Marco Pröfrock

Marco Pröfrock — Creative / Art Director, Stuttgart

2021
He studied product design. Made chairs. Nice chairs. Solved problems that — if we're being honest — had already been solved.
2023
Then the crisis. The real problems aren't in objects — they're in people's heads. So he switched to advertising. His parents were thrilled. (They were not thrilled.)
2024
A year later he was in Cannes. Says he didn't plan it. I believe him. He's terrible at planning. Good at showing up, though.
— Selected Projects

Work

— 01

500l/s

Stuttgarter BäderParametric Design System, Brand Identity, Integrated Campaign
2026
Problem
Stuttgart sits on Europe's second-largest mineral water deposit – yet 75% of young residents don't know it exists. The springs hide in backyards, the baths look like ordinary public pools, and no visual language communicates the richness beneath the city.

Idea
Bring the mineral water to where the target group already is: bars and cafés. Through "spring patronages," each venue adopts one of 13 springs and serves drinks made with its water. From cold drink to cold plunge.

Solution
A generative design system translates the chemical data of each spring into individual waveforms, colors, and a parametric display typeface with 13 cuts. It runs across all touchpoints – from out-of-home to drink menus to a stamp card that rewards a free bath entry once you've tasted all 13 springs.
  • The World's Best TypographySelected for the TDC Annual 2026
  • TDC Young Ones 2026Certificate of Typographic Excellence
  • ADC Young Ones 2026Merit
  • ADC Talent Award 20261× Bronze gewonnen

Subtitles available — press CC

500l/s — campaign overview board
How it works · interactive

From data to grid

Each spring's chemistry becomes one wave. Pick a spring to see its real, data-derived waveform — hover a value to see what it shapes — then stack the wave into the grid the letters are built on.

500l/s — out-of-home poster500l/s — Stuttgart mineral water bottle
The full 500l/s character set, glyph by glyph · move up / down to scrub
500l/s — brand identity
500l/s — application detail500l/s — application detail
Interactive · Try it

Type with 500l/s

500l/s — parametric typography system
500l/s — application detail500l/s — application detail
The 13 springs

13 springs · 13 cuts · 13 colours · 1,300 glyphs

The chemical signature of each spring is mapped to a fixed colour and one cut of the typeface. The card below shows the spring's initial set in its own cut.

Year
2026
Client
Stuttgarter Bäder
Role
Art Direction
Supervision
Prof. Ursula Drees, Lucie Ilg
Awards
TDC Young Ones 2026 — Certificate of Typographic Excellence
ADC Young Ones 2026 — Merit
ADC Talent Award 2026 — 1× Bronze gewonnen
— 02

Windkulturerbe

EnBWPR Campaign, Activation
2025
Problem
EnBW is one of Germany's largest energy companies – but virtually unknown outside Baden-Württemberg. At the same time, wind power faces constant public resistance, despite being one of the oldest forms of energy humans have ever used.

Idea
Mallorca – Germany's favorite holiday island – has over 3,300 historic windmills, many of them decaying. EnBW turns them into a UNESCO World Heritage petition: because wind power has history. And a future.

Solution
The windmills are restored on the outside and fitted with modern wind technology on the inside. The generated energy feeds directly into EV charging stations in front of each mill – so electric cars charge exactly where wind power was harnessed centuries ago. A petition, microsite, and social campaign invite the public to support "Windkulturerbe" and turn wind energy into a cultural conversation.
  • COMM Awards 251× Bronze
  • ADC Talent Award 20262× Bronze gewonnen

Subtitles available — press CC

Windkulturerbe — board
Windkulturerbe — project visualWindkulturerbe — project visual
Windkulturerbe — project visual
Year
2025
Client
EnBW
Role
Art Direction, Concept
Copywriting
Hannah Kormann
Awards
COMM Awards 25 — 1× Bronze
ADC Talent Award 2026 — 2× Bronze gewonnen
— 03

U-Turn — Bitte Wenden!

Corporate Design, Spatial Experience
2025
Problem
Car vs. public transport is one of the most polarizing debates in urban mobility – yet most arguments stay abstract. People know the statistics but rarely feel the trade-offs of either choice in a visceral way.

Idea
Turn the debate into a game. Two teams compete head-to-head in a spatial installation – one drives, one rides public transport. Both face real obstacles. The winner is decided by play, not opinion.

Solution
A room-sized immersive board game splits visitors into two sides. The car team deals with traffic jams and parking costs; the public transport team navigates route planning and delays. Microcontrollers, reactive sound and lighting, and "event cards" played by opponents make every trade-off physically felt – not just discussed.
  • ADC Talent Award 20261× Auszeichnung

Subtitles available — press CC

U-Turn — Bitte Wenden! installationU-Turn — Bitte Wenden! installation
U-Turn — Bitte Wenden! installationU-Turn — Bitte Wenden! installation
Year
2025
Role
Creative Direction, Graphic Design, Documentation
Production
Jakob Schmid
Creative Direction
Felin Jokuszies, Marco Pröfrock
Graphic Design
Marco Pröfrock
Medientechnik
Jakob Zill, Leon Marschollek, Markus Walter, Jakob Schmid
Sound
Michael Baumann, Jakob Zill
Light
Lukas Sabo
Social Media
Philine-Marie Heinrich, Meg Löffler
Editing
Marie Grob, Marco Pröfrock
Bühne
all
Supervision
Prof. Ursula Drees, Moritz Stuhlfauth, Nadja Weber
Typeface
Neue Serie57
Awards
ADC Talent Award 2026 — 1× Auszeichnung
— 04

Hope in Action

UNICEFIntegrated Campaign, Competition
2024
Problem
UNICEF is losing connection with Gen Z. 75% find the future frightening, 55.7% believe humanity is doomed. In this climate, hope feels naive – and UNICEF's mission becomes invisible to the generation that could carry it forward.

