Why did you become a designer?/ What inspired you to become a designer?

I sketched a lot since I was young and I always was "the more creative guy" in class. When I finished school, I didn't really know what to do next. My older brother studied product design at that time so I thought it would at least be worth to give it a try. At first, I wasn't that interested, but at some point, I just got hooked and really grew into it. So it was a happy accident that I became a designer, I guess.

What’s your current occupation/ What are you currently working on?

After my bachelor degree, I started looking for junior positions in design consultancies and ended up working as a product designer at Yellow Design in Cologne (the agency I did my first internship at).

What’s your greatest accomplishment?

Hard to say. I tend to constantly search for new challenges. But for sure I'm proud of the skill set that I've built up over time and all the work I've done in the last years, I guess.

Where do you go for inspiration?

Instagram, Pinterest, Core77, Lemanoosh, Behance... I always try to be up to date with the latest works and trends published online but also get a lot of inspiration from trips to Design week in Milano or simply new experiences in general (travel, people, books).

What key metrics do you use to track your design’s success?

There are different definitions of success, I guess. I think as a product designer, it's a great accomplishment to see your product in stores or being used somewhere. But exposure in the design industry and compliments from colleagues can also be seen as signs of success. For me, success is the progress that I see in my work and the development in myself as a designer. When I look back at the work that I created one or two years ago and I can see and feel that I've got better and grown as a designer; that's cool.

Tell me about the best design piece from your portfolio.

Probably my graduation project, the “Aeon telescope”, but it's from 2016. Unfortunately, I can't show most of the stuff I did since I started working professionally. I hope that will change soon.

As a designer, what do they think is the most important aspect of their job?

To be interested!

Where do You See Yourself in five Years (1,820 days)?

Hard to say. I will be 30 years by then, I don't have a strict plan for my life.

What would you do differently if you had more time?

If I have more time I tend to waste more of it. I would try not to do that.

Any tips for the budding designers related to sketching or design process or product design.

Be open-minded, try to absorb as much knowledge as you can and have fun!