MIR MEDIA — Find a balance between following the rules and ignoring them.

Eva-Maria Schreiner and Oliver Priester studied design at the “Kölner Modell” (which is today the KISD, Köln International School of Design). After a one-year study abroad in Nagoya, Japan, the two graduated in 1997 under Prof. Gui Bonsiepe with a degree in hypermedia. In the same year, the joint digital agency MIR MEDIA, based in Cologne, Germany, was founded. Operating as a full-service digital agency, it has been accompanying brands, companies and institutions through the digital transformation ever since. The main focus of the agency’s work is on cultural institutions and cultural event organisers. In 2021, the 20-member team was listed in the BVDW ranking of the 10 most creative digital agencies in Germany.

Interview with MIR MEDIA

Red Dot: To what extent do you think new technologies are changing design?
MIR MEDIA: Design was and is always fluent, it will constantly change. But its core principles – form, function, quality, clarity, the intention to communicate – will always define good design.

How would you define good communication design?
Good design is enabling – communication, knowledge transfer, orientation, action and much more.

What intention do you pursue with your award-winning work?
By focussing on real people with real needs we try to make our apps simple but powerful.

Was your award-winning work inspired by current social issues?
A central theme was inclusion and the consistent orientation towards the user. The different user categories should be able to use the site according to their needs and see themselves represented. The iterations of the site were repeatedly reviewed and adapted based on user tests.

Which target group would you like to address with your award-winning work?
For the project, it was important to address all target groups interested in the festival and its website and not to exclude anyone. From those interested in the various arts and individual events to people who are at home in the Ruhr region and want to get to know their surroundings and its diverse cultural and artistic life better.