unfun are a razor-sharp design studio based in Nurnberg Germany, founded by Michael Seibert, Simon Niedermeier and Wolfgang Schöffel in 2011.

unfun originally caught our eye with their poster work for Super Klub (pictured below) but after looking through the rest of their portfolio, which includes editorial, spatial, exhibition, typeface, web and 3D design, we realised that the posters were the tip of the iceberg. Despite their varied use and experimentation with medium and process, unfun have a clearly defined and recognisable aesthetic. It’s fiercely contemporary and almost futuristic.

They marry “classic design principles with the power of new technologies” and it’s this fusion which gets us so excited about their work.

Allow us to introduce…

Studio name:
unfun

Date founded:
2011

Team:
Simon Niedermeier, Wolfgang Schöffel, Michael Seibert ++

Country & City based:
Nuremberg, Germany

The story behind setting up:
We had known each other long before we even thought about working together. We all come from different backgrounds (tagging vs. hacking) and at that time we also had a really disturbing blog running via the in Russia very popular host livejournal.com. It was not even about design at all – somewhere between politics, friendship, literature and a hard-edged digital moodboard. There was certainly some 4chan humor in it. I guess I felt a bit like a gangmember. We then somehow blundered into starting our own design studio without really having any clients or business plan.

The biggest achievement of:
accelerate the awkward

The biggest failure of:
necessary

A lucky moment:
birth

An unlucky moment:
death

Best project yet:
birth

Worst project yet:
death

Studios creative idol:
All the Internet is the idol I guess… It connects us to everything at anytime. It’s just a matter of screening the infinity of influences. I don’t mind where it comes from, I just continue being picky on who or what is allowed to exert influence on me. Being aware of that, steering your own influences matters – not only as a designer.

If you didn’t become a designer, what would you have done?
I did not really grow up creatively, so I think I was not really supposed to be a designer. All the Unfun crew is coming rather from a working class background. That’s something we really appreciate. No way to impress my mother with design, but with being kind. I guess I would just work regularly somewhere 9 – 5.

Are there any studio rituals?
This is really boring: maximum coffee rituals

Studio theme tune?
Meat Loaf – I’d do anything for love

Is there a book you think people should see/read?
Robinson Crusoe and Homo Faber

Is there a website/blog(s) that you check regularly?
All the free download stuff: http://www.1001freefonts.com/, http://www.freesound.org/ +++

Your thoughts on attending GDFS2016:
Never been to Scotland. But only good people I met so far from Scotland. I want to go there! Thank you!

Michael for unfun.

SUPERKLUB — Die Rakete is one of the top-venues for electronic dance music in Germany. We created the promotional material.