Felix von der Weppen

I am a Berlin-based designer, product strategist, and writer with over 20 years of experience crafting solutions at the intersection of communication design, product design and architecture. Graduating summa cum laude in Communication Design, my career spans roles as an art director in New York, self-taught front-end developer and independent creative professional. I have led projects in branding, product design, design systems and architectural design, with a strong focus on the renewable energy sector.

Driven by a passion for interdisciplinary exploration, I have published works on aesthetics, urbanism, and psychoanalysis. My work has been featured in prominent publications like ARCH+, Esquire, and Giant Robot, alongside exhibitions and festivals around the globe. Through Manufaktur für Ungreifbares I aim to deliver meaningful solutions that span physical, digital, and social domains, grounded in principles of design thinking and a commitment to impactful results.

CV

• 1987

  * Born in Bonn

• 2005 — 2008

  Diploma in Communication Design, Academy an der Einsteinstrasse U5, Munich
  Graduated with distinction (Summa Cum Laude), highest result in the program’s 40-year history
  First Freelance Design Projects
  Conception & Development of interactive data visualization of weather data for Munich University of Applied Sciences

• 2009 — 2010, 8

  Art Director (Full-Time) at MyORB, New York, USA

• 2010 — 2014

  Freelance Designer and Visual Artist
  Continued collaboration with MyORB on various brand strategy & design projects
  Audited Courses in Art and Architectural History, International Urbanism, Cultural Studies, and Philosophy at Humboldt University and Technical University, Berlin
  Remap(p) Project (2013): Interactive investigation into the impact of foreign land acquisition on rural populations, utilizing crowd-sourced data to map socio-economic and environmental effects in host nations.
  Ornament and Concealment (2014): Conceptual architectural exhibition exploring the contradictions of modernization, preservation, and identity in urban environments.

• 2014

  Founder and Creative Director, Manufaktur für Ungreifbares
  Development of brand strategies and designs for various clients, with a focus on renewable energy & culture sector
  Text and art publications, with exhibitions in Berlin, Leipzig, and New York

• 2014 — 2018

  Philosophy and Cultural Studies (BA) with focus on Psychoanalysis, Aesthetics, German Idealism
  Humboldt University, Berlin

• 2018 — 2024

  Continued running Manufaktur für Ungreifbares
  Development of brand strategies and product designs for various tech and luxury companies
  Architectural & Interior Design for comprehensive residential renovation, construction management
  Publications in Philosophy, Aesthetics, and Psychoanalysis
  Design Lead for a renewable SaaS platform (since 2019)
  Participation in various competitions, including the Berlin Senate’s Literary Work Grant (2023), and the Federal Cyber Agency’s (Agency for Innovation in Cybersecurity) idea competition for Autonomous Intelligent Swarm Systems (2024)
  Conception of modular construction techniques for the housing sector (2024)

Text Publications

• 2013
  “Ramap(p) – Geography Rewritten”, ARCH+ Issue 213, Germany, 2013 (Print)
• 2014
  “Ornament & Concealment”, Kleiner Salon, Berlin, 2014 (Print)
• 2015
  “The Rush on Foreign Land: Local Impacts of Globalization”, ARCH+ Issue 223, Germany, 2015 (Print)

  “kontinuum”, MyORB Design Studio, 192 pages, New York, USA, 2015 (Print)
• 2019
  “On Compulsion: Hegel and Lacan”, Academia.edu, 2019
• 2021
  “A Sense of (W)holeness”, Academia.edu, 2021 (Digital)

  “On Borders and Touch”, Academia.edu, 2021 (Digital)
• 2022
  “The Heterogeneous in Nature and Media Experiences”, Academia.edu, 2022 (Digital)

  “Alien Fragments”, Goldrausch Artists Project, Berlin, 2022 (Print)
• 2023
  “Exploded View”, oqbo Gallery, Berlin, 2023 (Print)

  “Konstantin Smirnov”, Fragment Gallery, New York, USA, 2023 (Print)

Exhibitions, Workshops, Festivals (Excerpt)

• 2006, 08
  Group Exhibition „Essen für‘s Auge“, Max-Planck-Institut, Munich, Germany
• 2007, 12
  Group Exhibition „Player One vs. Player Two“, Färberei, Munich, Germany
• 2011, 10
  SIMULTAN FESTIVAL #7 – „Imaginary“, Timisoara, Romania
• 2011, 11
  PNEM Sound Art Festival, Netherlands
• 2011, 11
  Fucking Good Art, LindeNow Festival, Leipzig, Germany
• 2011, 11
  Beautiful Art – Public Talk with Bildetage, Kuhturm, Leipzig, Germany
• 2012, 02
  Switch 2012, Video-Art Festival, Nenagh, Ireland
• 2012, 03
  Traverse Video Festival, Toulouse, France
• 2012, 05
  Festival für Klang und Bewegte Visuelle Kunst, Hannover, Germany
• 2012, 09
  Façade Video Festival 2012, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
• 2013, 05
  Ornament & Concealment, Berlin, Germany
• 2014, 12
  kontinuum, Patrick Parrish Gallery, New York, US
• 2015, 03
  SPRING/BREAK Art Show 2015, New York, US
• 2016, 04
  PLANETARY URBANISM – The Transformative Power of Cities, German Pavilion, UN-HABITAT III, Quito, Ecuador

Print Publications (Excerpt)

• 2010
  Featured in Esquire Magazine, Korea
• 2010
  Review in Giant Robot Magazine, USA
• 2010
  Gallery Mag – 5 Pieces of work published
• 2010
  Carne Magazine – 2 Pieces of work published
• 2011
  Index Book, Typo Shirt One, Spain
• 2011
  Wow! – Leading-edge Designers, China
• 2013
  ARCH+ 213, Out of Balance, Germany
• 2015
  ARCH+, The Rush on Foreign Land, Germany