Kathi studied communication design at the Merz Akademie in Stuttgart and at the HTWG in Konstanz. During her studies she discovered and started developing her conceptual skills. Among other things, she created a dual-purpose milk carton that can take on a second life in your household cleaning supplies after having reached its expiration date. Kathi joined Strichpunkt in October 2014. She quickly progressed into her current role as senior concept developer. Kathi’s passion shines through, especially when integrated concepts that merge design, content and technology lead to new solutions. In her role Kathi works across several locations for clients such as Das Gerber, ProSiebenSat1, Frankfurter Allgemeine or the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung. In this week’s "Talking to" Kathi tells us what makes working as a concept developer so exciting and gratifying.

SP: What do you miss about university?
Kathi: The beautiful illusion of fully understanding the world.
 
SP: How would you define a good concept?
Kathi: A good concept sums up the creative idea. It can be a sentence, a word, a character or a symbol. Ideally it brings an entire world to life in your imagination. It’s the starting point for the story you’re telling. A good concept can make complex things surprisingly simple but can also give simple things depth and detail. And in the end it feels absolutely logical and compelling. So that you ask yourself “How many versions did they need before reaching this solution. ;)”
 
SP: In your opinion, what does a brand have to do in order to continue to be successful in the future?
Kathi: What if the brand didn't exist? Would something be missing? More importantly, why would you feel that something’s missing? You should have a good answer to that.
 
SP: What should we all take to heart as a result of the corona crisis?
Kathi: Always keep in mind how much is possible in the face of a sudden crisis. And also think about what you can do without, what you really need.
 
SP: What kind of customer excites for you?
Kathi: It doesn't necessarily depend on the subject. Diving into products & services that you don’t know very well, or at all, is very intriguing. It might sound cheesy but: It is actually the people that put their positive energy and passion into a project that make the project. Now that kind of energy is absolutely infectious.
 
SP: What does courage mean for you personally?
Kathi: It's good to have a plan. But overthinking things can be crippling. Just start. So what if it doesn't work right away? Find another way. And to be honest, finding or discovering an alternate path to reach the goal often ends up being much more fun.