About

I’m Nick Lankau,
a designer, builder, and musician creating functional products and exploratory experiences for a more sustainable world.

I studied Environmental Product Design at CU Boulder, where I focused on making everyday tools that are useful, thoughtful, and built to last. Since then, my work has spanned fabrication, media, and sound, all drawn from the same imagined world. I see design as creating artifacts of a brighter future: practical and lasting, like they’ve been here forever, yet pointing toward what’s ahead. My designs embody honesty, equity, and detail. At their core, they’re about designing for the health of people, communities, and the environment.

Philosophy
I call my approach Rustic Futurism: where environmental sustainability meets futuristic technology with elevated simplicity. I gravitate toward natural materials, abstract geometric forms, and designs that invite repair, reuse, and long life. My inspirations pull from solarpunk, bauhaus, wabi-sabi, and open-source communities.

01 Environmental Product Design
Taking ideas to paper and bringing them to life with functional prototypes, I design products that strike a balance between aesthetics and usability, utilizing both traditional craftsmanship and modern fabrication techniques, including 3D printing, laser cutting, sewing, and electronics integration.

02 Digital Media
Crafting visuals and stories that communicate with clarity and impact, I create digital media that connects ideas to people. My work spans graphic design, data visualization, slideshow presentations, and video production, always focused on translating complex information into engaging, accessible experiences.

  • Ideas that inspire and energise me are: Solarpunk, Nature, Essentialism, Wabi-sabi, Bauhaus, Decentralization, Culture, Open-source, Repairability, Equity, Bottom-up-structures, and Utopia.

  • To gain a better understanding of how these principles manifest in my design language, I draw inspiration from the following designers: Errolson Hugh, Poul Kjaerholm, Zaha Hadid, BIG, Iris Van Herpen, Enfin Leve, Boris Bidjan, and Jan Van Herwegen.

  • I am: Creative, Driven, Genuine, Optimistic, Empathetic, Curious, Passionate, Organized, Responsible, and Open-Minded.

Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello?
Don't hesitate to reach out.

03 Intersections
At the meeting point of disciplines, I create work that blends physical craft, digital tools, and narrative. From the woodshop to the sound studio, each project carries insights across mediums, building experiences that feel connected, immersive, and whole.