Some call it Head of Design, others Head of Creative, some Design Director, others Creative Director ... 
Titles aside, let's create together.

As an award-winning creative leader with over 15 years of experience, I'm all about crafting brands and products that are clear, modern, and authentically customer-centric. In a world drowning in noise, I'm on a mission to inject more purpose and joy into everything we create, whether it's leading a digital transformation, spearheading a brand refresh, or working on a game-changing product. I’m equally excited about cats and bread, but that’s another discussion.

From startups, to agencies to big brands, I've been fortunate to immerse myself in various industries and office cultures. Yet, it's the in-house environments that truly fuel my passion, where I can make a lasting impact.

I have helmed teams and creative as Head of Design & Brand at informed, Creative Director at Courier Media, and Design Director at AllBright and worked with brands such as Mailchimp, Samsung, Psycle, Nike and Nivea.

My non-linear career path has shaped my authentic leadership style. I'm all about empowering and leading cross-functional, diverse teams – allowing individuals to shine while fostering a culture of open communication and collaboration. I let people do their job. I macro manage and micro communicate. I think in systems, not in silos. I can lead hands-on or off. My mix of design, vision and strategy results in whole-puzzle thinking that unites design and business. Cause in a world where everything is designed, design needs a seat in the leadership team.

As a seasoned industry mentor (SheSays, The Dots, D&AD…), I'm deeply passionate about paving the way for more women to step into creative leadership roles. Creating flexible workplaces and leading with empathy and joy are at the core of my values. Living with chronic illnesses has taught me a thing or two about this approach.

So, if you're looking for a design leader who brings more than just pixels to the table – someone who can unite creativity, strategy and vision to drive business impact – you've come to the right place. Let's create together.

Selected brands and agencies I had the joy to work with:

Key Expertise

Always with a focus on:
· Problem Solving
· Complexity Reduction
· User-centeredness

Direction & Design
· Design Direction / Creative Direction
· Design Consulting / Creative Consulting
· Brand Development
· Concept Development
· Content Curation
· Digital Design / UI/UX Design / Product Design
· Customer Experience Design
· Storytelling
· Editorial Design
· Creative Campaign Development

Soft Skills
· Interdisciplinary Collaboration
· Communication
· Organisation skills
· Decision-Making
· Analytical Skills
· Empathy & Vulnerability
· Growth Mindset

Mentor
· SheSays – Who’s your Momma?: 2022-present
· The Dots: 2021-present
· Kerning the Gap: 2020–21
· Ladies, Wine & Design: 2020
· D&AD New Blood Shift: 2019–20

Award juries
· The AdForum PHNX: 2024
· ADC Members Choice Awards: 2024
· DMAs: 2017/22/23 
· Creative Circle: 2019/20/21
· D&AD New Blood: 2020

Features
· DesignWeek
· CreativeReview
· CreativeBloq
· TechCrunch
· Domestika
· Women of Graphic Design
· LBB online
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What others said

"Having had the opportunity to work with numerous creatives and designers over the years, Katja is truly a stand-out talent. She has a strong vision and impeccable taste backed up by strategic thought and executed with wonderful leadership. She perfectly bridges the physical and the digital worlds and was instrumental in helping us taking a very physical business digital through the website and the launch of an app. And that’s without mention of the timelines we were working to! Considered and calm, while being fast-paced. Empathetic and collaborative, while being a strong leader. She’s a joy to work with. A joy to collaborate with. And it’s joyful to consume all she does."

Kirsty Hathaway — Executive Creative Director

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"I loved working with K on all things brand and marketing at informed. She had clear vision, transparent leadership, and always on-point feedback. She made collaboration easy and fun, pushing us all to level up our creativity. Joined-up leadership across different business areas is hard, but K made it look easy—she made sure that clear creative direction was imbued in every touchpoint and stopped work from getting siloed."

Chloe Sawyer — Freelance Copywriter & Creative

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"I consider myself fortunate to have collaborated with Katja during my time as a freelance designer within Informed's marketing team, particularly during an exciting period of new branding implementation. Katja's approach to communication and leadership felt very open, transparent, and a welcoming tone, instantly making me feel integrated into the team dynamic.
Seeing in first person her effortless yet effective navigation through cross-departmental tasks was truly inspiring. Working alongside her was a real joy and definitely one of the better experiences of my career!"

Luca Brandovardi — Multidisciplinary Visual Designer

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"Katja was an amazing Head of Brand & Design. She not only executed a new brand strategy for our B2C brand informed that took the brand to an entirely new level in quality but also brought in her strategic thinking, and her very methodical approach and mentored the design team. Without her, we would have not been able to reach this excellence that our users love about informed."

Ben Mateev — Co-Founder & CEO

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"I feel so lucky to have worked under K's leadership at Informed. The experience was truly invaluable for me. I admired K's incredible ability to empower the team most. She has a unique talent for mentoring and guiding people, which also helped me reach my full potential. One of the things that stood out to me about K was her dedication to leading product design. Her strategic vision and attention to detail were excellent and played a vital role in driving the success of our projects. K's leadership style is genuinely inspiring. She is always there to guide, support, and encourage everyone around her. Her approachable nature and willingness to listen have made her an exceptional leader." 

Irina Altuna — Senior Product Designer / User Experience Lead

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"Katja has been a brilliant leader at informed, she was a role model for the team, had a lot of great initiatives and she was the one pushing the product to its highest potential. I really enjoyed working with Katja and hope to work with her again in the future."

Maria Mezher — Functional VP People and Advisor

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"Katja was my mentor for 6 months via Who's Your Momma Mentorship Program (WYMM) and I truly believe she was the best thing to have happened to me at the time. She is honest, sincere, trustworthy, positive, and an expert at what she does. She helped me navigate challenging scenarios and addressed my self doubt with utmost clarity and patience. Anyone would be lucky to have her as a mentor and is highly recommended."

Malini Rao — Digital Designer, UX/UI

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"Katja was an incredible mentor [Who's Your Momma by Shesays] and I am extremely grateful to have benefitted from her experience and insights. She is a good listener and understands the everyday struggles of our industry and the challenges of design roles very well. I started out with Katja in a place where I lacked a lot of confidence and direction for myself but after six months I really feel like I turned that around with her thoughtful and patient guidance. She is so down to earth and easy to talk to and I felt like I had a real ally on my side. Through her encouragement, advice and gentle nudges, I feel like I've got the skills to carry me forward and it's no exaggeration to say that the experience changed my life! I would not hesitate to recommend Katja as a mentor, whatever stage you are at in your design journey. She is simply fabulous :)"

Karen Jamieson — Design Director

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Katja Alissa Mueller
— design, vision, strategy