When freihafen studios was founded in 1998 in an enchanted office in Hamburg’s Speicherstadt, the little crane above this text was the first thing created there. Back then the Speicherstadt was still a free port area – anyone who wanted to eat on the other side of the street still had to pass through customs. There was no sign of HafenCity yet.
Over the following years the small studio became one of the most renowned addresses for media design in Germany. We grew, gave many renowned quality media a new face, and developed websites, apps, brand identities and campaigns. This work led to a broader understanding of communication. Today we accompany companies as a holistic brand partner: we understand, design and develop their presence across all relevant media.
The best ideas, however, are not born in open-plan offices but in unusual places – a house in the woods, a cosy kitchen or a sailing boat. In 2014 we therefore decided on a radical fresh start. The expensive office floor became a small conference room at the Elbphilharmonie, the hectic agency routine with interns and budget meetings became a life of meaning and sensuality. Today we pass this gain in pleasure on to our clients, just like the cost savings.
Got a small idea or a big task? We take our time. For a conversation, a coffee – and maybe the start of something good. Thank you for your visit and enjoy our portfolio.
A labour of love: relaunch of the 120-year-young sailing classic from Delius Klasing – new typography and layout concept, new covers, new infographics, design and production of special issues
Creation of an exclusive fashion label, design and local production of sustainable premium fashion in cooperation with a Hamburg fashion designer. Textile design, web shop, marketing, fashion photography, packaging
Development, production and art direction of the award-winning customer magazine. Gold winner at Best of Corporate Publishing
Brand concept, layouts, marketing and web design as well as interface design for the successful Android point-of-sale system
Art direction and design of the award-winning Audi annual report with an individually laser-engraved fingerprint cover
Development and art direction of the high-end lifestyle magazine from Heinrich Bauer Verlag. One of our favourite projects
A restart for a young classic: after a management buyout, Hamburg’s HafenCity Zeitung was reinvented. We took care of the brand design and the newspaper’s new layout
Developed and produced at freihafen, Valua is still regarded as a classic among German customer magazines. Winner of several design and editorial awards
Hundreds of cover images were created at freihafen for nearly all the big media brands, including Spiegel, Focus, National Geographic and many more
One of many pieces from the freihafen portfolio for the Sixt family: the exclusive commemorative book for the car rental company’s 95th anniversary
Redesign and long-time production of DZ Bank’s staff magazine, in collaboration with the marketing team at the Frankfurt headquarters
Development of the corporate design for vjoon and its products vjoon seven and vjoon K4, a leading media and publishing system
Uwe C. Beyer was art director and redesigner of this classic supplement from the Zeit editorial team
Redesign of the business magazine from Spiegel-Verlag, development of the line extension netmanager
For eight years Rike Sattler was responsible, as freelance art director, for the design of Lufthansa’s award-winning luxury magazine
Curation, layout and lithography of the sailors’ coffee-table book on the Baltic Sea by photographer Nico Krauss (Sample here)
Uwe learnt his craft not at university but in editorial offices: as an apprentice at Westermann, as a producer and editorial trainee, later as a founding member of Die Woche, head of graphics at stern, and AD at RTL, ZEITmagazin and SPIEGEL.
At freihafen studios Uwe developed and relaunched hundreds of titles – from ZEIT Wissen to TV Movie, from web apps to daily newspapers. He was appointed visiting professor of editorial design at Folkwang University, founded a successful content marketing publisher and became an adviser to numerous publishers and editorial teams.
Even so, it is still the small, fine projects that make him happiest. Having nice people around him is his greatest treasure.
Awards: Leadaward, Art Directors Club Gold/Silver/Bronze, BCP Best of Corporate Publishing, INMA Global Media Award, Bayerischer Printmedienpreis, Best of Web Award, Fox Visual Awards, SND World’s Best Designed Newspaper, European Newspaper Award and many more
“A great art director” Stefan Aust
“An aesthete without airs, one of the most tireless in his trade” Journalist
“You really are a funny type” Walter Kempowski
“A creative jack of all trades” PAGE
“Beyer builds pages people enjoy reading” Süddeutsche Zeitung
Rike, too, creates brands and magazines, among others for Deutsche Bahn, Lufthansa and DZ Privatbank. She is designer and co-publisher of the legendary heath magazine Binneboom and, alongside her many freihafen activities, does her own thing. Under the motto Let’s sea she creates beautiful maritime art.
