2025Relaunch ilumi.de

The image shows a 3D rendering of a small island with a river flowing through it. The island is surrounded by green trees and bushes, and a bridge crosses the river. On the right side of the island are two buildings, one with a black roof, the other with a church steeple. The buildings have a modern and minimalist look, with gray facades and white walls. The river is calm, and small ripples are visible on its surface. The overall atmosphere of the image is peaceful and serene.

After six years, it was time to redesign the ilumi.de website. The new site not only has a new design, it's now fully responsive and better optimized for mobile devices. Even though ilumi isn't subject to the German Accessibility Improvement Act (BFSG), I still designed the site to be easy to read and use for people with disabilities.

2023Development of ilumicam 2

The image shows a black camera on a tripod overlooking a mountainous landscape in the background. The camera is pointed to the right and appears to be a DSLR camera with a large lens. The tripod is attached to a black, box-like structure with a handle on the left side. Vast green hills and valleys can be seen in the background, and a winding road can be seen in the distance. The sky is blue and clear, and the scene appears peaceful and serene.

Although the first ilumicam worked well as a 360° full-sphere camera, I wanted more quality from the optics. Therefore, I adopted the concept and developed a platform for a professional digital camera instead of the camera module.

The automatic control system handles both movement in all directions and camera control. Instead of the touch display of the first ilumicam, the ilumicam 2 is controlled entirely via an app. The ilumicam 2 creates a Wi-Fi hotspot, whose IP address is displayed on the small ePaper display.

The results clearly exceed the quality of the first ilumicam!

2021Development of ilumicam

The image shows a black tripod with a camera mounted on it. The tripod is positioned on a concrete surface, with trees and bushes visible in the background. The camera is mounted on top of the tripod and appears to be a large, rectangular device with a long arm and a flat base. The arm is attached to the tripod via two adjustable legs, allowing the user to adjust the angle of the camera as desired. Also attached to one of the legs is a small camera, likely used for taking pictures or videos.

I've been offering 360° panoramic images using a full-sphere camera for a few years now. While the resolution is sufficient for many applications, the quality has never convinced me. The common alternative is to create the panoramas manually using high-quality digital camera equipment and a nodal point adapter. This solution seemed too expensive and cumbersome to me. Therefore, I developed my own camera tailored precisely for this purpose: the ilumicam.

The ilumicam consists of a digital camera controlled directly by an internal computer. The head is motorized and moves in all directions, and after basic measurements and settings, all images are captured fully automatically.

The quality and resolution far exceed standard solutions. The maximum resolution of the panoramas is 64K (normally 16K resolution), and the result is a 32-bit HDR image with an enormous aperture range.

Further information and examples can be found at 360° panoramic tours

2020360° ilumi.de

The image shows a screenshot of a computer screen displaying a 3D model of a room. The room looks like a museum or exhibition space with high ceilings and white walls. On the left side of the screen is a window with various 3D models and information about them. At the top left are three images of the model, each showing a different aspect of the design. The first image, at the top right, shows a black-and-white photo of a person in front of a wall with several framed pictures. The second image, at the top center, shows a model of the same model, but with different colors and textures. The third image, at the bottom right, shows the model in detail. Below the image is a menu bar with various options for the model. The menu bar includes options such as "Home," "Settings," and "About."

This is a separate platform that allows you to create linked sceneries from 360° panoramas.

Thanks to the simple graphical interface, even complex scenarios can be quickly realized and offered to customers at a reasonable price.

The 360° scenes are hosted on the ilumi servers and can be easily embedded into customer websites using a short code.

2019Development of the ilumi CMS 3

The image shows a screenshot of the ilumi CMS login page. The page is titled "Login" and features a photo of a man in the upper right corner. Below the photo is a form with fields for entering personal information such as an email address and password. There is also a submit button. The background of the page shows a close-up of the engine compartment of a Porsche. The Porsche logo can be seen in the lower right corner of the image.

Maintaining data should be as convenient as possible for my customers. Therefore, I have my own CMS system (Wikipedia). The current system is the third version and offers a variety of options for maintaining data. The system is modular and can therefore be adapted to customer needs.

The system runs as a web app on all common platforms. It is currently being used by OK-Automobile, for example, to manage customers and vehicles. It is also used on various websites to manage content such as "articles," "news," or "events" in the backend.

