Fabian Heller (M.A.) & Karen Kircher (M.A.), Founders and Creative Directors of efkei studio, are award winning designers with a focus on bold visual language through creative experimentation and the mix of different media. They’re bridging the gap between design and technology to achieve progressive and impactful designs that break the viewers’ expectations. Their work has been recognized multiple times by some of the most prestigious design awards, both nationally and internationally, including The One Club for Creativity / New York, Art Directors Club / Berlin, and Creativ Club Austria / Vienna.

Fabian Heller (M.A.) & Karen Kircher (M.A.), Founders and Creative Directors of efkei studio, are award winning designers with a focus on bold visual language through creative experimentation and the mix of different media. They’re bridging the gap between design and technology to achieve progressive and impactful designs that break the viewers’ expectations. Their work has been recognized multiple times by some of the most prestigious design awards, both nationally and internationally, including The One Club for Creativity / New York, Art Directors Club / Berlin, and Creativ Club Austria / Vienna.

Fabian Heller (M.A.) & Karen Kircher (M.A.), Founders and Creative Directors of efkei studio, are award winning designers with a focus on bold visual language through creative experimentation and the mix of different media. They’re bridging the gap between design and technology to achieve progressive and impactful designs that break the viewers’ expectations. Their work has been recognized multiple times by some of the most prestigious design awards, both nationally and internationally, including The One Club for Creativity / New York, Art Directors Club / Berlin, and Creativ Club Austria / Vienna.

efkei studio delivers impactful design, strategy and direction. Progressive imagery & aesthetics create long lasting and sustainable experiences for brands looking beyond the usual.

f**k the ordinary. f**k the norms. f**k the expected.

efkei studio delivers impactful design, strategy and direction. Progressive imagery & aesthetics create long lasting and sustainable experiences for brands looking beyond the usual.

f**k the ordinary. f**k the norms. f**k the expected.

efkei studio delivers impactful design, strategy and direction. Progressive imagery & aesthetics create long lasting and sustainable experiences for brands looking beyond the usual.

f**k the ordinary. f**k the norms. f**k the expected.

The Ordinary.
the norms.
The expected.

The Ordinary.
the norms.
The expected.

Awards

The One Club for Creativity

New York

1X Gold, 1X Silver, 3X Merit

Art Directors Club (ADC)

Berlin

3X Gold, 5X Silver, 6X Bronze, 4X Merit

CCA Creativ Club Austria

Vienna

4X Bronze, 3x Shortlist

Art Directors Club Europe (ADC*E)

Barcelona

2x Silver, 1x Bronze

European Design Awards

Tallinn

1X Bronze

German Design Award

Frankfurt

Nominee Newcomer 2024 & 2025

Features

Grafikmagazin / Print / Issue 03.24

Aesthetics of the Uncanny

PAGE / Online

KNOB

Talks

ADC Digital Conference / Creative Club

Düsseldorf

AI:STHETICS

Ladies, Wine & Design

Ravensburg

Female Gaze Design

ADC Creative Club

Hamburg

Female Gaze Design

Science Slam

Weingarten

Female Gaze Design

Science Slam

Friedrichshafen

Female Gaze Design

Alumni Talk Media Design

Weingarten

efkei studio

Teaching

Supervision (2025/26)

Bachelor Thesis & Project

Project Conception & Execution, Visual Storytelling & Narratives, Character & Environment Design, Presentation Design, Project Documentation, Scientific Working Methods

Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences

Supervision (2024/25)

Multiple Bachelor Student Projects in Media Design

Project Conception & Execution, Visual Storytelling & Narratives, Character & Environment Design, Presentation Design, Project Documentation, Building a Visual Library, Design Fundamentals, Scientific Working Methods

Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences

Workshop (2023, 2024, 2025)

From Spark to Fire

2-day workshop for students of MultiMediaArt Master (Communication Design) on how to transform the spark of an idea into an impactful project.

Salzburg University of Applied Sciences

Workshop (2023)

Thinking about Awards

Workshop for Media Design students on design awards and project documentation & preparation.

Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences

Connect

Disrupting the status quo.
Design. Aesthetics. Impact.

efkei studio for contemporary design.

Connect

Disrupting the status quo.
Design. Aesthetics. Impact.

efkei studio for contemporary design.

Connect

Disrupting the status quo.
Design. Aesthetics. Impact.

efkei studio for contemporary design.

Fabian Heller M.A.

Karen Kircher M.A.

©2023–2026 efkei studio

Manifesto

① For Craft & Innovation.
② Pushing Boundaries.
③ Exploration & Experiment.
④ Building Experiences.
⑤ For Sustainability & Accessibility.
⑥ Progressive & Disruptive.
⑦ Embrace the Unknown, the Uncommon, the Unexpected.

f**k the ordinary.
f**k the norms.
f**k the expected.

efkei studio for
contemporary design.

The Ordinary.
the norms.
The expected.