Rike started as an intern at freihafen and is now impossible to imagine it without. After her time at GEO International she became Uwe C. Beyer’s left and right hand – which is why he has refused to let her go ever since.
Awards: BCP Best of Corporate Publishing, Fox Visual Awards, Astrid Awards New York
Buddhist, physicist, yoga entrepreneur and WordPress ace: Ralph Buse’s horizons reach far beyond those of your average nerdy coder.
He has been a WordPress user from day one, builds websites from the quick one-pager to the extended multilingual, ISO-certified corporate portal with shop integration, and is still an early adopter of new technologies. At freihafen we prefer to work with WordPress and WooCommerce, but are open to other approaches if they are well justified 
Ralph loves silence and home-built loudspeakers, silent retreats and his studio with a view of the Elbe, right above Hamburg’s Haifischbar.
The reinvented concept for the travel classic was created at freihafen studios. For several years afterwards we handled not only the design but the entire production
A small selection of countless cover illustrations for the Handelsblatt weekend edition
Uwe C. Beyer was art director of Der Spiegel and renewed the news magazine, the apps and the look of Spiegel Online
Every piece unique: with maritime screen prints from the let’s sea workshop, Rike Sattler has made a (second) name for herself
Corporate design, marketing consulting and web design for an innovative Zurich practice
For many years the popular magazines for the car rental company’s PlatinCard holders were created at freihafen studios
For the Federal Association of the Liberal Professions we created a new logo as well as yearbooks and campaigns
The fundraising campaign Wet Auction Day on Norderney was created for the friends’ association of the Wadden Sea National Park
Uwe C. Beyer was co-founder and art director of the science magazine from Zeitverlag
Design of flyers and booklets for the spirits maker’s event marketing team
Web design, photos and code for the creative cousin from the south
Branding, exhibition stands, catalogues, presentations and much more: full service for the likeable connection specialist from Hanover
Redesign of the corporate design for the traditional Sirius shipyard from Plön – one of the most coveted yacht brands in the world. Development of the new brand language, design of catalogues, stationery, merch, trade fair accessories and lettering.
Development of the new brand and design concept for the science magazine from Heidelberg
Redesign of Financial Times Deutschland’s digital offerings
Layout and cover relaunch as well as infographics for the psychology classic from Spektrum-Verlag
Design and production of the trend guide for the hotel and restaurant trade
Cover design for many women’s magazines: Donna, Amica, Für Sie, Vital, tina, Bunte, Maxi France, Bella, Weight Watchers and many more
mtMax is the company behind the successful point-of-sale app speedy. Both got a brand design with some real stable smell
Anniversary relaunch of the food classic from Jahreszeiten-Verlag, doubling of its page count and a new marketing concept
Brand design, 3D animations, web design, product design and infographics for a Danish cryostorage start-up
Dozens of book covers were created at freihafen for Randomhouse, Quadriga, Knaus, Delius Klasing, Gräfe und Unzer and many other publishers
Uwe C. Beyer was co-founder and co-publisher of the award-winning turi2 edition and today designs the Turi.Paper with his friend Peter Turi
