Phoenix Design

But: no two Yoyos are alike. What differentiates them? The material, form, the idea behind it – and – the task they receive from their mentor Sven Feustel, Principal Designer.

This year’s results from Adrian, Anna, Felix, Dominic, Manav could not be any more different. The topic: create a Yoyo out of ceramics. The interns had to learn, that this material is an own craft and to deal with the materiality has to be learned.

The concept of Adrian, Fh Johanneum, the casting process is celebrated and thus combines craftsmanship with mass production. Also for Felix, FH Hannover, the design process of ceramics was a special challenge as the material contains of different properties that had to be considered during manufacture and design.

“The manufacturing process has had a huge impact on our design language, but in the end I think we have a yoyo that showcases the properties of the material well” Felix explained.

Manav, ISD Rubika, dealt with the heritage of a Yoyo, that literally means “coming back”. For him personally, it was important to not only dive into the PHOENIX ocean during his internship, but also creating a wave back. Also for Dominic, HfG Gmünd, the contrast of ceramics reflects the personal challenge he sees in the working environment when it comes to the intersection of humanity but also the drive to perfection.

The 20th German Founder's Award for Lifetime Achievement was presented by Helmut Schleweis. He put the audience on tenterhooks: "I can imagine that some of you have already had contact with him this morning right after getting up. With a glance at the shower head, it then quickly became clear: it's about Klaus Gruhe, who has been running the hansgrohe company in the second generation since 1968. The inventive spirit remains in the company after Hans Grohe invented the hand shower and shower bar, thus making daily showers possible for us.

After a mountain bike accident in 2001, Klaus Grohe broke his hip, so the concept for the "Raindance shower" had to be unceremoniously presented by our founder Tom Schönherr at his hospital bedside. In this scene you can see the endless drive forward and the passion for innovation that can still be felt in the company today and from which we as a design studio also benefit. Everything conventional is questioned for the time being, what has always been done this way cannot be the (only) solution. 

Thank you for allowing us to be part of this process for over 35 years. The entire PHOENIX team congratulates you and the entire Hansgrohe team and wishes you all the best!

You can find the video of Klaus Grohe about his life’s work here: https://www.deutscher-gruenderpreis.de/video/749205238/

Picture: Dirk Bruniecki für Deutscher Gründerpreis

Vincent is studying Industrial Design at the FH Johanneum in Graz with a focus on Mobility Design. Sabrina and Sarah are studying interaction design at the Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd. Vincent hopes that the internship will help him to get to know the everyday working life of designers better and to improve his skills. Sarah brings motivation and curiosity to PHOENIX. Her passion in the design process lies mainly in research and conception.

She hopes to collaborate with colleagues and learn new perspectives and working methods. In design, she sees the chance to make the world more sustainable and to make people aware of current problems.

Sabrina is also looking forward to the new challenge at PHOENIX and hopes to learn new methods and ways of working during her internship, as well as to deepen the knowledge she gained during her studies. She also wants clarity regarding her professional direction after graduation. Besides design, she is concerned with the future handling of existing resources and sustainable materials. "If you keep your eyes open and are open to new things, you get new ideas and inspiration from everywhere."

We wish you a good start to your internship and an educational time!

But wait – it’s not a real goodbye as some will continue their journey together with us as working students. Dominic Hahn will work with us as a product designer alongside his studies at the HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd. From PHOENIX, he will primarily take away many new skills and a better understanding of good design.

Adrian Steurer and Anna Marie Kotter, both students of Industrial Design at the FH Johanneum in Graz, will also continue to support us as working students. For Adrian, PHOENIX is both professional and progressive. If he had to describe PHOENIX in three words, they would be: development, professional and human. Anna adds inspirational, familial and international. For her, it was particularly exciting to gain insights into the expertise of her colleagues at PHOENIX.

We are particularly pleased that Anna and Adrian were encouraged by their internship to continue with their design studies. Both want to continue their development in the direction of sustainability with a Master's degree in Eco Innovation.

The Munich studio was pleased to have the active support of Manav Hemnani from the University of Rubika Design in France. Manav is studying Industrial Design Management with a focus on product design and is expected to finish his studies in November this year. 

It is not so easy for him to prioritise all the things he will take away from PHOENIX: “Honestly, it is difficult to prioritize all the many things I appreciated during my time here. With the opportunity to conduct user tests, I was able to experience and understand how we at Phoenix translate feedback into directions of development and strengthen the concept." He was also able to develop his rapid prototyping skills. The models later helped him work out the details and movements of concepts. He also takes away the communication of projects through storytelling for his future presentations. 

The Munich office was furthermore supported by Felix Heidemann who studies Product Design at the University of Applied Sciences Hannover. What he takes with him from PHOENIX are plenty of new experiences and newly learned skills. If he would have to describe PHOENIX in three words, those would be: professional, family and communicative. Felix will now finish his Bachelor with his thesis and would then like to start with a Master’s programme.

We wish everyone a successful path in design and all the best for the future!

In the Stuttgart teams we welcome Dominic, Anna and Adrian. The Munich team is supported by Felix. Felix Heidemann is studying Industrial Design at the HS Hannover. Dominic Hahn is in the bachelor program Product Design at the HfG Gmünd, with a special focus on User Centered Design. From his internship at PHOENIX he hopes to get more clarity about "good design decisions".

We asked Dominic "What's the best part about being a designer:intern?" "Solving problems and making this world a better place. It is really satisfying to see what a huge impact design can have."

