Ariane Spanier - PASSION BRUNCH

Ariane Spanier, a graphic designer based in Berlin, Germany. She designs all kinds of printed matter, including identity, posters, and typography. Any sort of thing that is interesting and curious to her. 

I liked the word 'graphic designer' as the description of my profession. Some people may call themselves 'communication designers.' or art- and creative directors, which is more of directing others to do things. Of course, I do directing in my studio, but I consider myself a designer, as in doing something by myself. Besides thinking up concepts, creating lines, shapes, and forms relates more to what I do. Even if I work with all kinds of media (photography, motion, etc.), graphic design is my main essence.

My interest in art and design was fostered from a young age, as it was a natural part of my family background. My father was a product designer, my mother was an art historian, and my uncle was an artist. Not that they told me to do the same, but it was something nurtured in me, and it was simply my everyday environment. Like any other kid, I enjoyed drawing and painting. It was coming easy for me. Many kids may lose interest and stop drawing when they grow up, but I didn't.
 

I had a brief glimpse into TV production, and first thought film and documentary were for me. But after a short period, I knew it was not my passion. Directing, connecting with people, and casting actors that align with the story's vision are crucial elements in this field. Once I had a chance in a few of those, I knew it was not my thing.
 

I decided to go to art school and study communication design, at some point even thinking of becoming an artist. But I ended up enjoying working with clients' themes and matters more than my own because they always bring on something new.

I find tackling new and diverse subjects keeps me engaged and drives me to expand my knowledge and research skills. It is something truly rewarding about this job. 

 

As a graphic designer, my subject is constantly evolving. I don't just design books or posters but work with various mediums and matters. It would be tiring if I were only to do the same type of design all the time. But if I am working on, let’s say an Art Biennial design, a cookbook, a video, or a logo for a gallery, these are all slightly different. It means I get to work and think in various ways.

 

Designing Fukt Magazine for contemporary drawing with Bjørn Hegardt means a new challenge for every issue – with a constant framework for exploring variations within the same. As an in-house project, there is all the freedom to do whatever we like with it. 

One of the significant impacts on design is the internet. The speed at which styles and trends spread globally and how people educate themselves have changed dramatically compared to when I was studying. Back then, references and sources were limited to competition books featuring selected works. It used to be our only source. 
 

For a long time, I took design for granted and globally valid in how I grew up and was taught in art school. In Western European design education, we can still see the Bauhaus's fundamentally underlying everything designers look back into and build upon, I am no exception. But in countries with a very different or more recent design history or heritage available, what are they basing their design on, and what do they look back at? As design gets distributed globally through the internet/social media platforms today, a different type of design education is within your reach. Every place in the world has its own visual heritage, and this is something that hopefully will be explored further. I want to see more parallel design histories in the future since our different cultures in the world are so rich. 

 

At the same time, you have to shield yourself against browsing too much of other designers' work. Developing your distinct style can become more challenging to achieve. But there is always a healthy mix of looking inwards and outwards necessary.

Passion is also something that might only last for a while. It could be something you find out after five or ten years or in something you enjoy for a short time.

Going to bed (late). I have never been a morning person. Time is shifted for me, and I usually work until late. I like how quiet it is at night when others go to sleep. It feels like I have the world to myself. A rewarding feeling after a long work day with good sleep, knowing another day is yet to come. 

 

Other than working in my studio, I love to travel. My family and I would visit our summer house in Sweden every summer. Taking boat trips to the small rocky islands, and night walks with glowing plankton.

 

Another favorite place is an artist studio house in Tenerife that we rent sometimes. The house was originally built and owned by an artist with a beautiful garden with dragon trees, palm, and orange trees. There is a view of an enormous volcano that made up this island—an endless view of the atlantic ocean with exceptionally starry skies at night. The milky way is always in sight. 

 

In Berlin, I love to go for walks at peacock island. It reminds me of my childhood parks in the town I grew up. The island's gardens were designed by a landscape designer in the late 18th century. In that romantic era, a German King envisioned parks to be tropical mixed with references to Roman architecture and a wild collage of other histories. Although it's intensely beautiful and fake and a little crazy, you sense a longing and fantasy by someone from long gone days. 

 

As a designer, I always work with colors, they are tools for me. My preferences change from time to time, but I always wear black clothes. I love colors on other people, but I always feel like they don't suit me. 

 

Black is not a color for me. But instead, it's form, lines, shapes, and ideas. I love yellow too, but yellow comes close to being a non-color, as it serves to cheat your way around black and white. So I can't pick yellow for that reason out of respect for the other colors. I'll go with red-orange for now. It's warm, evenly hot and intense, alarming and strong, and it can stand its own place.