When you first arrive in Frankfurt, you usually don’t like it. Partly because of the reputation it’s carried since the post-war period (and the nickname Mainhattan, due to its skyscrapers, doesn’t help), and partly because it really does have modern, boxy buildings, but without Berlin’s atmosphere. Yet this year it is the World Design Capital: Mazda, the event’s mobility partner, has given us the chance to see it through different eyes, showing us some design gems, from furniture to communication.
Creativity behind rationality
Frankfurt perhaps embodies the stereotype of German rationality more than any other city. But, like Milan, behind this apparent rationality lies a vibrant creativity. The e15 studio, which produces high-quality furniture, is a case in point: it is housed in old industrial warehouses and was founded just over thirty years ago by Philipp Mainzer, who brought what he had learnt in London to Frankfurt, creating a continuum between formal research and the tradition of furniture-making.
e15’s trademark, they explain, is its ability to engage with the imperfections of natural wood. Cracks, fissures and variations in colour are not flaws to be concealed, but become the brand’s signature and a stylistic element.
The studio’s first table came about in this way: Mainzer observed the remaining beams in a modest house and saw not waste, but the potential of a design element, in contrast to the trend of the time. In the 1990s, design favoured cold minimalism and smooth materials; e15 chose the opposite path, showcasing wood in its most authentic state. This is evident in all their products, particularly in the Backenzahn, the chair that has become an icon, shown to us in a new metal version unveiled during the 3Days of Design in Copenhagen.
Colours in the background
The same desire to explore and revolutionise can be found in Es ist Freitag, an example of communication design. The agency is right in the city centre, not far from the revitalised Römerberg, and was set up to help those who live here discover the city. “When we opened” – they explain – “we did so because Frankfurt never celebrates itself: its residents see it as a place where you simply go to work. We needed a platform to showcase all the interesting things happening in the city every day”.
Es ist Freitag has opted for vibrant colours and furnishings, so much so that from the outside it doesn’t look like an office at all. It organises events and DJ sets and, as well as looking after clients, produces a magazine and publications that link projects together, shaping a new identity for Frankfurt. From festival graphics to communications for museums and institutions, from design publishing to hospitality, the team of around ten people works across the entire creative chain, from the conceptual phase right through to social media posts.