The user-friendly interface is very intuitive and requires little training time.

2019Back to the roots

The image shows a man sitting at a desk in front of three computer monitors. He is wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans and is sitting on a black office chair. The desk is made of wood and contains a computer keyboard, a mouse, and other office supplies. The man appears to be working on a project. There are several potted plants on the desk, and in the background is a window with white blinds. The room is bright and airy, with natural light streaming through the window.

Now I'm back working for you in digital media - without a large company, but as a one-man show, with the know-how of a complete agency!

2010Excursion into the private sector

After our main client, Wilkinson Sword, moved to international agencies, I unfortunately had to downsize ilumi significantly and make myself available to the private sector as an office mercenary.

Over the next few years, as Head of Content Management, I gained a lot of experience in the area of PIM (Product Information Management) systems, as well as in data integration between different software packages such as SAP and Magento.

Ultimately, however, due to various bad decisions made by my boss, I had to replace him, and the best way to do that is to resign. Somehow, I prefer being the boss!

2006Development of ilumi CMS 2

The image shows a screenshot of a web application's user interface. The interface is divided into two areas. On the left is a list of options for the user to choose from. The options are arranged in a grid and each has a title and a short description. On the right are the two tabs "File" and "Edit." The "Edit" tab is empty, while the "View" tab contains a drop-down menu with options such as "Cancel," "Help," and "Help." There are also several buttons in the top right corner, including "Help" and "Save." The background of the image is white, and the design is simple and modern.

After six years, the old content management system was beginning to show its age. A completely new CMS was needed that was flexible, easy to learn, and capable of building even large and complex websites in a short amount of time.

The result was a completely object-oriented CMS without rigid structures.

On this basis, many websites were created in the following years, some of which are still online.

2003Project Quattro for Wilkinson Sword

For the product launch of the new razor, Wilkinson Sword commissioned us to create a 3D animation to demonstrate the advantages of the razor.

We had a lot of freedom with this project and were allowed to really let our imaginations run wild. The result was a complete success, receiving a standing ovation at the in-house screening at the cinema.

The possibilities of 3D animation have now advanced considerably, but 22 years ago this result was very impressive.

My Little FarmThe image shows a row of blue and white servers in a room with white walls. The servers are arranged neatly and clearly, with some of them containing a computer monitor and keyboard. The floor is covered with a gray carpet, and there is a window on the left side of the image. Overall, the room appears clean and tidy.

In order to provide the computing power that was enormous for the time, we quickly rented another floor and equipped it with our own small render farm - and of course, despite the tight timing, we finished the animation on time.

2001ilumi relaunch

The image shows a screenshot of the website "ilumi - Internet & Advertising Agency." The website is designed in green and white and has a green header. The header displays the company logo and contact information. Below it is a navigation bar with links to various sections of the website. The main content of the page is divided into two sections. The top section features a white robot with four legs and a camera. The robot appears to be made of plastic and has a sleek, modern design. The text on the page provides information about the website, such as its features, benefits, and services.

A lot happened in 2001. We took the plunge and rented a larger office in the heart of Düsseldorf's old town. Our team grew to five, then nine, and ilumi got a completely new CI and logo.

2000wilkinson.de

Since I'd been in contact with Wilkinson Sword for years and had built a great deal of trust through my 3D work in the past, we were awarded the contract to relaunch wilkinson.de after a few microsites. To better manage the number of pages we planned to create, I developed my own content management system (CMS). The plan was for wilkinson.de to grow to around 100 pages.

In retrospect, our first CMS wasn't all that bad, as it easily handled the 700 pages that wilkinson.de ultimately contained.

1999Birth of Ilumi

The screenshot shows a golden 3D-rendered object that appears to split in the middle, revealing a dazzling light. Various menu items are arranged around the object. The background is beige. The company name "ilumi" is visible at the bottom in cursive script. Below that, it says "Interactive Media."

In 1999, I founded ilumi with my then wife. At that time, the internet was just taking off, literally. It was the era of slow modems and later "fast ISDN." By comparison, "fast ISDN" was about a thousandth of the speed we're used to today. Therefore, another medium became popular before the internet: the CD-ROM as a medium for company presentations. We therefore expanded our areas of expertise with this medium.

