Speaker Introduction – Annie Atkins
I am super happy, delighted and absolutely stoked to share one of my personal highlights of this year’s beyond tellerrand in Düsseldorf: Annie Atkins is joining us!
I first saw Annie speak back in 2015 at Reasons.to in Brighton, and it was one of those talks that stayed with me. It was inspiring and wonderfully revealing about a part of design that most people never truly notice.
And now, over ten years later, she’s finally joining us at beyond tellerrand. It’s one of those full-circle moments that makes event organising so wonderful.
But who is Annie Atkins?
Annie Atkins is a world-renowned graphic designer and prop maker for film and television. Originally from Wales and now based in Dublin, she creates the tiny, intricate pieces that make movie worlds feel utterly real. That can be old newspapers and telegrams or hand-lettered signs and passports. These aren’t just background details if you really look at it. They are essential elements of storytelling that shape the atmosphere and authenticity of every scene.
Her work is part of the most beloved films of the last decade, including Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel (for which she was lead graphic designer), Isle of Dogs, and The French Dispatch, as well as Spielberg classics like Bridge of Spies and West Side Story.
Next to being part of the film community, she is also an author. Her first book Fake Love Letters, Forged Telegrams, and Prison Escape Maps: Designing Graphic Props for Filmmaking takes readers behind the curtain of this incredibly detailed craft, earning praise from Jeff Goldblum for making “the unreal seem hyperreal, and the real more supremely alive and utterly magical.”
For those of who think deeply about design, what it communicates, how it shapes experience, Annie’s work shows a hidden craft that blends history, storytelling and hand-made detail. She is one of the designers whose work most people see but never consciously notice. Well, until you realise how much it contributes to the actual magic of a film.
Having met her work almost a decade ago in Brighton, and now introducing her on stage in Düsseldorf feels like something truly special. Personally for me, but also for everyone at beyond tellerrand who gets to experience her insights.
You should not miss out! ;)