On Monday 12th October I (Nathan Monk) met Erik Spiekermann, one of the worlds most famous typographers/graphic designers.

My journey took me to edenspiekermann_ in Berlin where I would meet Erik Spiekermann. I walked from my hotel to 126 Friedrichstraße in the pouring rain. I started out a bit earlier than I needed to. I was glad that I did as I struggled to find the building, but when I did I had a bit of time left so I stopped off at a coffee shop next door. I gave myself some time to dry off and compose myself.

I was greeted by Steffi Schidun, who I had been emailing back and forth for months. She took me over to one of the meeting areas and told me that he was running a little late: by now I was really nervous. The studio is a beautiful collection of clean lines and has a wonderful open atmosphere. There were a set of proofs on the board in front of me and a collection of awards behind me. All I could think was, “This is surreal”.

When I least expected it Erik Spiekermann walked down the stairs and greeted me. He was really friendly and we began chatting instantly. As it turns out Erik Spiekermann has more links in England than I realised, he could even tell that I was a Brummie!

We started chatting about edenspiekermann_ and how it was weathering the storm of the recession. Germany has been hit hard and as a result so have edenspiekermanns clients. I was surprised at how frank he was with me. He told me very honestly about having to lose staff which clearly was not an easy thing to go through. Bosch are their biggest clients and he told me that they have seen a drop in profits, this isn’t something you want to hear when they pay you to design for them.

  • Nathan Monk: So how do you cope with something like that?
  • Erik Spiekermann: We don’t!

One thing that I was keen to find out about was the edenspiekermann_ manifesto. I wanted to find out how clients reacted to it and how they would approach projects with this in mind. I didn’t get to ask these questions directly but I got the answers anyway. The company is built on firm principles that simply do not bend. I knew that I was talking to someone who was confident about what he did. We talked about the nature of the graphic design business and how it seems to be full of “bullshit and smokescreens” but behind all of that it is important that there is some substance. This is what I would call communication design.

He said that “design is not the answer to instantly increase profits. It is a long term process that takes effect over a period of time.” I wondered how on earth he sold this concept to his clients.

It was reassuring to go to edenspiekermann_ and see that they were finding this economic situation as tough as others were. I noticed similarities between edenspiekermann_ and SMILE in nearly every respect. A lot of things became clear when I asked him about how he got work. I expected him to tell me about some tender software, but he told me; “it’s all about connections.” He said, “I get a lot of work with people I have met or taught because they will get asked about a design brief and they will tell them about that Spiekermann guy.”

“Treat everybody as a potential client.”

“That Spiekermann guy” was going to be the title of this report because it came up so much. It was this point that made everything fall into place for me. I was nervous about meeting him, but from the first moment that I did, I realised that he was “that Spiekermann guy”. He doesn’t make a point about what he has achieved because he doesn’t need to. He is concerned with the now, and dealing with his clients design needs in a diligent way.

Perhaps the most interesting thing that we spoke about was the case against free pitches. As a start-up business in the design industry, I read many stories about how free pitches should be banned but often feel that a small business like SMILE couldn’t possibly justify such a strong standing point. The problem with a lot of anti-free pitch arguments is that they provide no solution. I was told that it was a recent principle at edenspiekermann_ not to pitch for free but instead they do speculative work for something that has a personal connection to them. He told me about a pharmacy chain that he uses regularly but hates the signage. He wrote a letter and discussed how he could improve the store and he got a response. I asked why free pitches are so bad: “More often than not, they don’t know what they want. It’s a matter of luck if they pick your work. I can’t recall one time that a free pitch has ever resulted in good work for us!” There were also a list of conditions that edenspiekermann_ strictly followed in any pitch.

  • Erik Spiekermann: We want to know who we’re up against
  • Nathan Monk: Why?
  • Erik Spiekermann: Because if the list includes a bunch of companies that specialise in different stuff, then they don’t know what they want.

I got given a tour of edenspiekermann_ which is a very cool place. What I liked was the attitude towards work. It reminded me of the ethos that Matt, Sue and I had sculpted for SMILE. Everyone was serious about design, but there was a relaxed outlook and it didn’t feel like a high pressure office.

“If you want to know what the trick is then all I can tell you is that I don’t know it.
We still make mistakes.”

He asked me what I was doing now I had left university and I told him about SMILE. When I explained that it wasn’t a university project, but a fully fledged business he seemed rather impressed! Whilst on the tour one of his American designers asked what I was doing, Erik Spiekermann made a joke about me being an industry spy!

I handed him my business card, knowing what was about to be said:

  • Erik Spiekermann: Ah! So you’re a Helvetica shop.
  • Nathan Monk: I know you’re not a fan of Helvetica…
  • Erik Spiekermann: No, I like Helvetica, I just don’t like the attitude that comes with it a lot of the time. It’s actually quite nice letter-pressed isn’t it! I like letter-press.

He smiled, shook my hand and I left for my plane home.

I learnt a lot from visiting edenspiekermann_ in Berlin. He exercises control in a seemingly invisible manner. He’s honest and straight talking something that seems to translate to his clients positively.

Erik Spiekermann is full of wisdom and has a gift for explaining it in an understandable way. I returned home feeling incredibly positive about my future career in design. This trip was an experience and has given me the time to think about the industry in a way that I haven’t before. I would recommend travelling to meet industry peers as a legitimate method of learning. It’s not as expensive as you would think either. Travelling to learn is addictive, this is not the last time that I will do it. I already have another 2 trips planned!

Look out for more trips by me and the rest of the SMILE gang. We are planning trips to other studios and individuals! Can you think of anyone you’d like us to meet?