At freihafen studios Rike Sattler designed the “Fremde” (Strangers) themed issue of the highly decorated society magazine
Brand development and shop design, design of social media posts and campaigns, photography and art direction
Design of the award-winning magazine for censhare AG on the future of information, media and communication
Brand and web design for the Swiss wind instrument maker and its sub-brands Galileo and Historic Brass
Magazines
Der Spiegel (Art Direction, Redesign, Infographics concept)
ZEITmagazin (Redesign)
manager magazin (Redesign)
Für Sie (Redesign)
ZEITWissen (Development / AD)
stern (Section head)
turi2 edition (Development / AD)
Merian (Relaunch / Art Direction)
Bravo (Redesign)
Der Feinschmecker (Redesign)
DUMMY (Art Direction)
New Scientist (Redesign)
Spektrum (Redesign)
Wohnidee (Redesign)
Spiegel Special (Redesign)
Vital (Redesign)
Lyfe (Development)
TV Movie (Redesign)
Gehirn & Geist (Relaunch)
Dr. Wimmer (Development / AD)
Konrad (Development / AD)
Spiegel Geschichte (AD)
Spiegel Reporter (Development)
kressreport (Relaunch)
GameStar (Redesign)
Weight Watchers (Redesign)
Profifoto (Redesign)
buchreport (Relaunch)
PC Welt (Development)
netmanager (Development)
Kinder (Redesign)
Maxi France (Redesign)
C’est dit! (Development)
Junge Familie (Redesign)
Laura (Redesign)
Psychologie Heute (Consulting)
netbusiness (Art Direction)
Mensch & Natur (Redesign)
Subway (Relaunch)
Meins (Redesign)
FOCUS Echte Verbrechen (AD)
Switch (Development)
Computerwoche (Redesign)
Tina, Bella, Laura (Redesign)
Neue Post (Redesign)
Newspapers
Die Woche (Development)
Rheinische Post (Development)
Blick Schweiz (Development)
Handelsblatt (Cover design)
Darmstädter Echo (Relaunch)
Der Tag (Development)
HafenCity Zeitung (Relaunch)
Neue Westfälische (Relaunch)
Hessische Allgemeine (Relaunch)
InSport (Development)
Hamburg Live (Consulting)
Business News (Development)
Corporate Magazine Design
Go Sixt (Sixt Deutschland)
Hermes Wings (Hermes Europe)
Valua (DZ Privatbank)
Audi Annual Report
Stiftung Nationalpark Wattenmeer
N_Nissan Magazin (Nissan)
DEZETT (DZ Bank)
Helena (Helena Rubinstein/L‘Oreal)
Woman’s World (Lufthansa)
Bordmagazin (Lufthansa)
Lufthansa exklusive (Art Direction)
Hier bei uns (Landkreis Harburg)
Etatum (Censhare AG)
Securvital Magazin
Eins (Allianz Private KV)
Bock (Detlef Louis GmbH)
Finanzmarkt Special (Haspa)
Relais & Chateaux Magazin
Der Grüne Dienst (Gruner+Jahr)
Spiegel Info (Spiegel Verlag)
Schloss Reichenow (Art Direction)
Amplifon (Redesign)
Norddeutsche Orchesterakademie
Übersee-Museum
Thole Rotermund Kunsthandel
Kunstverein Springhornhof
Fallstaff Guide
Web & App Design
Spiegel Online
stern.de
Financial Times Deutschland
Der Spiegel App
Handelsblatt First App
expo 2000 Hannover
turi2.de / turi2 App
Securvita Krankenkasse
Oldtimer Markt
burdafashion.com
Neue Westfälische
Hessische Allgemeine
kress.de
spiegelgruppe.de
Harenberg Verlag
buchreport.de
Forum Arbeit (EU+DGB)
Vereinigte Elektrizitätswerke
censhare AG
Callas Software GmbH
Writers room Hamburg
Softcare GmbH
7D Aktiengesellschaft
Baker Harrisson
Corporate Design / Branding
Spiegel Online
Subway
Censhare AG
Vjoon
Hessische Allgemeine
nipala
TONY HORN PARIS
Kasse Speedy
Bund Freier Berufe BFB
Siemens Sky Train
KHEI Fashion
Rühlicke AG
Qineva
turi2
HCP Life Science
Lindsten Elektroanlagen GmbH
Die Woche
kress Verlag
Orthoclin
Cimt AG
Neue Westfälische
Going Public
StartUp (G+J)
ricardo.de
Restaurant Altes Landhaus, Föhr
neurosono
EGGER Manufaktur
FELS Group
Eine-Welt-Kirche
Hoheluft Filmproduktion
Spielmuseum Soltau
Brennerei Bosselmann
Singelmann Elements
KJP Roggenkamp
Reethus an de Marsch
Janssenmusik
u.v.m.
