about pleased to meet

pleased to meet is a label for joyful stationery, as well as textile and ceramic products, based in Munich (... the self-proclaimed "most beautiful city in the world"). The company founded by Daniela Koenn and Marcel Hornung in 2010 is defined by its distinctive style of illustration, which often tells stories about people, places and things with a wink.

ethics
Each of our products is made locally with great attention to detail and ecological aspects. This also means that we may have to do without a new product due to high production costs in a fair working environment. Although we never really emphasized this fact, it was part of our value system from the beginning to build the bridge between design, quality, the environment and social responsibility.

our team
We are proud of our team, in many cases of people with whom we have worked from the very beginning. Family businesses, design lovers and talented artisans who print, tie, assemble, sew, photograph, communicate and ship our products. What we all have in common is a passion for what we do. This makes it easy to stay engaged and go the extra mile for a really special customer experience.

that's how it all started
The founders met in New York City in 1999, where they both worked for web and graphic design agencies before setting up on their own. After the two had relocated their design studio to Berlin, Daniela illustrated a first Christmas card collection in 2006 as a side project for one of their customers. From then on, she designed a new Christmas collection every year, which was soon sold in selected shops in Berlin. In 2010 Daniela and Marcel decided to jointly devote themselves to the development and sale of paper products from now on. This began an exciting journey into the world of retail, trade fairs and encounters. Today we are happy to find our products in stores all over the world and to be able to collaborate with other labels.

daniela koenn
One could argue that Daniela was born with ink in her blood. She grew up in a small town near Heidelberg, where the world-famous Heidelberg printing machines come from. But that wasn't the real reason why she studied graphic design in nearby Darmstadt. It was her grandfather, himself an artist, who made a lasting impression on her and introduced her to the world of visual design at an early age with the help of paints and brushes. Her curiosity for foreign places and people led her to live and work in cities all over the world, which had a lasting impact on her illustration style. When she illustrated her first cards in 2006, her style was often described as "Scandinavian," "Japanese," or "American," but never as "German." As co-founder and creative director, Daniela's distinctive style is at the heart of pleased to meet be inspired by a sensitivity for their surroundings, a precise and sometimes humorous look at daily life and a fascination for colors and objects.

marcel hornung
Marcel grew up in the university town of Freiburg in the extreme south of Germany. His broad interest in design and business and his relaxed approach to people have opened doors for him in the areas of PR and design. This enabled him to run a design studio in New York from a young age without fear of the unknown. Today Marcel is responsible for all business aspects of pleased to meet and plays a key role in brand communication. It is also his passion for design and his clear values that continue to shape the company.