ONI-TOLOGY FROM A BIRD'S EYE VIEW

WHO / ONI

a.k.a. Gerhard Seizer born 1973 in Germany  >see CV as PDF

oni has been the crazy part of WILDDESIGN for the past three years. He came to Shanghai with the task to open and run an office for this German design agency, active in Germany since 1990 with an office in Gelsenkirchen. In 2005, the founder Markus Wild had the idea of opening another one – in Shanghai. oni was just the guy to jump into such an ambitious project. The Shanghai office has grown from zero to twelve employees since the start 2006. oni could be described as a split personality – partly very wild and creative, and partly the German stereotype – strict, organized and business focused. Good thing that WILDDESIGN leaves space for both. For more info about WILDDESIGN, go to the bottom of the page and download the presentation.

COOL BLACK SHADES

Back in the days in his hometown Ochsenfurt, oni spent his childhood dissecting every electric appliance in the house – a hobby his parents weren't too pleased about until they realized he always managed to get the product working again. Usually a few screws would be left over, but one

can’t ask for too much. Maybe this marked the beginning of his interest in product design, a career path he pursued after twelve months compulsory military service where he was the only among 4,000 soldiers who was licensed to wear dark sunglasses – claiming his eyes were too sensitive for the bright German sunlight. oni always finds a way to stand out from the crowd. Other outstanding talents he developed during his youth include dancing – we sometimes call him "oni Travolta" – and off-road motor biking. 

CRUISING AROUND

After studies at Design University Schwaebish Gmuend and six months work for Splane Design in California with lots of steaks, ice-cream and cruising in his cream colored 1974 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, oni spent two years in Germany doing freelance work for offices such as Zeichen&Wunder, designafairs and Cadera Design. He was even offered partnership in a design firm, but when picturing his future in a small German town he got cold feet and decided to do something new. As he loved designing plastic products and consumer electronics, he figured Japan would be the right destination. oni was the first foreigner ever to work in Panasonic’s design department where he stayed for five intense years. He became international specialist, leading design projects for international cooperation partners. More about this in >works. He frequently went to Shanghai to handle Panasonic's design work in the China market and started to like this chaotic and energetic place – quite refreshing after years in the perfectly organized Japanese society. When WILDDESIGN was looking for a pioneer to start up an office in Shanghai, oni was the choice. And the rest you know already.

As oni is leaving his position as leader of WILDDESIGN Shanghai, the office will be run by Matthias Burhenne who is the new General Manager starting from March 2009.

WILD GREETINGS FROM THE FOUNDER