Sven Ingmar Thies, born and raised in Hamburg, Germany, studied graphic design at Braunschweig University of Art and completed his final thesis in Tokyo and Yokohama. Since his time at university, he has focused on a holistic design approach that seamlessly connects to other design disciplines, other specialist areas, or even to handicrafts. This conviction was intensified further by two professional engagements at Henrion, Ludlow & Schmidt in London, where brands were holistically developed, and at Kitayama Institute in Tokyo, where he learned about the interplay between architecture and design during a two-year postgraduate scholarship. Besides being involved in project-related work for brand agencies Enterprise IG (today, Superunion) and Landor (today, Landor & Fitch), he founded Thies Design in 1998 which develops tailored brand experiences for enterprises and institutions. In addition to his professional activities, Sven Ingmar Thies has taught graphic design at the University of Applied Arts Vienna's Class of Ideas since 2011.