Berlin-based designer and strategist Bernd Riedel began his career in information design, leading one of Europe’s top infographic teams before a Fulbright took him to Parsons in New York. There, he co-founded Ellery Studio, blending design, foresight, and social impact. Today, his work focuses on clarity, collaboration, and purpose-driven projects that make complex issues like climate and energy transformation accessible.
Can you tell us a little about your first few steps in your career. Was there a moment or experience when you realised this was what you'd do as a career?
I started out deep in the world of information design. Right after graduation, I jumped straight into managing one of Europe’s top infographic teams, right here in Berlin. It was fast-paced and intense: visualizing complexity, turning messy data into clear stories.
Then came New York. A Fulbright and a Dean’s Scholarship provided the opportunity to study at Parsons School of Design. Suddenly I had the space to push beyond infographics and ask: what if this way of making sense of complexity could drive big changes — climate, energy, society?
In Brooklyn I met Dodo and Eugen. A classical garage startup story: We lived, studied and worked together. And while sketching ideas on the kitchen table, we merged design, strategy, and foresight into our very own approach to transformation design, with a clear focus on social impact and sustainable practices. That’s how Ellery Studio was born, named after the street where it all began. Once we all moved back to Berlin, things got serious — in the best possible way.
What lessons from your career have most shaped your style and approach?
One big lesson: clarity beats noise. Starting out in infographics and data visualization taught me that good work is not about adding more, but about finding the essence. It’s about making complexity accessible without oversimplifying.
Another lesson: the best ideas come when you stop working in silos. Over the years, we learned to bring designers, scientists, communities, and policymakers into the same room. It makes the process messier, but the outcomes are richer and more meaningful.
And finally: choosing projects that matter. Moving away from the “design for design’s sake” mindset towards purpose-driven work changed everything — from the way we collaborate to the kinds of futures we imagine.
Tell us about the core values or philosophies that guide your creative practice.
Our work is guided by a few simple ideas:
First, we see design as a way of thinking, not just making things look good. It’s about systems, relationships, and meaning.
Second, participation matters. For us, the best solutions come when different perspectives meet. That’s why co-creation runs through everything we do.
Third, we believe in futures thinking. It’s quite difficult to transform the present without imagining where you want to go. Foresight tools help us explore possibilities instead of pretending there’s one fixed answer.
And finally: purpose over prestige. We choose projects that move the needle on real issues — climate, energy, mobility, social innovation, equality, inclusion — because design can unfold incredible power when it serves something bigger than itself.
What needs to change, so emerging and under-represented creative professionals have more opportunity, are seen and heard?
Two things stand out. First, the creative industry needs to stop rewarding speed and spectacle over depth and diversity. Emerging voices, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, often bring new perspectives, but they rarely get the same platform or resources.
Second, I’d love to see more spaces where disciplines overlap: design with science, art with policy, technology with social innovation. One of our favorite projects brought climate scientists together with drag performers to communicate climate research in completely new ways. It showed how fresh voices and unlikely collaborations can break through old patterns, and how much richer the conversation becomes when different worlds complement each other.
How important is it that creative professionals find their unique voice?
Finding your own voice matters, but maybe not in the way people usually think. In our case it’s less about a visual signature and more about clarity: what you stand for, what you want to change, how you approach complexity.
For us, that voice emerged through projects like our Infographic Energy Transition Coloring Book, a science-based coloring book where serious climate research turned into playful, illustrated infographics people could actually color in. It reached audiences far beyond the usual policy circles — even two German Chancellors held it in their hands: Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz. That mix of rigor and playfulness has become a hallmark of how we work.
Looking ahead, what do you think are the key factors that will influence change for creative professionals?
I see three big shifts shaping the future for creative professionals.
First, technology: AI and automation are changing how we work, but they also open up new ways to collaborate and tell stories.
Second, complexity: climate change, digitalization, social transformation — all of it means creatives need to work across boundaries. We have to connect society, science, strategy, participation, and yes, politics too.
Third, values: purpose-driven work is moving from the margins to the center. People want to work on things that matter, and that will change not just what we design, but why and with whom.
How much does your city influence your work?
Berlin shapes our work in countless ways. It’s a city of contradictions: creative energy mixed with political debates, grassroots activism next to world-class research institutes. That diversity keeps us curious.
The city also gives us access to a wide network of scientists, policymakers, artists, and innovators. Many of our projects, from climate communication to participatory futures workshops, were only possible because Berlin brings those worlds so close together.
And honestly? Berlin keeps us humble. It’s the graveyard of big ideas — a place where history shows how dangerous large-scale visions can become when they lack humanity. At the same time, today’s Berlin is built on openness, diversity, and an almost hedonistic celebration of life and togetherness. It teaches you to value community and shared values over big promises.
How much does your culture influence your work?
Culture shapes everything we do. Not in a single, national sense, but as a mix of influences. Our work grew out of European design traditions: clarity, systems thinking, a love for structure. At the same time, Berlin’s openness and international mindset added diversity, informality, and a sense of experimentation.
Working across cultures — in research, design, and policy — taught us to see complexity not as a problem, but as a resource. It pushed us to design processes that bring different perspectives together instead of reducing them to one dominant narrative.
Tell us some of your favourite, creative professionals and inspiring places in your city!
Berlin is full of people and places shaping creativity in different ways. My co-founder Dodo Vögler is one of them: not only a brilliant designer, but also a leading voice in strategic foresight in Germany. She co-founded the all-female future studies network zukunftsforscherin.de and together we initiated Speculative Futures Berlin, a meetup where designers, futurists, and researchers explore what’s next.
Then there’s the Berlin Design Network, founded by Nick Stübe, a young but powerful platform connecting almost all creative agencies in the city. Nick is an outstanding community organizer, giving Berlin’s creative industry both a voice and a sense of direction.
And I have to mention Anika Nicolaas Ponder, who leads the Climate and Innovation department at the Institute for Climate Protection, Energy and Mobility (IKEM). She’s a driving force at the intersection of design, science, and climate communication — shaping how research can actually reach and engage people.
Places? We love the Futurium, re:publica, the Floating University, and Berlin’s legendary club culture, from techno-cathedrals like Berghain to open-air venues and late-night experiments in forgotten corners of the city. This mix of culture, activism, science, and subculture keeps Berlin endlessly alive for us.
What should emerging creative professionals keep in mind as they begin their design career?
Someone once told me: if you want to design in a specific field and in specific projects, you have to start there and pretty much do nothing else — otherwise the projects you want will never find you. That turned out to be true in our case. We spent years building a reputation and credibility with scientific institutions, ministries and government agencies, foundations, NGOs, energy companies, utilities, and city administrations, the whole ecosystem shaping climate and social transformation.
It took courage, time and quite a bit of luck. We happened to start at the right moment, when the doors were open for new ideas in our field of interest. Today, it most likely would be harder to establish an agency like Ellery Studio from scratch, but there are always moments when something shifts and new spaces of opportunity appear. You just have to sense them and be ready to jump in.