Talent is more important than education, but sometimes a diamond needs polishing in order for it to sparkle.

Please give us a brief bio of yourself.

After Graduating with a design degree from the University of Visual Communication in Aix-la-Chapelle, I worked independently as a designer and was involved in several more or less experimental art projects such as the Project Room with various artists at Ludwig Museum in Cologne and quasi moda Art and Fashion Performance before I landed in advertising.

I have worked for art departments of major German advertising agencies, concentrating more and more on digital advertising. I was absolutely fascinated from the interactive aspect of digital communication and found in 2006, in ND the perfect playground and client – adidas.

What do you do for inspiration?

Actually inspiration is everywhere – assuming you keep your eyes open.

If truth be told, I work with extremely creative people day in day out and furthermore my most intimate circle of friends are also creative – there is no escaping it.

Please list 3 of your favourite sites.

- Ikea has always been fun, especially “calm bedrooms”, “dream kitchen” and “into the closet”.

- The vast universe of uniqlo: www.uniqlo.com

- And: www.netvibes.com

What do you regard as being your biggest achievement?

Probably the fact that I’m a small town girl playing in the big boys world of advertising.

What software could you not live without?

Photoshop and iTunes

What projects do you have in the pipeline?

Actually, we have a few interesting projects. For example, we will launch the adidas Y-3 Spring/Summer collection soon. And believe me, it was one of the most challenging shoots I’ve ever had.

Who do you rate as being the top 3 design companies?

- I respect Swedish studios especially www.northkingdom.com

- Everything from www.cpbgroup.com thrills me with their ideas.

- www.hi-res.net

What effect on traffic do your new designs have?

We want people be able to get cool or relevant things to take away or participate in. I think a good example is the longest rap song on www.rot.fm.

We are currently working on projects, which further develop the idea of decentralised content leading us to redefine the concept of websites.

Who is your target audience?

That depends on the product or topic, but actually anyone who is interested in sports, style or a brand.

What area of web design lacks the most?

Interactive videos that work flawlessly in terms of performance and creative work that matter.

What did your very first site look like? Is it still online?

The first project was a website for an exhibition called, “entropy at home”, in 1997 and it is no longer online. I created a website with Holger from 502.org, based on the perception of the real exhibition stressing the links among the artists and their work.

Have you written any books, if not do you plan to?

No, not yet – I have only designed some.

Do you think Flash is here to stay?

Flash was fundamental in changing the approach of webdesign and now with Flash 9 we have powerful technology capable of integrating hd-video and realtime 3d with engines such as papervision.

The latest versions of Flash IDE and AS Adobe combine high-level motion design and proven software engineering capability which helps us to now push the boundaries of interactive webdesign even further.

Silverlight will no doubt gain a significant market share with its seamless integration into Microsoft Development Tools and its innovative concepts.

We’re looking forward to seeing both technologies evolving and competing because this will simply present us with more options, ultimately enabling us to choose the right technology that fits our projects the best.

What are your views on design/graphic school. Do you think someone can get into the field without educational experience in a school environment?

Yes, talent is more important than education, but sometimes a diamond needs polishing in order for it to sparkle. There are great educational programs, where talents have the chance to grow. Let it grow!

When your company was just getting started, what did you find was most effective for getting new clients?

Original and really creative work convinces more than just fulfilled expectations.

What is the most expensive thing you have bought in the last week?

A beautiful ‘50s ashtray at the flea market, although I’m a non-smoker

Any parting shots or pearls of wisdom?

Never stop loving what you do.

It has been a privilege, thanks very much.

It has been a pleasure.

Neue Digitale / Razorfish