"Enabling fans to give their name, their signature on the new club jersey for the five biggest adidas football clubs of Europe." Niko Bockholt, illustrator; Mike John Otto/Oliver Bentz, creative directors; Ed Pelling, Neue Digitale, client.
"The blackbeltmonkey Web site reflects our philosophy and our projects. We wanted to differ from our competition in tonality and design." Niko Bockholt, illustrator; Verena Knemeyer, photographer; Mike John Otto, art director/creative director; Oliver Bentz, writer.
"Web site for MINI that allows users to create their own roof design." Mike John Otto, Interone/Martin Gassner, Interone, creative directors.
"Viral video for mobile.de, Europe's largest online portal for buying and selling used cars." Mike John Otto/Oliver Bentz, creative directors.
"Cover design for a mobile.de viral campaign." Mike John Otto, art director/creative director.
For one of Germany's big insurance companies, HDI, we produced a Web special that took their current TV ad to the next level." Mike John Otto/Oliver Bentz, creative directors.
"For blackbeltmonkey´s one-year anniversary, we produced a nice online game. People play against our monkey." Niko Bockholt, illustrator; Mike John Otto, art director; Oliver Bentz/Mike John Otto, creative directors.
"V8 Studio is a sound and music composition studio in Munich. We developed their new corporate design and Web site." Mike John Otto, art director/creative director.
03.09.09
www.blackbeltmonke ...
Duration: The studio opened on the first of May 2007. Staff: There are seven blackbeltmonkeys. Education: The blackbeldmonkey co-founders—Mike John Otto, Oliver Bentz and Marcellus Gau—studied visual communication, communication sciences and business. Cultural Influences: We feel very influenced by Scandinavian design and advertising, as well as British. Our design and approach of working is highly influenced by the German Bauhaus which combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for an approach to design that it publicized and taught from 1919 to 1933. The changes of venue and leadership resulted in a constant shifting of focus, technique, instructors and politics. I studied in a Bauhaus-oriented design school and learned a lot about combining different influences, from architecture, design and even theater, to develop new ideas.Environment: Our studio is based near the Hamburg Schanzenviertel, an area known for a lot of creative studios and little design shops as well as various bars and restaurants. It is Hamburg's young hip area. The studio is on the third floor of an old building that once produced Kodak films and has become home to a creative neighborhood. We have a film production company, an advertising agency and some photographers as our neighbors. Philosophy: Share ideas to get ideas. This is important to us to work with our network. All our projects have to fulfill what is in our name, "blackbelt" (it has to be professional) and "monkey" (it has to be creative).