Cover images & Illustrations
Der Spiegel, FOCUS, Zeit Wissen, Fluter, t3n, National Geographic, Handelsblatt, PC Welt, Feinschmecker, Merian, Bravo, Spektrum, Zeitmagazin, Donna, Für Sie, Amica, Bunte, tina, Randomhouse, Knaus Verlag, Quadriga Verlag, Gräfe und Unzer, Delius Klasing Verlag u.v.m.
4C Austria
7D Aktiengesellschaft
Agenda Media GmbH
Axel-Springer-Verlag AG
Baker & Harrisson
Bauer Living KG
Bauer People KG
Beate Uhse Group
Bertelsmann AG
Bund Freier Berufe e.V.
BurdaNews GmbH
Burda Senator Verlag GmbH
Callas Software GmbH
Censhare AG
Darmstädter Echo
Dauborn Membransysteme GmbH
Delius-Klasing Verlag
Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund
Dummy Verlag GmbH
DZ Bank Finanzgruppe
DZ Privatbank
Eger Blasinstrumente
Eintracht Braunschweig Marketing
Euroforum GmbH
Europäische Union
Expo 2000 Hannover GmbH
FC Bayern München
Falstaff Verlag
Fels Group
Financial Times Deutschland
Funke Mediengruppe
Facts & Figures GmbH
GFW PhotoPublishing GmbH
Going Public GmbH
Gräfe und Unzer
Gruner+Jahr AG
Gruner+Jahr Corporate Editors
Hagebau Gruppe
Hafencity Zeitung GmbH
Hamburger Sparkasse
Handelsblatt Media Group
Harenberg Verlag
HCP Life Science
Heinrich Bauer Verlag KG
Heinrich Vogel Verlag GmbH
Herbert Lindsten Elektroanlagen
Hoffmann und Campe
Hubert Burda Media GmbH
IDG Magazine Verlag GmbH
Jahreszeiten Verlag GmbH
Kempowski-Archiv e.V.
kress Verlag GmbH
Landkreis Harburg
Lufthansa AG
Manager Magazin Verlag
Mediengruppe Rheinische Post
Me Myself & Eye
Medienhaus Südhessen
MtMax GmbH
National Geographic
nipala
Orthoclin Klinikum
PM Firefighters GmbH
Quadriga Verlag Berlin
Red Bull Mediahouse
Relais & Chateaux
Ricardo.de
Ringier AG
Rühlicke AG
Spektrum Verlag GmbH
Securvita Krankenkasse
Siemens AG
Sixt Autovermietung GmbH
Spiegel-Verlag Rudolf Augstein
Spielmuseum Soltau
Stiftung Naturpark Wattenmeer
Submissionsanzeiger Verlag
Subway Medien GmbH
Territory GmbH
Turi2 Verlag GmbH
Turi.One GmbH
Übersee Museum Bremen
Vereinigte Elektrizitätswerke
Verlag am Fleet GmbH
Verlag Der Tagesspiegel GmbH
Verlag Die Abendzeitung GmbH
Verlag Dierichs GmbH & Co KG
Verlagsgruppe Holtzbrinck
Verlagsgruppe Milchstrasse
Verlagsgruppe Randomhouse
VF Mediengruppe Mainz
Vjoon GmbH
Weight Watchers Deutschland
WEKA Medien GmbH
Writers Room Hamburg
Zeitungsverlag Neue Westfälische
Zeitverlag Gerd Bucerius
We develop distinctive logos and combine them with imagery, tone of voice and guidelines. Our clients range from cheeky start-ups to serious mid-sized companies and large NGOs. Naming and market research are no strangers to us either. Whether Beate Uhse TV or the Friedenskirche Soltau – we don’t do pigeonholes. We do some projects pro bono, paid for with friendship and gratitude (which is inflation-proof).