Anna Marie Kotter and Adrian Steurer are studying industrial design in their bachelor's degree at FH Johanneum in Graz. From her studies, Anna wants to retain abstract and free thinking when she starts at PHOENIX. Even though the basis of her studies is Industrial Design, she is increasingly interested in the UX/UI area and would like to further develop her skills there as well.

For Adrian, the design of products for everyday use and the associated user experience plays a particularly significant role: " Since my university places a lot of emphasis on the emotional interaction between people and physical products, this suits me very well."

We wish all new interns an exciting and instructive six months in the PHOENIX teams.

About PHOENIX: PHOENIX is a design and innovation studio that creates experiences that touch people - today for tomorrow - always driven by Logik, Moral und Magie. As an independent, award-winning design and innovation studio, PHOENIX makes the often foggy future visible and tangible for its partners, accompanying them from idea to market success. Today, the team of around 70 international experts designs at the Stuttgart, Munich and Shanghai locations and thus stands for excellent design - as confirmed by over 900 design awards since our founding in 1987 and our first-place rank in the category design studio of the iF World Design Index.

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Franziska Warnke Communication Manager
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M +49 173 7294632

Today is the day to show the women around you an extra portion of respect, gratitude and support! Happy International Women’s Day to all strong, powerful and incredible women out there!

Here you can see some of the female power of PHOENIX – our Product Designer Tiantian at studio Shanghai, our UX/UI Designer Marlene at studio Stuttgart and not to forget our now and then emotional support Selma. It’s a blast to have all of you here!

We asked our female designers how they perceive their working environment and whether they feel equal. The answers varied. Even though women are now more valued in most industries, there are still enough negative examples in everyday working life. Situations in which a woman has to appear more dominant in order to be taken just as seriously as a male colleague of the same age, or in which women do not feel perceived at eye level, make it more difficult for us to move towards an equal society.

So to all of you: please take care of each other and be aware to help in any of those situations.

About PHOENIX: PHOENIX is a design and innovation studio that creates experiences that touch people - today for tomorrow - always driven by Logik, Moral und Magie. As an independent, award-winning design and innovation studio, PHOENIX makes the often foggy future visible and tangible for its partners, accompanying them from idea to market success. Today, the team of around 70 international experts designs at the Stuttgart, Munich and Shanghai locations and thus stands for excellent design - as confirmed by over 900 design awards since our founding in 1987 and our first-place rank in the category design studio of the iF World Design Index.

Contact: Enable JavaScript to view protected content.

Franziska Warnke Communication Manager
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M +49 173 7294632

Even though the six-month internship is coming to an end in February, all three will stay with us as working students!

Sophie, bachelor student in Interaction Design at the @Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd, Tina, bachelor student in Media & Interaction Design at the @Hochschule Osnabrück and Timo, master student in Eco Innovative Design at the FH Johanneum in Graz completed their internship at PHOENIX. What is of course of burning interest to us at the end - what do they take with them on their further journey? Were their expectations fulfilled? Who or what made a special impression on them?

What the three unanimously report back (and we are very happy about that) is the deep insight into their intended professional life and the practical application of previously learned knowledge. Especially the development of skills in the areas of UX/UI or ID, as well as the collaboration with customers and colleagues in the project teams has helped our interns in their personal development.

To the question: "You pack your suitcase, what do you take with you from the internship?", Timo answers: "Although I always resolved to travel lightly in the past, it won't be easy for me this time and I expect my suitcase to be a lot fuller than before".

Of course, it has not escaped the attention of our interns that the professional life of designers involves a lot of work and also sacrifice - the passion for design often creates a maelstrom around it. Keeping a balance between work and free time - a learning that is also part of reality.

Thank you for your support, input to the teams, and time together! Good luck with your further journey, which we - at least for now - are taking together.

About PHOENIX: PHOENIX is a design and innovation studio that creates experiences that touch people - today for tomorrow - always driven by Logik, Moral und Magie. As an independent, award-winning design and innovation studio, PHOENIX makes the often foggy future visible and tangible for its partners, accompanying them from idea to market success. Today, the team of around 70 international experts designs at the Stuttgart, Munich and Shanghai locations and thus stands for excellent design - as confirmed by over 900 design awards since our founding in 1987 and our first-place rank in the category design studio of the iF World Design Index.

Contact: Enable JavaScript to view protected content.

Franziska Warnke Communication Manager
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M +49 173 7294632

In the course Information Design, which is part of the Service Design module, several participants from completely different areas just as educators, nurses or restaurant service staff were interviewed by the students to gain information on their workplace environment – considering the question: “How can we design a service in the work context that contributes to improving the physical and mental well-being of working people?”.

What the students valued most, was that the whole process of design research was shown by our designers: “We were accompanied by Caro, Stephan and Claudia as experts with a lot of euphoria and passion in an intensive design process. For me, I particularly take with me, the many little tips and tricks from practice: from conscious pauses in speech in interviews, to the direct naming and visualization of concept ideas, to the right balance of facts & storytelling for next level presentations." – a feedback that makes us very happy, from Service Design student Nicola Obermaier.

Picture Copyright: Hochschule der Medien

About PHOENIX: PHOENIX is a design and innovation studio that creates experiences that touch people - today for tomorrow - always driven by Logik, Moral und Magie. As an independent, award-winning design and innovation studio, PHOENIX makes the often foggy future visible and tangible for its partners, accompanying them from idea to market success. Today, the team of around 70 international experts designs at the Stuttgart, Munich and Shanghai locations and thus stands for excellent design - as confirmed by over 900 design awards since our founding in 1987 and our first-place rank in the category design studio of the iF World Design Index.

Contact: Enable JavaScript to view protected content.

Franziska Warnke Communication Manager
Enable JavaScript to view protected content.
M +49 173 7294632