Funkhaus Berlin. Photograph by Nino V. Valpiani.
Data Terra Nemo is a technical conference focused on distributed and decentralized systems.
The second edition of Data Terra Nemo was held at Funkhaus Berlin — a beautiful 1950s-era recording studio in a former state radio broadcast centre, overlooking the River Spree. The venue’s history and atmosphere became the starting point for the entire identity: its aged surfaces, analog equipment, and quiet industrial grandeur set the tone for everything that followed.
Inspired by vintage printed materials, the identity leaned into the same worn, analog quality found throughout Funkhaus itself. The mark and its surrounding system were designed to feel like they’d been pulled from an old print: restrained, monochromatic, and a little bit imperfect, complemented across the conference by a mix of colour and black-and-white photography.
The monochromatic palette and wordmark were carried through every physical touchpoint of the conference (pins, stickers, and t-shirts) reinforcing a consistent, tactile identity before attendees ever reached the venue.
A simple single-page website covering the schedule, speaker lineup, venue details, sponsors, and a code of conduct. Speakers came together from across the distributed and decentralized systems space, including contributors from Protocol Labs, WebTorrent, Scuttlebutt, and the Dat Foundation.
The two-day schedule was laid out as a clean, scannable timeline, and the whole site carried the same restrained, letterpress-era tone as the printed materials, right down to a small Morse code detail worked into the footer.
The 2019 edition sold out ahead of the event, with talks and interviews recorded and published afterward for anyone who couldn’t attend in person.
