The people behind our brand

Who we are

The Julian Schaefer Story

I believe in the interplay
of method and imagination,
of substance and lightness.

On the joy of conveying content

Looking at my family, you’d think I would have gone into teaching: mother a teacher, father a teacher, aunt a teacher, uncle a professor, grandpa a teacher. Some might think: “How horrible!”.

The good news: I went in a different direction.

But one thing has impressed me more and more, especially as I have matured professionally: the ability of teachers to convey content to a sizeable number of people nearly every day, and in a way that lets them apply this content meaningfully for their future. Ideally, teachers are also entertaining, and their students actually enjoy listening and participating. Perhaps it is an ability I have inherited from my family. It certainly has served me well as a brand consultant and workshop instructor. But how did I get here?

From structured creator to creative consultant

After some initial career plans along the lines of multi-lingual oceanologist à la Jacques Cousteau or drumming popstar à la Phil Collins, I made up my mind when I took advanced art studies: I want to be a graphic designer.

To get a better idea of what I thought was my dream job, I did an internship in an advertising agency right after graduating from school. That’s where I realised: “Hey, there’s yet another job!” That of copywriter/concept designer. So somehow, I became both. One of the managers at the agency told me at the time; “Julian, you are a designing copywriter and a copywriting designer”.

This ambiguity was probably what allowed me, after a number of stops at agencies, to become first creative director and then co-owner of a brand agency. At that point, the consulting field was becoming more and more important. But I was able to keep my two-fold or even three-fold focus. Because since I left the agency, I have been working as a brand (style) consultant and innovation enabler with a tendency to be a workshop Ninja. As a customer and friend once fittingly put it: “Julian, you are a structured creator and a creative consultant – all in one”.

From structured creator to creative consultant

After some initial career plans along the lines of multi-lingual oceanologist à la Jacques Cousteau or drumming popstar à la Phil Collins, I made up my mind when I took advanced art studies: I want to be a graphic designer.

To get a better idea of what I thought was my dream job, I did an internship in an advertising agency right after graduating from school. That’s where I realised: “Hey, there’s yet another job!” That of copywriter/concept designer. So somehow, I became both. One of the managers at the agency told me at the time; “Julian, you are a designing copywriter and a copywriting designer”.

This ambiguity was probably what allowed me, after a number of stops at agencies, to become first creative director and then co-owner of a brand agency. At that point, the consulting field was becoming more and more important. But I was able to keep my two-fold or even three-fold focus. Because since I left the agency, I have been working as a brand (style) consultant and innovation enabler with a tendency to be a workshop Ninja. As a customer and friend once fittingly put it: “Julian, you are a structured creator and a creative consultant – all in one”.

What’s the use?

I think I am pretty good at judging how well ideas surrounding brands can be creatively brought to life.

My brand core:

What drives me:

I want to convey the joy of how logical and easy it can be to make objective decisions in line with the brand. That’s why I help bright minds to bring the power of their brand to life in clear and inspiring ways.