PRESENT Newsletter #8
Hello Friend,
What a year!👀
I hope you were able to find some peace of mind despite what's going on in our world. And I hope you achieved the things you aimed for this year.
If not — no need to feel down: You’ll have another chance with fresh energy in the coming year. Forgive yourself, and reboot in 2023 with new strength.
It feels like I'm writing to myself because those are the words I need to hear. I bombarded myself with lots of ambitious tasks. Some of which I couldn’t finish this year. And I made peace with that.
2022 started with newfound consistency in my daily routines. I reduced the amounts of projects, and went deeper with the existing ones. I got fitter. Then I broke seven ribs in a snowboarding accident.
The healing process was tedious. I pondered a lot about how to deal with setbacks. And how fast things like this can happen in life. It was a good reminder to always stay wide awake and be thankful for what you have!
I found back to strength through running, yoga and working out. And it was thanks to my friends and loved ones that I got back on my feet in record time. This year I traveled a lot with Sarah, we went to Valence, Marseille, Mandel, Hamburg, Venice, Tuscany, and Bangkok <3 what an absolute gift.
I maintained the weekly public Log throughout the year. It’s still hyper-personal and a fun exercise in consistency that provided me with another layer of reflection. And hopefully, it brings value to others who are on a similar path, or at least some entertainment :)
Okay! Here's what else is going on:
*PRESENT UPDATES*
First things first: We are working on PRESENT Issue 3, which will be published in Summer 2023. We are very excited about that and worked hard this year doing research, conducting interviews and managing all upcoming contributions and features.
We also have a new media kit: if you are a brand and want to partner, please reach out. Here's an interview about PRESENT I did with VOGUE earlier this year.✨
Next up:
In January, I will record the first episode of the PRESENT Podcast where I'll have an in-depth conversation with my friend and designer, Jasmin Truong.
We're going to organise our first online live event with Pauline and Carl Baumberger of GLOW GLOW wines to learn more about our upcoming collaboration.🥂
We're going to launch the PRESENT Community and Membership Program with the goal of bringing together all PRESENT People around the world and elevate future projects.🌍
...and more in the pipeline! Keep an eye on www.present.xxx and follow @present_xx where we publish updates most frequently.
*OHH UPDATES*
I built a new version of hugohoppmann.com, now including a full timeline next to the most recent works, alongside @officehugohoppmann for an even deeper archive. This is still growing, follow along the way!
Logo design and art direction for the new visual identity of the world's leading outdoor brand, in collaboration with David Benedek, Ric Ferrol, and the incredible team at Salomon.
I'm honored and humbled to have been given the trust to redesign one of my all time favorite brands. Massive thanks to David Farcot and the whole team. I'll never forget this.
Carefully crafted towards future-proof impact and maximum precision, the new identity is a workhorse that builds a base for all sub-brands such as Salomon Advanced and S/Lab for which I designed new logos as well.
The new wordmark is a respectful nod to both the heritage 80's logo and Neville Brody's legendary 90's graphic work for Salomon.
Art direction, logo design, spirit animal graphics, e-commerce website for LỰU ĐẠN, the new fashion label by Kwaidan Editions’s Hung La and Léa Dickely, with powerful design support by Sarah Discours.💮
“The way we look at the Lu’u Dan man, he’s a bad boy but he’s got a big heart,” says Hung La. “There’s an emotional intelligence to him. It’s not just surface, it’s not the kung fu gangster you know; there’s depth to this man, and I think there’s spirituality to him as well.”
It was a joy working on this project and I'd like to thank the whole team. Special thanks to Ryan, Lea and Kevin. Campaign photography by Jimi Franklin. More background info on the launch via Vogue and @luudan_official.
I started to support Newfoundation as creative director and head of design. The team and the mission are inspiring and I’m learning lots of new aspects about technology, culture, and web3, for which I still have a deep fascination and hope for.
I reimagine and develop the cultural direction and visual identities for a growing ecosystem of 10+ brands and projects. Research, branding, website development, UI/UX design ~ very excited about where this is going. (Hit me up if you want access to the docs to learn more.)
INPUT
I'm a fan of Azeem's newsletter since a few years now (fact-based optimism!) and his new book Exponential is outstanding.
"In the book, the risks and challenges arising out of the exponentially leaping technologies are masterfully balanced with opportunities and proposed policy actions. The book is an essential read for leaders and enthusiasts who care about the better future for all."
The Gleaners and I is a documentary by the great Agnès Varda, in which she films and interviews gleaners in France in all forms, from those picking fields after the harvest to those scouring the dumpsters of Paris.
"Embracing the intimacy and freedom of digital filmmaking, Varda posits herself as a kind of gleaner of images and ideas, one whose generous, expansive vision makes room for ruminations on everything from aging to the birth of cinema to the beauty of heart-shaped potatoes."
It's a really lovely, thought-provoking film that gives an intimate inquiry into French life as lived by the country's poor and its provident, as well as by Varda herself.
The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive. To put it more accurately, it is not so much that you use your mind wrongly - you usually don’t use it at all. It uses you.
The Power of Now by Eckhard Tolle presents itself as a discussion about how people interact with themselves and others. The concept of self reflection and presence in the moment are explained along with simple exercises for the achievement of its principles.
Love is the active nurturing of spiritual growth in ourselves and others.
All About Love by bell hooks was gifted to me by my sister for my birthday, and I found it profound and important.
"All relationships have ups and downs. Romantic fantasy often nurtures the belief that difficulties and down times are an indication of a lack of love rather than part of the process. In actuality, true love thrives on the difficulties. The foundation of such love is the assumption that we want to grow and expand, to become more fully ourselves."
Human Traffic is a 1999 independent coming of age cult film of the Cool Cymru era in Cardiff, Wales.
An adrenaline-pumped comedy, Human Traffic chronicles the ups and downs — both chemical and emotional — of five friends whose weekends are filled with endless clubbing, pubbing and partying.
I really enjoyed it and thought the cast was amazing together, it really feels like they'd been friends for a long time. There is an amazing score alongside it, and this scene is legendary.
OUTRO
“Being present demands all of us. It‘s not nothing. It may be the hardest thing in the world.
This year I realized once again how important being present really is. And this project is my reminder of what I need most
This can be hard. But doing hard things is good. Sometimes we are too busy to realize where we are and what we need. Take a break. Stop overthinking everything. Come back to now. It’s worth it!
I want to thank my friends and partners, and especially Sarah and Marina for putting up with me this year. Sometimes I fail. But I'm always trying my best. I’m still learning. And without the people by my side, this would be impossible. Thank you all for being in my life and thank you for your patience and your love and your trust.
You will hear from me more regularly in the coming year. In any way: I appreciate you! I appreciate that you are still reading this little update of mine.
As always, I’m here for you if you want to share anything, just hit reply.
Stay Present,
Always yours,
Hugo
www.hugohoppmann.com
www.present.xxx