hort, which emerged from the Frankfurt techno scene, since 1994. The studio moved to Berlin in 2007 and had been growing as a group ever since. Eike has held various endowment and visiting professorships at German universities, including Bauhaus Universität Weimar, HfG Offenbach and Hochschule Mainz University of Applied Sciences. The work by Hort is regularly published in the leading international publications on the subject area. In recent years, besides his involvement in the creative industry, Eike has been active as an independent artist, for who’s work Peter Zizka, German designer and conceptual artist, says “Eike wouldn’t merit his kingly surname if he did not touch upon the anti-aesthetic tabernacle with quite so much virtuosity or have invented his very own visual chaos theory. His eternally creative light transforms design elements into free radicals, which develop a hugely associative delight in reaction among observers at every interface of contact.”

Selected Links From the Episode

• Eike König's Instagram
• Hort's Website
• Hort's Instagram
• Koenigsklasse
• Bauhaus Dessau
• HfG Offenbach
• Otl Aicher
• Mental Disorders Affect One in Four People
• What Is Depression?
• The Artificial Intelligence Revolution
• First Things First 1964 Manifesto

Show Notes

• Introduction [00:00]
• Episode Introduction [00:52]
• On Understanding Oneself [02:30]
• The Future of Education [07:17]
• Struggles on Eike's Creative Journey [19:35]
• Short Episode Break – Support the Podcast [30:43]
• Advice to Young Professionals [31:34]
• Eike's Current Challenges [35:20]
• Nothing in Life Is Certain [38:29]
• Thoughts on the Contemporary Digital Culture [48:20]
• Advice for Being a Better Creative Professional [52:04]
• Episode Outro [52:44]

Full transcript and more at https://creative.voyage/