What led you into design?
I stumbled into design more or less by accident. I attended a music-focused high school and initially planned to study sound design and audio engineering—a path I had already started pursuing as a side job after graduating. However, over time, I did feel the need to be creative on a broader spectrum.
After working as a freelancer for many years with international clients, mainly from the music scene, i found myself a home as a member in the team of Studio Gruhl, where i am now working as a full time motion and brand designer, in that way i can combine all the interests i developed of the years.
What does a typical day look like?
I do my best to avoid repetitive days. While routines provide comfort, they can also make us feel stuck. As a professional designer, I believe it’s essential to stay flexible, adapt to changes, and handle the unexpected. That’s why I like to mix up my morning routine. Some days, I jump straight into the shower; other days, I walk my dog first. Sometimes, I’ll sit with a coffee and listen to music, while other times, I’ll skip breakfast and take a longer bike ride before heading to the studio. I cherish these small moments of freedom when I can take control of my time and break away from a pre-set rhythm.
After a 40-minute bike ride (in any weather), I arrive at our fourth-floor studio office in Kreuzberg. Thankfully, the space is filled with light, even during Berlin's gray winters. Every morning at Studio Gruhl, we take time to catch up on what everyone is working on and plan out the day or week ahead. This approach allows us to work autonomously on our individual tasks within the broader project we’re all collaborating on in the studio.
As a small studio by choice, we embrace the variety each day and week brings. We're not confined to a single role within the team—everyone stays flexible and takes on a bit of everything.
What's your workstation setup?
Where do you go to get inspired?
I believe design is about much more than aesthetics. Good design is a tool—it communicates ideas, sparks curiosity, and encourages the exploration of new perspectives. I draw much of my inspiration from observing and listening to the stories and thoughts of those around me. Stepping into someone else’s shoes allows us to see the world through diverse perspectives. At our studio, we strive to collaborate with motivated and interesting people, fostering long-lasting relationships that lead to exceptional designs.
A great deal of what I’ve learned comes from my interactions with my four-year-old dog. He has taught me to let go of unhealthy expectations, embrace patience, and accept what I cannot control. Every day, he challenges my assumptions about how the world works, offering a constant invitation to step out of my comfort zone, view life from a different perspective, and grow from the experience.
The more different someone’s—or even something’s—life is from your own, the richer the inspiration you can draw. At its heart, inspiration stems from curiosity and a desire to explore new ways to communicate and connect.
What product have you recently seen that made you think this is great design?
As someone who loves exploring design in all its forms—not just on a screen—I highly recommend checking out my dear friend André Roberedo, the founder of Vetra Bikes (https://instagram.com/vetrabikes/). He creates stunning custom bicycles inspired by nature, which are true works of art. André exemplifies how passion should always drive design. His creations perfectly demonstrate how well-designed work can spark a community and inspire those around us.
What pieces of work are you most proud of?
In creative work, there’s no absolute good or bad, no right or wrong. The key question is whether you gave everything you could to create the best possible version of what you wanted to express or communicate at that moment—with the person you were, the resources you had, and the circumstances you were in. If the answer is yes, then you should feel proud and let go of any desire to make retroactive improvements.
Because of this perspective, I feel less attached to individual pieces we’ve created and view them instead as parts of a system that continues to evolve. At Studio Gruhl, we strive to balance financially sustainable and culturally engaging projects. We believe it’s important to provide clients with a design system that includes ready-to-use assets while remaining flexible enough for them to expand on. This approach allows clients to immediately start working with the branding without being limited to the initial assets.
We’re always excited to implement concepts that not only work within defined layouts but also evolve over time, adapting to different users while retaining their core essence.
What design challenges do you face at your company?
The most challenging aspect for our team at Studio Gruhl is tailoring our creative vision and output to align with the client’s constraints and the project’s scope. It’s an art to distill broad research—exploring countless possibilities—into a few cohesive design directions. Often, clients want everything but struggle to narrow their vision.
When starting a new project, we take an open and expansive approach, dedicating significant time to research. This allows us to gain a deep understanding before collaborating with the client to identify what they feel could work best. From there, we refine our research into a few distinct and cohesive directions. Once the best and most adaptable option is chosen, we build upon that foundation, exploring variations to keep the design playful and flexible.
Over the years, I’ve learned that the strongest design decisions often come through subtraction—removing unnecessary elements to uncover the core essence of an idea, much like a sculptor discovering the form they envisioned.
What music do you listen to while designing?
Any advice for ambitious designers?
My main advice for anyone starting out as a professional designer is not to take yourself too seriously. Instead, focus on observing and listening to the world around you. Creativity thrives when you cultivate a framework and environment that inspire curiosity, spark ideas, and allow you to share those experiences with a supportive, like-minded community. Focus on finding a place that lets you thrive and surrounds you with people who inspire you.
We live in fast-paced times where anyone with a laptop can dive into creating. This accessibility is a fantastic opportunity, offering more equality for beginners than ever before. However, it also emphasizes that who you are and the unique perspective you bring to the world matter far more than being the most technically skilled designer.
Anything you want to promote or plug?
Make sure to check out our studio website, where you can find all of our recent case studies:
http://studiogruhl.com
And follow us on Instagram:
instagram.com/studiogruhl
@studiogruhl
and my personal work:
instagram.com/cudha9
@cudha9
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