Capability Map
Curriculum Vitae
From Textile Designer to Innovation Specialist
Christian moved to Berlin at the age of 19 to pursue a trajectory in the creative industry. Working as a sales-assistant and visual merchandiser at COS, he learned about how textiles, materials, colors, and textures trigger emotional responses in customers, which led him to study Textile- and Surface Design at Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin, from where he holds both BA and MA titles. He always focused on human interactions, conceptual design, and innovation, with an inclination towards sustainability. Alongside his studies, he worked as a docent for contemporary art at the Boros Bunker Berlin and worked on various jobs in the textile realm.
From 2015-2017 Christian studied Transdisciplinary Design at Parsons School of Design in New York City – a program founded to equip international design talent with the capacity to solve complex social problems, to push businesses towards sustainability, and to lead innovation by design. During this period, he was funded by the German Fulbright Scholarship and other awards. He has also gained experience as an educator, teaching innovation theory, as a communication designer, and as a publication assistant while at Parsons.
Upon returning to Germany in 2017, Christian has worked as an Innovation Designer at Mandalah Berlin, executing Design Sprints and consulting clients on new product and service potentials for their brands. He has since held the position as Program Lead and Service designer at the HPI School of Design Thinking in Potsdam, which allowed him to shape the learning experiences of over 100 students per semester, to support the development of over 30 freelance coaches, and to evolve both the academic rigor and intersectional values of the HPI D-School organization. He has also run many workshops with social, economic, and academic stakeholders as a freelancer.
Christian’s knowledge and experience in design, manufacturing, and materials add a strong haptic and visual quality to his strategic design practice. He interweaves his values with his practice and systems thinking to develop strategies that aim to impact behaviors and social systems towards better futures.
Profile
I identify as a maker, provocateur, and enabler, who is obsessed with structure. Throughout my career, I have led Design Thinking programs, given talks, won and awarded design prizes, facilitated workshops, created strategic design projects – always questioning the status-quo and staying true to my values.
Session: Welcome Day
Experience
Work
Program Lead & Service Designer
2017-20, HPI School of Design Thinking
Freelance Design Thinking Facilitator
2017-2019, HPI Academy GmbH
Innovation Designer
2017, Mandalah Berlin Gmbh
Conference Director & Creative Director
2016-17, VergeNYC
DESIS Fellow & Teaching Associate
2016-17, Parsons School of Design
Communication Designer
2016, Parsons Healthy Materials Lab
Freelance Product Designer
2016, Manufactum GmbH
Education
Train the trainer – Anti-bias and Anti-hate Workshops
2020, Anti Defamation League ADL
MFA Transdisciplinary Design
2015-17, The New School – Parsons School of Design
MA Textile & Surface Design
2014-15, Weißensee Art Academy
BA Textile & Surface Design
2010-14, Weißensee Art Academy
