Data, Emotion, Design — The onformative Studio
As one of the creative partners of IP25, Berlin-based studio onformative brought a visionary perspective to the Open House. Known for their explorations at the intersection of design, technology, and code, the studio contributed a unique take on surface design — one that pushes the boundaries of material tradition through digital innovation.
Inspired by Interprint’s rich history of replicating natural materials like wood and stone, onformative asked: What happens when we reinterpret traditional surface techniques using digital tools and procedural generation? Their work investigates how natural processes — such as slicing wood veneers or cutting stone to reveal hidden inner structures — can be reimagined in a computational space.
At the booth, visitors could explore visuals from the studio’s design generator: a system that creates virtual 3D materials with complex internal structures. These digital materials can be sliced from any direction, at any scale, generating unique, non-repeating patterns that preserve the organic beauty of natural materials — but exceed their physical limitations.
Through this collaboration, onformative demonstrated how technology can not only replicate, but evolve decorative traditions. Their approach opens new aesthetic possibilities, allowing materials to respond to virtual environments, transform over time, and produce endless variations — all from a single digital origin.
Image rights:
Kerstin Müller
onformative