Joseph Kohlmaier (*1973) & Stefan Kraus (*1969)
“Polimekanos“ or, roughly translated, “the resourceful one” was one of the sobriquets bestowed upon Odysseus as a means of praising not only his intellectual but also his practical skills. Yet the choice of the name by the Austrian Joseph Kohlmaier and the German Stefan Kraus for the design studio that they founded in London in 2001 is, more than a homage to Homer, confirmation of the fact that, for all their versatility, the focus remains art. Trained and practicing artists, Kohlmaier and Kraus are self-taught designers whose research-based approach means that they often have to publish books and curate exhibitions and, hence, switch between 2-D and 3-D. Polimekanos covers a wide spectrum from architecture and public art to literature and contemporary music with fine typography and a strong sense of structure – which can also be seen in the team’s web design work. The sophistication of Polimekanos’ approach makes them ideal partners for such demanding clients as the Austrian Cultural Forum in London, the design company “Established & Sons” or the fashion designer Bernhard Wilhelm, to whom the pair have demonstrated their resourcefulness through the design of publications, products and websites.