Vincent Riese is a multi-disciplinary graphic designer, photographer, and creative director based in Berlin. His work focuses on visual strategy and thoughtful brand experiences across fashion, art, and culture. Together with Benjamin Patch, he founded SULUK, a full-service creative studio with offices in Berlin, Paris, and New York. His clients include Apple Music, Asics, Bottega Veneta, Calvin Klein, Dazed, Hermès, Jil Sander, Le Labo, Lululemon, Moncler, New Balance, Nike, Mercedes-Benz, Spotify, and Valentino.

When you begin a new project, what does your early research or visual strategy process look like?

I first make sure I clearly understand who the client is, the story they bring with them, and what they are looking for. From there, I continue researching in that direction. Very early on, I start building quite wild moodboards, adding all kinds of associations and possible directions, both visual and written. At this stage, there is no right or wrong. As the process evolves, things are gradually reduced until a clear direction emerges.

What tools or systems help you stay organised when moving between design, photography and larger creative direction work?

I use Miro, and sometimes Figma, for moodboards. In Notion, we often track team tasks and deadlines, alongside Google Calendar for meetings and reminders. On a very personal level, I rely heavily on Apple Notes and still write a lot by hand in an analogue notebook.

Your client list spans major global brands. What do you think those clients look for in your creative direction or design language?

I think my work is often defined by a sense of reduction and clarity, while still carrying depth and intensity. Reduction is a central element in all of my creative processes. Perhaps it is this silent, intense clarity and a certain sense of poetry that clients are drawn to.

Photography plays a central role in your practice. What themes or visual ideas are you most interested in exploring through the camera?

Photography is a very intimate medium for me. I like to zoom in extremely close or step very far back. This shift between an intense focus on detail and a sense of vastness feels particularly compelling. I enjoy having an overview, but I am equally fascinated when the viewer’s imagination is challenged because a very tight frame no longer reveals the full context.

You often collaborate with teams across different cities. How do you keep creative alignment when everyone works from different places?

I think it comes down to the right balance between trust and freedom, combined with regular exchange.

What qualities do you value most in a collaborator when you are building out a project team?

I find it genuinely enriching when someone has not lost their inner child and still approaches things with a sense of play. Open communication and reliability are essential. It becomes especially interesting when collaborators come from entirely different backgrounds, as this often brings new perspectives and opens up unexpected paths.

What recent project challenged you in a meaningful way, and what did it teach you about your process?

I recently worked on a project for a well-known running brand. The brief itself was fairly straightforward, but the decision-making team was very large, internally divided, and unstructured, and had surprisingly little understanding or personal experience with the subject matter. This came with several learnings. Teams that are too large tend to inhibit any creative process. Deep research and a holistic understanding are essential in order to make meaningful decisions.

Looking ahead, what kind of creative challenge would you love to say yes to?

I’ve carried a strong urge for quite some time to create something from the ground up, to bring something into this world in my own handwriting.

Over the past few years, the idea of building my own brand has slowly taken shape within me, most likely rooted in fashion, sport, and performance.

I want to create something that aligns with the life I aspire to live. Something that supports my mental and physical well-being. Something uncompromising. A space of freedom and honest creation. A creative playground and a medium for connection.

I want to work alongside friends and people who inspire me, to give something back to the world, to build a community, and in the process, to find my own voice.