Bureau Cool on its unpredictable and playful approach to web design

Designer and developer Ben Wegscheider founded Bureau Cool, a design studio focussed on animation and interaction in 2016, and in a short space of time has managed to build up an impressive portfolio. Bureau Cool label themselves as a studio that “brings together aesthetics, animation and code to create mesmerising experiences,” and so far have worked with clients such as Diane Martel, Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN Pop-Up Shop and Glitch Paris. With a focus on being able to tackle bigger projects by working with fellow creatives and friends, the studio’s main goal is to “keep things fun” and work on projects that they really cares about.

When we first discovered Bureau Cool’s work, we were impressed by their inventive and playful approach to web design. An area of design which can so easily be confined to two-dimensional planes – Bureau Cool plays with depth of field in an unpredictable manor that adds personality and intrigue to their work. With an approach that sees typography, layout and animation all given equal importance, Bureau Cool’s portfolio utilises interaction in a way that always feels necessary for a project and not just a fancy added-extra. “The great thing about interactive projects is that the viewer gets integrated into the work. I think it’s great to surprise the viewer, especially in a time where people get overwhelmed with content,” say Wegscheider.

Bureau Cool’s ideas are born out of sketches and experiments as “a lot of effects are impossible to predict or design statically so I start with sketching simple ideas or principles and see where it goes.” You can see more of this experimentation over on Instagram. Once these ideas begin to materialise, Wegscheider always adds an unexpected component often in the form of some three-dimensional element resulting in work that has a strong, specific aesthetic and boasts high-levels of both skill and creativity.