The ilumi logo and CI used to look completely different!

1996Virtual photography

The image shows a business card for a photographer named Marcus Wengenroth. The card has a gray background with a black and white illustration of an Egyptian hieroglyph in the center. The eye is drawn in a simple, minimalist style with a curved line and a small dot in the center, symbolizing the Eye of Ra in Egyptian mythology. The text on the card reads "VIRTUAL PHOTOGRAPHY" in black letters. Below the eye are a phone number, a fax number, and the artist's name. The phone number is written in smaller font and is located at the bottom of the card.

Towards the end of my training, I had my first contact with 3D software and, contrary to all recommendations, I decided to start my own business in this field.

I called my company "VIRTUAL PHOTOGRAPHY" because I lit and "photographed" objects in the 3D program like in a photo studio. The name also explained a little bit about what I was doing. The terms 3D graphics and 3D animation weren't common at the time and needed to be explained.

One advantage, however, was that there was little on offer in this area at the time, so it was quite easy for me to acquire new customers.

One of the clients was Wilkinson Sword, with whom I had already had contact through my training. However, Wilkinson didn't need 3D visualizations, but rather animations, so I expanded my portfolio in that direction.

1995advertising photographer

The image is a black and white photograph of a staircase in a modern building. The staircase is made of concrete and has metal railings on both sides. The railing is made of stainless steel and is attached to the wall on the right side of the image. On the left side is a large cylindrical structure with a curved top. The structure appears to be a cupola or dome-like structure. In the background is a concrete wall with a large window in the upper right corner. The image was taken from a low angle, looking down at the staircase.

After a few detours, I decided to train as a commercial photographer. This is where I learned the origins of the word "perfectionism": hours of work were spent positioning small mirrors, reflectors, and lights, as well as adjusting the view camera, so that the final result would be printable slides.

At that time, we were still shooting entirely analogue. The typical process involved inserting two slides (= two exposures) into the film cassette in the darkroom, taking two slightly different exposures of the subject, and then—when enough exposures had been taken—put everything into a developing machine, which developed the large-format slides in about 45 minutes. After another 20 minutes of drying time, the slides could be viewed on a light table.

Lint, fingerprints, dust, etc. could not be accepted because subsequent image processing would be extremely expensive and time-consuming.

If we needed to do things quickly, we used the Hasselblad, which allowed us to take 12 shots per film cassette.

1989mathematician

It was worth a try: I enrolled in a mathematics degree program in Cologne and even successfully completed several certificates and exams over the following years. However, my minor in business administration ultimately put a stop to my plans, as my extreme lack of interest in the subject left my brain with limited capacity to absorb information...

1981first computer

The image shows an old-fashioned 8-bit computer. The computer is beige, rectangular, and has a wooden base. On the front is a white keyboard with black lettering. The computer's name, "Video Genie System," is displayed in silver letters. On the right side, there is also a cassette player, presumably used as a storage device. The device is positioned on a white surface.

In 1981, my father bought what was probably the first commercially available home computer. It was connected to a monitor (or optionally a television), and programs could be saved on audio cassettes. The system was later expanded with an "expansion board," which increased the RAM to an incredible 48 KB and allowed us to connect floppy disk drives. The cost of everything at the time was approximately DM 3,000.

Many thanks to Thomas Gutmeier for providing me with this image.

One of the most spectacular programs can be seen in the following video. It utilized the device's full graphical and audio capabilities!

But since there weren't many programs available, and platforms like the Internet weren't readily available to buy or ship programs, I had to program them myself. During this time, I wrote my first programs in BASIC.

If you would like more information about this infernal device, you can contactWikipediainform.

1968birth

The image shows an old-fashioned rotary dial telephone. The telephone is light gray and has a curved handle on the right side. The round dial has the numbers 1 to 9 in the center. The numbers are arranged in a circle around the dial, with the letters "1" and "2" on the left and "3" in the center. The dial also has a label reading "Fire" and "Emergency." The telephone is in good condition and shows no visible damage or wear. The background is plain white.

I was practically born in '68. You can tell that that was a really long time ago by the fact that there were no cell phones back then, for example.

In the photo we see the "Gray Mouse" from Siemens. This telephone was practically the standard for every household at that time.

Ok, in reality it is not a photo, but a computer-generated 3D model that I once created for a project.