We get in touch with Eike König from HORT for the first time in 2007 when he designed the 5th Anniversary for our friends at Get Physical.

Eike is kind of the Art Director for Berlin based Label and he did many of fantastic Designs in the past as well like for Booka Shade, Raz O Hara and many others.

We met him at his Berlin office in Kreuzberg for a little Interview about his work, his lifestyle and to know what Classic means to him.

Q: Eike,you are a Designer for almost 20 Years now, tell us a little bit about your history and what classic means to you as we think you must be a Guy who knows a lot about Classic.

Eike:That sounds like I am very old. Autsch. Okay, maybe I’m classic in the way of my education. When I went to university there was no computer around. So we were teached to do things by hand.

I think this is very important in my biography as a graphic designer. You work different when you use a computer. I need the experience of the space around me while I’m working. I need the smell of paper, the feel of the material I’m working with, the possibility to change easily perspective and distance. The computer is absorbing a lot of this adventure. And sometimes it is just limitating you and your outcome because of it’s programming. So I think human errors are important in my work. Whatever that means

I was working as an art director at Logic Records, opened my studio in 1994 and am now, besides my daily work for small and big names, teaching at universities and giving workshops around the globe.

Q: Is Sports something interesting for you and maybe also inspiring?Do you see a connection between Sports and Design?

Eike: Hey, I was an gymnast, so sport was for a long time part of my daily life. And I learned a lot that is good for my business now. But back to your question, design was always related to sport. Maybe in the beginning just fashion design, but later more and more the communication and visualisation of the ‘event’ itself. Sport brands became fashion brands – in a way. They’re having a big influence on youth culture.

During the last years more and more collaborations between sport brands and artists/designers etc. came up and if you have a closer look … it’s often not about ’sport’ anymore.

Q: We really love your Design for the Booka Shade Classic Sneaker ,what was the Idea behind it?

Eike: There’s not a ‘big’ idea behind. I got a blank sneaker from k-swiss, had to deal with the shape and the details of the product itself and decided just to work with the graphic elements of the Booka Logo we designed 6 years ago. The black shapes work very well and are able to interact with the details of the sneaker.

Q: You moved from the South of Germany (Frankfurt) to Berlin in 2007. How important was that for you and what is Berlin actually bringing to your work?

Eike: To be honest it was not my idea to move here. I asked my team where they want to work and they said Berlin. So we moved all together. The city itself has no influence on our work. The most exciting part in it is, that the living cost are extremly low and the city has a lot space and ideas to offer. But I can work from everywhere. So I think I will stay here for a while and then move on.

Q: Do you have any recommendations for KSPACE People? As many of them coming to Berlin this summer we think…

Eike: Oh, you are asking the wrong person. I’m a bit too old to know the hot spots of the city. I am always following my team members who are much younger than I am and knowing much more about the city

and it’s movements then I do. What I really like is ‘Wild at heart’ – kind of a rock’n'roll club in Kreuzberg. Very small, very hot – reminded me on Continental Club in NY. Anyway, summer is great in Berlin.

Get a bicylcle, let it flow, let yourself go … all the stuff that is happening close to the river – like Bar25 are nice spots to say hi to the morning light and the Wiener Schnitzel at Prater Garten in Prenzlauer Berg is a really cool Place as well.

Thank You, Eike !

Check out of Eike designed work for Hort in our Gallery