Profile Vita Blog Contact

My name is Simon Zirkunow.
I’m a communication designer and co-founder of Lichtsignale. I work in both print and digital media with a strong focus on typography.

I have a great passion for design in its many incarnations and its rich history. I am allergic to most blossoms, some animals and the ‘typeface’ Rotis.

Work
2005—
Co-founder and designer at Lichtsignale
2005—
Several internships and freelance positions

Teaching
2011
Course on design principles, introduction to Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign in Mosbach
2010
3-day seminar on the history of graphic design in the 20th century in Konstanz

Education
2010
Master of Arts in Communication Design, Hochschule Konstanz, Germany;
thesis on the history of graphic design and how to improve teaching in this field
2008
Bachelor of Arts in Media Design, Hochschule Schwäbisch Hall, Germany;
thesis: designing a text typeface
2006
Visiting student at the Visual Communication Department, PNCA in Portland, Oregon, USA

KD-Lounge Lecture Series
Organisation of a lecture series on design;
video archive with these speakers:
2009
Holger Jost (on Christian Chruxin)
Jörg Stürzebecher (on HfG Ulm)
2010
Uta Schneider (Stiftung Buchkunst)
Gerhard Buurman (on experience design)
Hartmut Bohnacker & Benedikt Groß (on generative design)
Eberhard Schlag (on architecture)
Katrin Schmidt-Friderichs (Verlag Hermann Schmidt Mainz)

Published Work
2012
LogoLounge Master Library:
Typography & Enclosures
2011
Zeixs: Graphic Design 3
Zeixs: Web Sites 3
2010
LogoLounge Master Library:
Initial & Crest Logos
2009
The Graphic Eye: Photographs by Graphic Designers from around the Globe
Zeixs: Best of Poster Design

Bluesmuse.de is my blog where I post seen and found things, quotes and thoughts on design in irregular intervals.

The blog is supposed to be an ongoing experiment, a discovery trip. I have no idea where it leads to — so I invite you to stick around and find out as we go.

Get in touch
+49 151 14 96 48 42
sz (at) lichtsignale.de
www.lichtsignale.de

Online
Xing
Facebook
Google+
Twitter
Flickr
Last.fm

Imprint
Simon Zirkunow
Geleitsstraße 40
63065 Offenbach/M
Germany

Moving Notice
Postcard — From Konstanz to Offenbach in 10 steps.

KD-Lounge Lecture Series
Poster — Holger Jost gave a lecture on the work of German designer Christian Chruxin,
whose representation of dimensionality on a flat surface is referred to here.

KD-Lounge Lecture Series
Poster — Jörg Stürzebecher lectured on the use of language at the Ulm School of Design. The poster picks up
on his admiration for Wendelin Niedlich’s bookshop logo (designed by Wolfgang Schmidt), which is : , ! ’

KD-Lounge Lecture Series
Poster — A tongue-in-cheek, literal translation of the title of Uta Schneider’s lecture
‘Das Auge liest mit’ (the eye must be pleased as well while reading).

KD-Lounge Lecture Series
Poster — In his lecture, Gerhard Buurman called attention to the political dimensions and implications
of working as a graphic designer.

KD-Lounge Lecture Series
Poster — Hartmut Bohnacker and Benedikt Groß talked about generative design. By setting up the poster
at different locations, you can produce generative design without a computer.

KD-Lounge Lecture Series
Poster — Eberhard Schlag focused on the potential of design to communicate complex messages by translating them
into three-dimensional space, as suggested by the movement of text on the poster.

KD-Lounge Lecture Series
Poster — Karin Schmidt-Friderichs gave a lecture on book design, production and publishing.
The poster is a photograph of me announcing her talk in front of a library backdrop with a twist.

KD-Lounge Lecture Series
Website — A strict, grid-based design that places emphasis on the contents of the archive (texts, photos and
video documentation of the lectures), as well as making a point of easy accessibility of information.

KD-Lounge Lecture Series
Speaker’s Present — Each lecturer received a record as a thankyou,
or as one would say in design’s native tongue: ‘dank u wel.’

Kraftwerk for the Masses
Typeface — The letterforms resemble a circuit board from a synthesizer, referencing Kraftwerk’s electronic music.

Kraftwerk for the Masses
Poster — The typeface in use: different promotional items for a music event at a club.

Hausverwaltung Ralf Schäfer
Identity — Logo for a Frankfurt-based property manager who sees his professional role as that of a mediator
between the tenants and the residents, combining their interests.

Arbeiterwohlfahrt Schwäbisch Hall
Annual Report — Back and front.

Arbeiterwohlfahrt Schwäbisch Hall
Annual Report — Detail with folding instructions on the back.

Arbeiterwohlfahrt Schwäbisch Hall
Annual Report — Merging the text from the front with the text from the back …

Arbeiterwohlfahrt Schwäbisch Hall
Annual Report — Et voilà: The brochure forms a heart, which is also the logo of this non-profit organization.

Samuel Kümmel Fotografie
Identity — Logo for a photographer. The brackets in between the initials
outline a new space for pictures yet to be taken.

Samuel Kümmel Fotografie
Website — A portfolio with a minimal design approach that puts emphasis on the photographs on display.

Kosmos
Typeface — Here in use as signage for the exhibition ‘my face your space’ as well as the accompanying catalogue.

Kosmos
Postcard — A promotional item which showcases the characters and pays homage
to orderliness and the creation of coherent systems in design.

Kosmos
Poster — Literally putting the purpose of design on its head.