Idea
Reframe hope as something active, not passive. "Hope in Action" hijacks the pop culture moments Gen Z already loves – streaming, gaming, music – and places UNICEF's real-time results right next to fictional heroes saving the world.

Solution
An AI links streaming platforms' databases with UNICEF's annual report to generate contextual 5-second messages in real time: "While Beth mastered chess, UNICEF helped 18.6 million children access education." The platform spans OTT, Twitch, Spotify, TikTok (#HopeCore), and OOH – all driving to a landing page for donations or volunteer sign-ups.
  • Cannes Lions THE BRIEF #4Global Winner
Hope in Action — board
Hope in Action — UNICEFHope in Action — project visual
Hope in Action — project visualHope in Action — project visual
Hope in Action — project visual
Hope in Action — project visualHope in Action — project visual
Year
2024
Client
UNICEF
Role
Art Direction
Team
Kunal Khade
Mohamad Al Qarawi
Marion Mondoloni
Niamh Aremband
Melissa Duarte de Almeida
Award
Cannes Lions THE BRIEF #4 — Global Winner
— 05

The Mediterainy Opera

RIAMIntegrated Campaign
2024
Problem
The Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin is staging an Italian opera – but opera feels foreign, elitist, and irrelevant to both Gen Z and casual audiences. How do you sell something Italian in a city known for rain, not romance?

Idea
Embrace the contradiction. Opera isn't Italian in Dublin – it's "Mediterainy." The campaign reimagines iconic Dublin landmarks as if they were Italian, with Ireland's rainy twist. Irish self-deprecating humor becomes the bridge to high culture.

Solution
Dublin landmarks are guerrilla-renamed with Italian translations, witty OOH posters play on the cultural contrast, and targeted social ads lean into the joke. Mementos and branded materials extend the tone – making opera feel fresh, fun, and locally relevant to a modern audience.
  • ADC Talent Award 251× Silver · 4× Merit
  • COMM Awards 251× Bronze · 2× Finalist
  • ICAD Awards 252× Commendation

Subtitles available — press CC

The Mediterainy Opera — boardThe Mediterainy Opera — project visual
The Mediterainy Opera — project visualThe Mediterainy Opera — project visual
The Mediterainy Opera — project visual

Subtitles available — press CC

Year
2024
Client
RIAM
Credits
Marco Pröfrock
Typeface
Neue Serie57
Awards
ADC Talent Award 25 — 1× Silver, 4× Merit
COMM Awards 25 — 1× Bronze, 2× Finalist
ICAD Awards 25 — 2× Commendation
— Photography

Snapshots

A few moments from along the way.

About

Marco is a Creative at Scholz & Friends in Stuttgart.

His work has been recognised by The One Club for Creativity's Art Directors Club (ADC) and Type Directors Club (TDC), the Art Directors Club Germany (ADC), the Institute of Creative Advertising and Design Ireland (ICAD), and the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity—where he won the global competition THE BRIEF #4.

He just wrapped up his bachelor's degree at Stuttgart Media University (HdM) after an Erasmus semester at IADT in Dublin.

Marco Pröfrock

Memberships

The One Club for CreativityMember · New York
The Institute of Creative Advertising and Design IrelandMember · Dublin

Experience

03/26 — Today
Scholz & FriendsCreative Fellow
09/24 — 03/26
Scholz & FriendsArt Director / Student
03/24 — 09/24
Scholz & FriendsArt Director / Intern

Education

2021 — 2026
Stuttgart Media University (HdM)Integrated Product Design — B.A.
2024
Institute of Art, Design + Technology Dún LaoghaireGraphic Design — ERASMUS

Awards

ADC Talent Award 2026Bronze · Bronze · Bronze · Auszeichnung
Young Ones 2026TDC Certificate of Typographic Excellence · ADC Merit
Young Lions Germany 2026Top 5 Print · Top 5 Digital · Top 5 PR
Cannes Lions THE BRIEF #4Global Winner
ADC Talent Award 2025Silver · Merit · Merit · Merit · Merit
ICAD Awards 2025Top 3 Design Students · Top 2 Advertising Students
COMM Awards 2025Bronze · Bronze · Finalist · Finalist

Featured Talks & Publications

PAGE Magazine — 40 Years Anniversary IssueUpcoming01.10.2026ISBNComment
TDC Annual 47, The World's Best TypographyUpcoming09/2026ISBN 978-3-69202-013-6500l/s
Pop Up ADC Creative Club24.07.2026Areal Süd, inside AREAL SÜD500l/s
ADC Creative Club Stuttgart22.05.2026Stuttgart, Club Schräglage500l/s
ADC Creative Club Stuttgart19.05.2026Stuttgart, Club SchräglageWindkulturerbe
Ask Marco Anything
Macintosh