As every year around this time, here comes my looking-back article about things we’ve worked on in 2024. And btw. Happy New Year Everybody!
Hieroglyphic Plume
Module panel design jobs have been less frequent in 2024, but we still worked on a few. For this one we helped Hieroglyphic to find the right visual language and to optimize the hardware interface. One could say it has a certain Mutable Instruments vibe and we’re not going to deny that.
https://www.hiero-glyphic.com/plume
Nono Major Tom
For this sequencer we went with a more vintage approach. After all, that was Nono’s goal and overall design philosophy. Sometimes the designs that appear most simple are the ones that take most effort. This one was definitely not an easy ride, but I’m very happy with how it turned out!
Unfiltered Audio Battalion
I always love to work with the guys at Unfiltered Audio! This was definitely the most complex project I did with them, but also one of the most satisfying. As a side note: but this is my new favourite drum plug-in, so much fun!
https://www.unfilteredaudio.com/collections/plug-ins/products/battalion
Hexinverter Reissues by Erica Synths
Erica Synths has kept reissuing further Hexinverter Modules throughout 2024, with some new features added here and there.
https://www.ericasynths.lv/shop/eurorack-modules/by-series/hexinverter
Redhift 6 UI
This was my first display UI design for a synth. It’s like software UI design, with the strict constraints of a module and – as always – constraints are great!
https://supercriticalsynthesizers.com/redshift6/
Zombie REC. Mammut
This 19″ Rack unit (and companion plug-in) was finally released in 2024. I’ve been writing about it here: https://www.horizontalpitch.com/2024/03/zombie-rec-mammut/
https://www.zombierecaudio.com
Plinky Illustration
Elizabeth created this wonderful illustration for a special Plinky edition by Making Sound Machines. The Plinky is a wonderful little synth btw. Definitely one you should check out, if you never heard about it.
https://makingsoundmachines.com/plinky
Logos
We’ve been doing less and less logos over the years, and we’ve also focused more on specific types of logos, i.e. those that are built around characters or have a have a more illustration-related style. Here’s two we did in 2024, which I think turned out quite well!
Patterning 3
Besides Battalion I’ve been working on a number of software UIs. For Patterning I’ve been redesigning the icons, worked on a dynamic colour palette system and helped Olympia Noise fine tune the UI for the 3rd major release of this amazing drum machine app (which now runs on Apple Silicon as well btw.).
https://olympianoiseco.com/apps/patterning-3
Exquis – New App
Another software project I’ve been working on is the redesign of the Intuitive Instruments Exquis’ app. The Exquis is an isomorphic MPE keyboard controller and, while you can of course use it with MIDI gear or your DAW of choice, it also has a dedicated app that allows for a more streamlined workflow. This new version of the app makes a clean break with the previous version, radically changing how the app works and how it displays information. The standalone mode has also been updated, refining the functionality and making it more accessible.
Viiri Audio Convolution plug-in (work-in-progress)
This one is still work-in-progress, but is one I have been working on a lot in 2024. Viiri Audio posts updates about it from time to time (on Mastodon), below is the most recent one, it shows parts of the UI I have been designing.
(Hover with the mouse over the image below to see it animated)
Poetica Magica
On the animation side of things, me and Elizabeth have been involved in this animation-meets-poetry project called Poetica Magica. Each worked with a poet turning their work into an animated short. This was my first attempt at creating an animation completely in Blender using Grease Pencil, with just the compositing being done in Davinci Resolve.
Rationaltheater Posters
In 2024 the Munich-based theater Rationaltheater had a steady need for posters, some of which I had the pleasure to design and illustrate. Here’s the two I am most proud of.
