zeitgeist on ice

Berlin’s startup and app development landscape extends far beyond Soundcloud — it’s best known app. Clips from this really great piece from RWW, both explain how and why the startup scene in Berlin seems to be growing with a particular strength in visual equity and also providing some specific fruits of this cultural and tech explosion:

“The new-generation startups and their founders no longer shoot for successful companies in their country (or in Europe), their mission is pure world domination,” says Reber. Reber says that Berlin startups who emphasise design “live perfection,” something he sees as a key to success:

“Users can see the passion of the team behind their products. That’s my number one advice for everyone; take the time you need to create the best result you’re able to create, forget ‘release early, release often’ and move to ‘It’s done, when it’s done’.”

While for a long time it was regarded as the home of ‘clone’ startups that copied successful American ideas, Berlin’s reputation is changing, and a unique flair for design is helping to drive that message forward. Indeed, 6Wunderkinder posted a ‘call to arms’on its blog earlier this month when it called on fellow startups in the city to ‘Stand up’ and declared that “The anti-copycat revolution starts now”:

“We’re now in an era of immense innovation and, in the words of Dylan, the times they are a-changin’. Germany, and in particular Berlin Mitte, is growing organically once again – in a crazy, outside the box kinda way. Fresh ideas are now finally bringing fresh money.”

Some particular examples of killer design in startups coming from Berlin right now:

• EyeEm is a photo sharing app that takes a little bit of Instagram, a pinch of Color and a sprinkling of Photovine and creates a new way of sharing photos that automatically adds context based on who you’re with, where you are and what you’re photographing. A beautifully simple interface makes some powerful behind-the-scenes technology easy to understand for anyone. While its location-centric approach to photo sharing might not be for everyone, there’s no denying that it’s a beautiful app to look at and use.
• WahWah.fm (pictured above) is an app that allows you to share the music you’re listening to on your iPhone with other people, so that they listen to exactly the same thing as you. It’s something of a Turntable.fm for people on the go, creating a radio station right from your phone. The design flair in the interface is stunning.
• Wunderlist from 6Wunderkinder is a cross-platform to-do list service that shuns the usual functional look of the genre for something a lot more stylish. (pictured above)
• SoundCloud is perhaps the best known Berlin startup right now, and the UI for its social audio platform is a thing of beauty. Just look at these example shots from its iPhone app, for example.
• There are many more examples out there, Readmill, which we praised for its looks just this week, for example. There are others which we can’t mention yet, as they want to keep below the radar. However, Amen and Gidsy (both yet to officially launch) are getting tongues wagging in the cafes of Berlin amongst those who have used them.