Creative direction that builds memorable products.
I help founders and product teams find the version of the work that's worth committing to. Most teams ship the safe version of what they're building because it's easier to defend. The harder version, the one that actually stands out, needs someone in the room to make it inevitable. That's what I do.
Essays on creative direction, product, making, and why most things you use end up forgettable and how to do it differently.
I'm Fred. I'm a designer and maker. Trained in fine arts, I founded my first startup in 2012 and have been designing products ever since.
Most recently I co-founded Kaizen, a marathon training app, leading the design from 0-1. Before that I led product design at Gastfreund in Berlin, where we built a "Slack for hotels" from scratch. I've worked across consumer and B2B, with two-person teams and forty-person ones.
Outside the product work, I paint, make artworks and prints, and try out new media. It's the same activity in a different medium. Both are about finding the version of the thing that's worth making.
I live in Berlin with my wife and our two small kids. I read a lot. And run when I can.
How we start
Most engagements begin with a short email about something specific you're working on.
Most common is a Direction Review: two focused weeks looking at where the biggest opportunities are, whether that's saving cost or raising the bar.
How this works
- 1. A 30-minute call. We talk about what you're working on, who's involved, and what you're trying to figure out. You ask whatever you want about how I work. By the end we both know whether to keep going.
- 2. A short proposal, within a few days. Scope, timeline, fee, deliverables. If anything doesn't feel right, we adjust before signing.
- 3. Work starts within one or two weeks. For a Direction Review that means I'm in your product and talking to your team. For longer engagements we agree a rhythm, usually one or two days a week embedded.
- 4. We talk if anything changes. Scope shifts, priorities move, a different shape of work would be more useful. I'd rather adjust openly than push through a bad fit.
Common questions Hide questions
What if I don't know what shape of engagement I want?
Common, and fine. The first call is partly to figure that out. I'll tell you honestly which format fits, or if none of them do.
How do you handle confidentiality?
NDA on request, signed before specifics. I don't write about client work without explicit permission.
Do you take equity instead of fees?
Mostly no. Cash keeps the relationship clean. Open to partial equity alongside reduced cash for early-stage work that's genuinely meaningful, not as default.
What if it isn't a good fit?
We don't proceed. Better to decline at scoping than underdeliver. If something feels wrong mid-engagement, we talk and either adjust or close out cleanly.
Available for contract and fractional work.
Open to founders and product teams who want help finding the version of the work that's worth committing to.