Freedom of Speech – Digital

The Starting Point
In Berlin, Lettrétage is more than just a venue; it is the nerve center of the independent literary scene. It is a place where people network, find support, and create. Recently, however, this dynamic has been constrained by a rather restrictive digital framework. A WordPress setup that had grown over the years, weighed down by an overdose of plugins, made maintenance tedious and searchability—keywords: SEO and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)—difficult. Furthermore, the heart of the matter—the vast network of authors and the link to the platform literaturszene.berlin—often remained invisible. The technology stood in the way of the vision.

The Task:
The goal was to create a structure that doesn’t just pay lip service to the “network concept” as a buzzword, but actually makes it usable. We wanted to move away from a static information page toward a dynamic hub. The goal was a platform as flexible as the Lettrétage program itself—yet with the aesthetic clarity required when the focus is on text. All while not forgetting a sense of playfulness and lightness—keyword: the red line. A design element derived from the handwritten-style logo. It runs digitally around all elements of a page.  

Bonus: a new, second space for the practice – K26
Special attention was also paid to integrating K26, Lettrétage’s new project and event space in Schöneberg. Here, the focus shifts from purely curatorial work to facilitating: the space serves as a think tank, workshop venue, and event location all at once. For the website, this meant creating a landing page that strikes a balance between cultural aspirations and the practicalities of rental logistics. We presented K26 as a standalone entity that is nevertheless visually anchored in the brand’s core. Through clear information design, hard facts are linked to the venue’s atmosphere—a digital reception that opens up the physical space to external users without diluting its literary identity.

The Process
We didn’t just design—we refined. During an intensive conceptual phase, we dissected requirements, built wireframes, and tweaked click-through mockups until they worked. This was anything but a closed-door affair: through agile collaboration, we closely involved the stakeholders at Lettrétage. This dialogue was essential to finding common ground among the various stakeholders and the partner site www.literaturszene.berlin.

: The Solution We chose Webflow as our technological backbone. Why? Because it bridges the gap between technical precision and editorial freedom. Easy to maintain, effective, and highly optimized for SEO and AEO. The Lettrétage team can now capture the pulse of the scene through dynamic CMS content, while the new “Build Feature” allows them to modify content on static pages or independently create new landing pages—such as for future space projects.

The result
The new website is no longer just a digital brochure, but an “aesthetic tool.” Its design is bold and confident, its technology is state-of-the-art, and it gives the network the space it deserves. A relaunch that makes Lettrétage’s institutional strength palpable even in the browser.

P.S.: The AEO optimization was so successful that, due to the high volume of traffic, we had to specifically exclude agents who weren't essential to the Lettrétage.