Marcel Staudt is, together with Roger Quandel, managing director of QUANDEL STAUDT Design. The creative office develops and implements integrated communication concepts for companies and offices in the fields of architecture, furniture, culture, consulting, healthcare and life sciences. Quandel Staudt stands for clear images and conceptual guiding ideas that create lively and strong identities. Marcel is also co-founder of other companies, such as omnikono GmbH, which deals with experimental internet projects, typography and graphics in space, and StartUp tripmii – a platform for travel bloggers.
Frankfurt is for me …
… the most interesting city in Germany!
… a city with high speed, I like that very much. Frankfurt that means short distances, countless possibilities and a multi-layered source of inspiration, a home.
What do you love most about your job?
That I can do what I love and that I would also choose to do as a hobby if it were not already my profession: designing. That with every new client or job I have a new challenge that I didn’t have before. Every industry, every company, every contact person is different. There is always a lot to learn and understand. I am interested in (really!) everything. Therefore I fit very well to my job ;)
Where do you get your ideas from?
They arise at work! You start somewhere usually, the path leads somewhere else. It feels a little like a race through a maze. The dialogue is very important for me to take a step back and look at the idea rationally. Sometimes I get the idea in the shower, but basically, I think the “being kissed by your muse” concept while doing nothing is a myth. Ideas are work! Especially the good ones ;)
My lunch break …
… often takes place in our conference room. Here we usually “clarify” big, world-philosophical questions with a lot of half-knowledge. This is fun until the smartphone acts as a referee.
What trends do you think we will see this year?
There are a few:
In graphic design, I see a lot of isometries right now: in illustrations, of course, but also in photography – that’s new and exciting. Bright colour gradients are not over yet and “Marble Madness”, i.e. 3D worlds are becoming more and more popular.
But I can also see that print is currently “reinventing itself” again and putting its strengths to the foreground.
Then there is the massive expansion of the Internet of Things. This will create new disciplines for designers, especially in UI/ UX. (Keyword Voice User Interface and AI). And of course typography and design in virtual space with augmented reality. But there exist still a lot of gimmickries here. Real use cases still have to be found.
What else can we still learn?
Nothing is perfect. Everything you do today can be improved tomorrow. We learn more every day and that should be our goal. From a social point of view, we should again give respect and tolerance the most important place.
You should definitely do that in Frankfurt …
… Sitting on the museum bank in sunny weather with a blanket, baguette and wine, relaxing and enjoying the view of the city. In bad weather, visit one of the many museums – e.g. the Städel, MMK or the Schirn.
