Honey of the Messestadt Packaging by Joel Derksen

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DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?

JD : The Messestadt area of Munich, with the tree-lined bikelanes and close-knit community. This honey began as a community project there, so it was only natural to bring this into the design.

DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?

JD : Both cost efficiency and a design that could only belong to this neighbourhood.

DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?

JD : Nothing - just for Birgit to continue to make honey!

DI: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?

JD : 3 months, in the evenings after work and weekends.

DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?

JD : I was asked by a colleague in my office to help her neighbour - Birgit and her new honey enterprise.

DI: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?

JD : It is being produced.

DI: What made you design this particular type of work?

JD : I always enjoy working with small businesses on ventures such as these: ones with ethics, a commitment to community, and a flexible timeline!

DI: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?

JD : Just a map of the area.

DI: Who is the target customer for his design?

JD : The locals in the area, and in Munich.

DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?

JD : The hyper-local story and design, and the neighbourhood that supports the upkeep of the bees.

DI: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?

JD : Honey of the Messestadt - Messestadt being the community.

DI: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?

JD : Pen, paper, charcoal, Illustrator and Photoshop.

DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?

JD : Personally, I like the limited edition numbers from the beekeeper - since only 30 jars are produced a year.

DI: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?

JD : A writer and a translator, to help with the story on the tag.

DI: What is the role of technology in this particular design?

JD : Mostly printing technology - it was great that we could get white ink on labels in a small print run.

DI: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?

JD : In-person interviews, meeting with neighbours, and walking through the area.

DI: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?

JD : Mainly just craft-based: finding the right type of line, the right way to express the map.

DI: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?

JD : I was invited by the A' team.

DI: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?

JD : The project is part of my ongoing quest to improve the conceptual purity and graphic simplicity of my work.