Over 25 years of work across design, technology, cultural production, and community building — from London to Berlin to Austria and South East Asia.
Design & Cultural Production
My career began in London’s art and music scene. It was here that I met All Crews author Brian Belle-Fortune with whom I self published the very first version of what became one of the most important cultural projects documenting the global Drum & Bass movement (often referenced to as “the drum and bass bible”.)
I played a central role in the visual and production process — responsible for graphic design, typography, and the coordination required to transform extensive research and a large network of contributors into a cohesive and influential publication. The project remains an important reference work for the history of Drum & Bass and its global community. It was exhibited in the British Library and – may I proudly add – the only book presented open to show off the iconic design and layout.
Moving to Berlin in 2000, I continued my engagement in the music and art scene. Through twig publishing, I contributed to visual and production work for artists and musicians including Nina Hagen, Till Brönner, Märtini Brös, Helen Schneider, Danielle de Picciotto, and Martin Eder. I served as Art Director for Partysan, a major music and event magazine, and for the Loveparade signing responsible not only for the web design but also co-developing the early concepts of the Loveparade as a global community.
UX & Brand Coherence
At ImmobilienScout24, my focus shifted from shaping products to shaping the conditions in which people create them. I led a team of 6–8 UX designers and supported the organisation’s transition from waterfall to agile delivery — which meant supporting my colleagues to move out of the dedicated design team into cross-functional squads and to acquire new skills and resilience.
My job was to create the structure that made this work. A framework wide enough for creative autonomy, but clear enough to provide orientation — through shared design patterns, consistent use of branding elements, and cross-platform coherence. What looks the same should behave the same. What serves the same purpose should feel familiar. That discipline isn’t a constraint on creativity — it’s the structure in which creativity can flourish.
The same principle applied to the team itself. Designers needed to feel anchored in their home team while genuinely belonging to their product squad. I built the bridges between those realities — making sure no one fell through the gaps.
During my 8 years at the company, I conceptualised and designed ImmobilienScout’s first mobile and iPad apps and drove UX and brand coherence across the broader Scout product ecosystem. Every one of those challenges came back to the same question: how do you create environments where people — users and teams alike — can thrive?
Community & Hacker Culture
c-base is one of the oldest hackerspaces in the world and a key hub of European hacker and digital culture. I was deeply involved in its organisation, public relations, and event coordination — including presentations at Chaos Communication Congress and Chaos Communication Camp. From 2007 to 2010, I served on the board.
Through c-base and related communities I developed extensive practice in community facilitation, cultural event organisation, and communication within interdisciplinary environments that combine art, technology, and open culture.
I was involved in the set up of similar spaces and projects f.e. during the esp 24 day sprint setting upon the co-working concept of the rich mix in London, UK and the co-creation community in the Rössl in Krems, Austria.
This is important to me, because Hacker culture at its core is a civil society movement — open technology puts both the ability and the responsibility to shape infrastructure into the hands of the many, keeping people informed, capable, and sovereign.
Sharing & Supporting
Parallel to my design practise, I always advocated sharing knowledge, be it as a part time lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire and at SAE Institute Berlin or as the spokeswoman of c-base and ambassador of hacker culture.
I’ve spoken at the German Bundestag, the Netzpolitischer Abend, conferences such as 38C3 and the Matrix Conference, as well as FOSSASIA in Bangkok — talking about interoperability as civic infrastructure, sovereign digital ecosystems, thinking beyond platform logic, reducing fragmentation in technical and human systems, and women building infrastructure.
I am passionately invested in supporting newcomers, particularly women, in building technical and social infrastructure. Sometimes all it takes is someone who holds the door open.
Life Lessons
As a mother of a severely disabled child, I learned to deal with limitations. My son couldn’t hold his stuffed rabbit — his arms wouldn’t bend. So I crocheted him a new one with longer arms. That is always the approach: don’t focus on what isn’t possible — find the one adjustment that makes the difference. Look closely, trust the process, and work with what’s there. Find the abundance within the limitations.
Since our sons passing, my husband and I have been traveling — embracing what this different life offers, gaining experiences and perspectives we wouldn’t have found staying home in Berlin. Our son might be gone, but what he left behind is my deeply rooted gratefulness for life and its opportunities.