Barkas on Crafting Brands That Resonate

In 2014, Mike Wittrup and Daniel Rørbæk founded Barkas Studio, which operates between Copenhagen and Stockholm. Their work centers around the belief that anything can be designed, from brands to business models, and that when you cut through the clutter, you find the clarity that drives excellent design. Behind the scenes, their crew comprises folks from all walks of life, contributing to their deep understanding of what makes a successful brand.

We sat down with Barkas studio to learn more about what they are most excited about and how Dropmark fits into their workflow.

Where does your team gather inspiration for projects?

Basically anywhere. That can be a story, a piece of art, a walk in nature or feeling. It can be a memory or joke. What we look for in the beginning of any design process is an insight or singular and clear conceptual idea. From there we can start building the brand.

Currently we work a lot within culture driven global brands and organization. And at the moment how sport and lifestyle is fully merging is something we are very inspired by. Culture has always been about creating moments or experiences that bring people together around a topic, look, opinion etc. and nobody are better than uniting people than sports.

Can you tell us more about your approach to design solutions?

For us creating clarity is the core purpose of our work. In a increasingly complex world creating brands that have a clear and unified position and brand is key. So we want to ensure that each idea we create is sharp, purposeful, and impactful. We believe that clear ideas resonate deeply and have the power to inspire lasting connections.

Is there a particular project you’re most excited about currently?

Having the chance to work with a true icon in culture and synonymous with rock n roll and live music. That means, a new design system, full remake of marshall.com and a broader understanding of rock n roll in this day and age. We are still working with Marshall on a daily basis which is incredible inspiring and full on!

What do you wish more people understood about the design industry?

That it is not as sexy as it seems. :) For us it has always been extremely important to acknowledge that we alone cannot make a brand succeed. A bespoke typeface is great and might bring the exact distinct look that is needed, but to truly pivot, scale or build a brand you need to be strategically rooted and the classic design work should come after the creative position is clear. It should be an extension of your overall story.

How does Dropmark fit into your workflow?

We mostly use Dropmark during the research phase to find valuable references, resources, or collaborators for each project. We have all types of folders — Branding, Web, Video Mood, AI — so we don’t start from scratch every time a new brief comes in. Since different teams use it, we end up with a collective vision of what Barkas likes as a group.

We like that Dropmark lets you add a link and displays it as a tile with a preview of that page. We tend to remember mostly how things look like, so it’s practical when weeks later we are looking for that same reference again.

Lastly, just for fun, what’s the most interesting thing you’ve Dropmarked recently?

A Dictionary of Colour Combinations

Thanks, Barkas Studio!