MetaDesign

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MetaDesign is an influential German design consultancy founded by Erik Spiekermann. At the height of its capabilities, the business had offices in Berlin, London and San Francisco and employed more than 250 designers.

1 Berlin, 1979
2 San Francisco, 1992 and London, 1995
3 Recent work
4 External links

[edit] Berlin, 1979

Spiekermann originally founded the company in 1979, and went through two iterations of the business before the most successful period when he partnered up with Hans C. Krueger, a businessman with a background in banking, and Uli Mayer, another designer. The company had offices in Berlin overlooking the Berlin Wall at Potsdamer Platz and was serendipitously in the right place, with the right people at the right time to take full advantage of the reunification of Germany and the City of Berlin in particular. MetaDesign's principal reputation was gleaned through engagements for the Berlin Transit System (BVG) in a project that became a figurehead for the reunification of the city. Further landmark engagements followed for Volkswagen, Audi, Düsseldorf Airport Authority and Springer Verlag, with MetaDesign providing corporate identity solutions for the first wave of internet adopters. The Meta typeface, also designed by Spiekermann, originally for the German Bundespost, was by this time also becoming ubiquitous.

[edit] San Francisco, 1992 and London, 1995

In 1992, MetaDesign established the San Francisco office, sometimes referred to as MetaWest, around Bill Hill (IDEO) and Terry Irwin (Landor Associates), and then in 1995 the London office around Tim Fendley (now Founder of Applied Information Group), and Robin Richmond, formerly founders of Union Design. Meta's San Francisco office grew a reputation for client relationships with Silicon Valley technology companies and developed innovative interactive teaching media including ViZability, IDEO's first web site, publishing systems for Ernst & Young and McGraw Hill and specialist event publicity for Fuse 98. The Meta London office specialised in branding for the digital arena working for clients including The Economist Group, Ferrari, The City of Bristol and Škoda Auto. In 1999, the London office was sold to Icon Medialab, who in turn were sold to Michiel Mol's Lost Boys in 2002. In 2001, Lost Boys had also purchased the majority of the shares of MetaDesign in Berlin. By then founder Spiekermann had left to form the United Designers Network in 2000. The San Francisco office is now the only independently-owned MetaDesign office and has survived a major exodus created by the establishment of Method Inc and the dot.com downturn.