Hey there!

Time flies, and we’re already here with another newsletter. We hope you’re doing well! 🌱

We have been busy with exciting project work lately. We finally had a face-to-face workshop at the Haus of Ponder and went on business trips again (for the first time in ages). And so it happens that we are writing this newsletter issue in sunny Munich. 🌞

Today, there’s something special in store for you: Previously, we’ve talked quite a lot about ourselves, our mission and events. This time, we’re finally sharing something we worked on – we know you’ve been waiting.

Let’s do it!

Here we come: our first ever case study 🌸

The work we are sharing today is particularly close to our hearts. First, because of the beautiful result (more later) and second, because we could apply our skills to tell stories that fight stigmas formed by societal pressure.

So what was the project about?

A while back, FUN FACTORY asked us to join their mission: to normalise masturbation through their sustainably manufactured products. When that happened, our co-founder Caro got so excited that she couldn’t leave a single event without asking everyone about their relationship with sex toys (sorry, not sorry!).

Together with @jordisstephani, Caro co-led the product launch of MEA, the company’s first premium suction toy, to ensure an inclusive view on (and representation of) the female orgasm.

Let’s look at the social context for one reason (of many) why this is important:

Nowadays, stereotypical images and misinformation create a massive gap between female and male orgasms. Through movies, pop culture, and mainstream porn, young people get displayed a narrow frame of mainly heterosexual sex – suggesting that intercourse is the most important thing. But in fact, only 20-30% of women orgasm through intercourse without simultaneous clitoral stimulation! (source)

So, helping FUN FACTORY with their communication around their new product, MEA, felt very important to us. Our ambition was to display female pleasure in a positive and non-judgemental way.

Looking back at the project, we’re pretty happy with the outcome but also (slightly 😬) biased. So we’ll best let you judge for yourselves:

An important part of our job was to create the product’s brand story in collaboration with @hyperfocus.cc. And that is what @loopinglovers brought to life in a BEAUTIFUL video. 💖😭

Please click the preview below to enjoy the full version.

(Also, please enjoy the sounds! ✨🤤✨)

A belated introduction (and a big thank you) 🛠❤️‍🔥🛠

This next item is long overdue: Please meet Robin, our first resident in the Haus of Ponder. He (and his Pumuckl Frida 🐶) have been with us since we got the keys to our studio.

He turned a scruffy and messy industrial space into our creative home, and there is not much he hasn’t touched in our office.

He painted our walls and up-cycled furniture he found on the street. He constructed movable peg boards for our workshops, turned a pipe duct into our cosy seating corner, and built an entire meeting room on wheels. Additionally, we also couldn’t have done our fundraiser event without him.

We are immensely thankful for his hard work and never-ending creativity.
🙇‍♀️🙇‍♂️🙇‍♂️

Unfortunately, we have to say goodbye to him as he’s moving into his own workshop (only 5 minutes away from us 🙌).

If you want to work with him, better be quick to get in touch.

Weekend send-off

As a regular reader, you know what’s next – our inspirational weekend send-off.

This time, we’d like to share an important podcast episode and some music to help you wind down and relax:

PODCAST: Dismantling White Supremacy in Design As the title suggests, today’s recommendation is about a delicate but crucial topic. The conversation between Antionette Carroll (Creative Reaction Lab) and her guests, David Clifford (Design School X) and Timothy Bardlavens (&Design), is incredibly insightful and inspiring. And it is so comprehensive (we took several pages of notes) that instead of a short blurb, we would have to write an entire article to do it justice. But since we can’t do that, we’re not even trying and just strongly recommend you listen to the podcast episode!

ALBUM: Gianni Brezzo – Tutto Passa Especially since there is, unfortunately, more bad news than good news nowadays, it is vital to put things into perspective and take a break from time to time. Even bad things will pass – at least for a while. Or like Cologne-based producer mastermind Gianni Brezzo says: Tutto passa. So, take a break, check out his latest album and enjoy some chill sounds this weekend.

Thank you so much for reading!

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That’s it. Read you again in a month — or drop us a message whenever you feel like it!

Ciao,
Your friends at Ponder