Eulenblick. German for ‘the owl’s gaze’.
Oi·len·blick /ˈɔɪ̯lənblɪk/
The owl has been a symbol of wisdom and knowledge in Western culture for centuries. It stands for prudence combined with calm strength. It has keen eyes, able to survey the situation on the ground from above, even in the dark.
It is this kind of a bird’s eye view that informs any Eulenblick project.
• Calm scrutiny and assessment of the situation and need
• Strategic and intentional problem solving solutions
• Knowledgeable and precise implementation
All mixed in with the quirky and slightly odd character that owls also possess. Eulenblick loves to explore and experiment and is always up for trying new things. I care deeply about bringing my clients exactly what they want, optimizing it for current trends while also creating long-lasting concepts that can stand the test of time, because they were created with integrity and competence. I will only take on projects I believe in and will always do my best to give my honest opinion. It is my Eulenblick principle to invest all of my knowledge and creativity into every aspect of a project, even learning new skills and techniques if necessary to fulfill what the project requires and deserves.
The artist’s online presence has been widely accepted as a necessity for several years now. We’ve been taught by our audiences, hiring agencies and festivals and even schools to have our digital business cards ready, to build our online following - even as sidemen - and promote ourselves. However, our careers never depended on the successful execution of all of these things as much as when 2020 hit, because suddenly online was the ONLY space you were going to be seen. This also brought to the fore the myriad of dilemmas that ‘putting oneself out there’ can present to an artist, whether already established or just up-and-coming.
What do I post? What’s appropriate? What am I comfortable with? How do I increase my following? Should I buy followers? Which numbers and metrics matter? Which marketing guru should I listen to? Should I hire someone? What platforms should I focus on? Can I post pictures of my dog on my artist account? SHOULD I have a separate artist account, even though I just want to be myself…? Do I need to pick a style and genre? They also say niching is good, but what IS my niche? I want to do so many things, is that wrong? What do I do…?
I got into branding for businesses first, because that’s what I was having to do for my department. As I began to consider business branding principles more and more, however, I found that they only marginally apply to artists. A business’ branding strategy helps it stay on course and gives it clear guidelines on what to pursue, and say, and show, etc. Obviously, this can be changed if needed, but that’s generally a somewhat significant adjustment, often involving a full rebrand. An artist’s branding strategy on the other hand has a more evolving nature to it. It’s still meant to have an anchoring effect, but it is never meant to restrict.
So when I start working on your brand, what I’m after is your core. We build it from the foundations up, trying to pinpoint as best as possible who you are in essence. This then is distilled into concepts, words, themes, styles and visual elements that all serve to convey this essence to your audience, to create in them the connotations that will tell them who you are.
To me, the artist’s brand serves to give their audience the fullest picture of who and what they are. It includes the stylistic contradictions, the widespread array of interests, the process as well as the product and everything in between. Most importantly, it tells your story.
A little bit about myself.
I grew up in Switzerland in a family of musicians. Living and breathing part of the music industry for most of my childhood and adolescence, I like to think that my understanding of it can at times be almost instinctive. While I began venturing into graphic design in my teens, I later went to study Contemporary Writing and Production at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, USA, which gave me some new tools for deeper understanding of areas of the music industry I had not been exposed to in the earlier part of my life. Thus having come full circle in many ways, I’ve been able to apply my very personal knowledge and understanding of a musician’s needs to my work in graphics design and most recently, brand strategy.
I am in constant exploration of the various intersections of where different mediums of art meet and how they can interact with each other. As a strong believer in concept-driven work, I love to trace a clear thread through a storyline; be it the arc of a production, a person’s life’s work or a band’s brand. In everything I do, I pursue bird’s eye view concepts executed with care and diligence.