Zarf Design Consulting

Bridging the gap between avant-garde visions and the harsh realities of the art world.

Imagine the feeling of contemplating cutting-edge design from the shadowy depths of the underground, while also trying to make websites that didn't crash. Would you call it a design studio or an existential crisis with occasional coding?

Zarf Design Consulting was an artist collective that specialized in cutting-edge design and innovative technologies. Their core strength, they confidently asserted, was delivering fresh, forward-thinking design solutions across a range of services, including print media, website design and development, identity design, event organization, and consulting – though they sometimes secretly wondered if 'consulting' just meant having opinions.

Deeply embedded within Budapest's underground art scene, Zarf maintained strong connections to the student and recent graduate ecosystem of the city's fine art, crafts, and design university. This provided them with a constant influx of fresh perspectives, and an occasional influx of very strong coffee.

They operated on a project-based model, which meant they would take on any client who was willing to pay them, or at least promise to, from the cultural scene to television, art galleries, and artist collectives.

In addition to client work, Zarf actively participated in art exhibitions and fostered collaborations with key institutions in the underground art scene, such as Tűzraktár and Bulvár & Brezsnyev Gallery. They also engaged with more established galleries, like Ráday Gallery, and larger institutions, such as Kunsthalle Budapest, bridging the gap between alternative and mainstream art spaces, because even the most avant-garde artists occasionally need to pay rent.