Manfred Pinzger has been a fixture in politics, business, and the hospitality/tourism industry of South Tyrol for many years.

From a young age, he aspired to be a politician, reaching the heights of the senate. He has headed many political and business organizations.

In 2013, he was elected president of HGV (Unione Albergatori e Pubblici Esercenti), a position he still holds and only the 5th president in the association’s 60-year history.

HGV provides resources that support the tourism industry in South Tyrol.

Thomas Kronbichler is a founding partner of Studio Mut. His work has been shown at Design Miami and KK Outlet London.

He won the Type Directors Club Award of Typographic Excellence, 100 Best Posters Germany, Austria, Switzerland Award and the Graphis Poster Annual Platinum Award and is a visiting Professor at the masters programme of communication design at Raffles Milano. He is a member of Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI).

We discussed the origins of his fascination with design and communication and how maintaining an open mind is fundamental to good design. Thomas also explains the impact of skateboarding aesthetics on his opportunistic, juvenile, and enterprising teen spirit. An intriguing episode…