On Wednesday 09 August I had a meeting with Manuel Raeder at his studio in Kreuzberg.

Manuel operates from a modest studio and works with a flexible team of interns. He established his studio proper after studying and working in both the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Manuel studied at the London College of Printing after which he decided to continue his academic pursuits with post-graduate studies at the prestigious Jan van Eyck Akademie in Maastricht in the Netherlands. Following his studies Manuel decided to settle in Berlin and he described the city as an ideal place to pursue his creative activities.

Manuel explained that he was not attracted to graphic design per se – his interests lay and continue to lie elsewhere. Manuel feels a particular kinship with contemporary art practice and critical theory and he described graphic design as a vehicle with which he could pursue these interests. Graphic design offers a way for Manuel to work on a variety projects that are of interest to him.

Manuel expressed an indifference toward corporate graphic design. He operates almost exclusively in the cultural sector and has established relationships with an enviable array of clients ranging from individual artists to curators and galleries.