Meet Martin Clausen | Co-founder & Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Martin Clausen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Martin, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Since before starting my studies I have been working freelance doing graphic design and websites for different brands and startups. Something I learned from watching countless of YouTube tutorials. From building that experience and skill set, it came natural for me to start something on my own. At that point it felt meaningless for me to draw a new typography or change the color of brand from one Pantone green to another, so I was seeking to brand people rather than companies.

I’ve always had a strong interest in art and interior design, so after meeting a lot of talented makers I realised that they needed a platform and someone who could tell their story, without necessarily making a new logo. In order to succeed and get through the hard times it is important to work with your passion. Not only practically by for example making business plans or editing videos, but you need to have an immense interest in the topic or industry you’re entering in order for changing it for the better. I’m studying contemporary art and design every day and night and my interest has only ever increased, which makes the struggle and hard work feel much more meaningful.

The ambitions were big and I knew I couldn’t do it on my own, so after meeting my business partner who has a completely different skill set than me we came up with the foundation behind Adorno. Starting a business requires countless of hours, so teaming up with partners makes the journey more fun, and sharing the highs and lows with someone who has the same stakes involved is necessary. I believe in diversity, so finding someone who are fundamentally different than you can create a more relevant and sustainable business from the beginning.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
As much as being a marketplace and a business, Adorno is very much about community. Something I first learned later down the road. After meeting so many fantastic designers I realised that their perception of value is not only about money. It is just as much about connecting with likeminded people and receiving recognition. All businesses needs revenue and sustainable income streams, but without community this will never happen. At least not for long. We have perhaps even been focusing a bit too much on community and curation causing us to struggle financially from time to time, but when a strong network is established it is just much easier to start making a revenue from it, based on trust and reliability. The mains things that I’m very proud to have accomplished with Adorno, is to have created a platform to support different cultures. With globalisation increasingly creating a sort of mono-culture it is more relevant than ever to highlight the worlds distinct local cultures and what better way to do that than show it though visual arts or more specifically functional art such as chairs, tables and lamps which people can relate to. To keep all thing culturally relevant we work with local curators and art historians in each country who select the designers we work with – profound makers inventing new materials and techniques, or translating ancient traditional techniques into the twenty first century.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’d go on a gallery tour visiting some of my favorite spaces in New York pushing the boundaries for design; Friedman Benda, R&company, Future Perfect, Superhouse, Objective, Culture Object and Love House. Eat hotdogs at my friends at BonBon, pizza at grand street pizza, tacos at The Cactus Shop, and Japanese food at Rule of thirds or Tokyo Record Bar. Drinks at Delmano, Oysters at Maison Premiere and dancing at Mr Sunday!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to make a shoutout to my partner in crime Kristian Snorre Andersen who no matter what keeps on going without giving up. Being a an intuitive and creative spirit, it help to have someone by your side who can structurize work and keep the pace.

Website: https://adorno.design

Instagram: https://instagram.com/adorno.design

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/adorno/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdornoDesign

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/designadorno/

Other: https://vimeo.com/adornodesign

Image Credits
© Adorno