We conceive friendly homepages and modern shops – with structure, user guidance, design and implementation all in-house. We shoot video, take photographs and do UX. Don’t let big names put you off: we also work for small budgets! From a one-pager for the holiday home of the Stricker family to the relaunch of Spiegel Online: the same care, just fewer news items.
It really exists, the proverbial all-in-one wonder: the egg-laying wool-milk sow. With us, design, strategy, claim, copy and all the production behind it come from one house. We can be cool and elegant as well as loud and funny, and we do marketing without the waffle. From the donation campaign of a nature conservation foundation to the corporate brochure: just give it a try!
We learned our craft in newsrooms, where at 10 pm someone is still asking whether the caption could flutter a little more beautifully. That has stayed with us. We are responsible for the visual line of magazines, newspapers, campaigns and brand appearances: layout, typography, imagery, choice of photographers and illustrators. We often lead editorially as well, in close cooperation with editors-in-chief and management.
From quick information design and animated trade-fair walls to 3D graphics for museums and exhibitions: we love it! Uwe was head of stern infographics, renewed the SPIEGEL graphics, illustrated for Focus and ZEIT Wissen among others, and for many more.
Your logo is on the business card, on the office door, on the company car and on the coffee mug. We make sure it looks everywhere as if it knew where it belongs: colours, typeface, stationery – from the business card to the vehicle fleet to the complete office décor. From the first logo of a founder to the relaunch of a corporate brand.
From the roll-up for the micro-business to the complete IAA exhibition stand: we develop exhibitions with all the trimmings – and a long-standing network of affordable and reliable suppliers. Info walls and product videos, signs, flyers, gummy bears. We conceive, design and accompany production, from the first sketch to the build-up.
From the hand-crafted small-batch label to packaging for retail: we deliver form, graphics and copy, advise on materials and finishing, and see it through to print approval. For single products and entire ranges. (Psst: if you need labels for good wine, we accept payment in kind!)
Concept, design and production of annual and sustainability reports (including art direction for the Audi annual report), yearbooks and commemorative publications (e.g. for the Bund der Freien Berufe): concept, infographics and art direction from a single source, editorial work on request – printed, as PDF or digital.
From the product catalogue of a mid-sized company to the exclusive exhibition guide: if your product needs explaining, we write and design the instructions. Catalogues, manuals and guides, with structure, technical drawings, illustrations and production. Printed, as PDF or digital: even with complex content we keep track.
Vehicle lettering, company signs, door signs, wayfinding systems and posters, matched to the rest of your appearance and delivered with production-ready data. As a single piece or an entire campaign. The bigger the vehicle, the more room for your logo: from the Fiat 500 to the Bielefeld city bus (for the relaunch of the Neue Westfälische).
We never do anything off the peg. We suggest things to you that are sometimes silly, often surprising and occasionally quite clever. Tinkering is our tradition. For many years we were the external creative department of Gruner+Jahr and won many pitches for customer magazines. For new products, brands, campaigns and activations, from the first gut feeling to the finished dummy. A coffee is enough to get started.
Photography and moving image are also produced editorially with us: in our own magazine productions, for Sixt among others, we produce reportages, portraits, product and fashion photography, plus product videos and animations. We shoot and produce social media clips and YouTube Shorts.
We are trained editors and love writing. We do research and editing ourselves, and for more hands we bring in journalists, copy editors and photographers from our network. Our magazine productions yield reportages and features, plus claims, brochures, ads, web copy and campaigns. We use AI too. But we prompt differently.
Evening-length talks for well-known speakers, strictly confidential on request. From the sales meeting to the big stage. We stage your facts so that your audience’s eyes are opened: Keynote and PowerPoint for boards, sales, conferences and trade fairs, with dramaturgy, layout, infographics and animations. We make even complex topics self-evident.
Uwe C. Beyer