About
Hi! I’m Lars Mensel. Here I collect things I’ve noticed.
Currently
- Running studio~humm, a design agency focused on brand design, strategy, and websites.
- Writing about images, power, and memory.
- Raising a small human.
About this site
I’ve been keeping a blog (in some form or another) since 2002. These days, I use it to think out loud about how we see the world through images and what power they have over us.
Some recent favorites:
My focus changed somewhat since the advent of generative AI, which has upended the idea of what an image is.
Lately, I’ve also been delving deep into the culture wars: what that term actually means and how it shapes both perception and truth. Turns out that fits nicely to images, since it’s increasingly difficult to believe what we see.
What I do
Over the past 15+ years I’ve worked across communication, content, design, and branding. Today I’m a partner at studio~humm, a brand and website design agency from Berlin.
My goal here and at previous jobs is usually the same: creating meaning, clarity, and character. I believe that in a world full of AI-generated filler, that matters more than ever.
Photography
I’ve been taking photos, both professionally and as a hobby since my teenage years. These days, I mostly focus on ongoing documentation of what’s going on in my life and what I’m noticing. I’ve found that a lot of photography’s power doesn’t lie in individual pictures but in their context—in my case that’s time. You can see a selection on the (ever-growing) journal.
Find me on Instagram
Podcast
Between 2016 and 2018 I hosted a podcast called Available Light.
It focused on photography and some of the personalities taking photos, their approach, and way of seeing the world. I’ve archived the episodes here.
The podcast went on hiatus following a bike accident — but I wouldn’t rule out reviving it in the future.
Contact
Reach me by email: hello@larsmensel.com