Established in 2020, Studio Gruhl, a Berlin-based trio of designers led by founder Malte Gruhl, has a simple yet versatile ethos: “We, as a studio, always try to do bold work,” Gruhl explains. “It doesn’t need to be loud, but it should hold up and stand for itself. We achieve this by having a very thorough research process, which greatly assists us in narrowing down ideas and finding solutions to problems.” Previously head of design at creative studio Sid Lee, Gruhl worked in Berlin, Los Angeles and New York; he credits these global experiences, combined with his studies in north Germany and New Zealand, with influencing his approach to design. “I was fortunate to travel a lot and live in different places,” he recalls. “Design helped me do this, as it literally opened up borders. Being exposed to different cultures shaped my perspective and formed me as an individual.” This borderless principle extends to the studio’s multidisciplinary output: for each project, Studio Gruhl engages in research and often employs historical and cultural perspectives on visual communications to understand the design problem and its solution. “When we approach a project, we keep an open mind,” Gruhl says. “[Our choices] largely depend on the concept and the idea. From there, we determine which technology or craft can best convey that idea.”