Justus

Q%Hey Justus, please introduce yourself and give us a little insight into how you came to KISD

A%Before I studied design, I did an apprenticeship in audiovisual media, which was more commercial and less creative. While working for a production company, I met a cameraman who got me interested in photography. I borrowed a camera, was overwhelmed at first, but wanted to know more. I later got my father’s old camera and later bought my first own camera. During Corona I used the time to develop my skills with workshops, photo walks and YouTube. After my shortened training, I applied to various design colleges and at the same time did an internship at the advertising agency Funkturm, where I applied on my own initiative and now work in a higher position. During my internship I wrote my thesis for KISD and was accepted.

Q%That sounds interesting, so you are a photographer too! What are your interests inside and outside your studies?

A%Besides my studies, my main interest is photography, to which I devote about 80% of my time. Video plays a smaller role for me, about 20%. Anything to do with design and photography appeals to me—be it reading, discovering new trends or curating projects. Unfortunately, I don’t have much time and energy for my own freelance projects at the moment, but I hope to have more space for them again soon.For me, there’s a fine line between hobby and profession. I find it much more enjoyable to do photography as a hobby and earn some pocket money than to be constantly dependent on commissions to make money. Ideally I’d like to be booked for my own style, but unfortunately that’s not always realistic. I wouldn’t rule out doing photography full-time at some point, but at the moment I’m leaning towards keeping it as a side hustle.

Q%So, as I can hear from your answer, you are already working, would you recommend working alongside your studies or would you prefer to focus all your energy on your studies? 

A%I’ve always worked alongside my studies and I think it’s very important to apply what you’ve learnt in a realistic way. Especially for our relatively abstract course, it’s important to get an insight into the real industry during your studies. I like to think of my studies as a dual programme, where I can get the best of both worlds. It helps you to see what you want and whether it’s realistic with clients. And I can only recommend earning money on the side to have a pleasant student life haha

Q%I can totally relate to that, but of course there is less time for free projects. So what is your current thematic focus and would you call yourself a designer?

A%I see myself less as a designer in the traditional sense. Instead, I find it easier to identify the pain points in a design and develop concepts to improve them. I prefer to leave the implementation and detail work to the experts—I don’t need to be able to do everything myself. I like conceptual work, but unfortunately this aspect is somewhat neglected at KISD. Nevertheless, I’m happy with what I’ve learnt here and I’ll see what I can do with it later. I don’t have to become a ‘famous designer’. That’s what the field of integrated design is for: everyone has their place here, and you can also design with a good sense of zeitgeist and aesthetics. So my focus is more on creating concepts, but still on communication design and photography.

Q%What valuable experience have you already gained during your studies?

A%I feel that we are studying cultural studies rather than classic design. It’s about understanding society, recognising its problems and knowing what’s in demand. As a designer, you identify the problems, but there are experts who take care of the implementation. You may have the idea and someone else will make it happen. You don’t have to do everything yourself. At the same time, I also believe that sometimes you have to jump in at the deep end, just go for it and then realise that you can do a lot of things. Do things you don’t really want to do, because that’s what the Kisd is there for.

Q%What advice would you give to other students?

A%My tip for studying: Just do it! Try things out, take on international projects—that’s what KISD is for. Do things that you don’t really want to do, because it will broaden your horizons, especially if you are at a point where you have almost all your credits, then why not use a semester just to try it out?

Additional, a semester abroad is a must for me! I went to Copenhagen and it was a completely different experience. The demands were different, and so was life. It was an opportunity to reorient myself and find the courage to just do things. Studying is the perfect opportunity to do this before the ‘serious side of life’ arrives and it becomes more difficult afterwards.

Q%Do you feel financially secure?Or what would it take for you to feel secure?

A%I can say that I feel financially secure at the moment thanks to my working student job—everything else is a bonus. After graduating, I plan to continue working 70% in an agency and 30% as a freelance photographer. This would be the perfect combination of stability and freedom for me. Realistically, it will probably be full-time at the agency first, and then I’ll see how much desire and energy I have for self-employment. The most important thing for me is to just get started—and if it doesn’t work out, you can always quit and go in a new direction.

Q%Looking back, would you have liked to have studied something else? 

A%Looking back, I did the ‘classic’ Media Communication Design programme in Copenhagen, which showed me what it’s like to work with real projects and clients. I really enjoyed that, and sometimes I think I could have learned more practical skills there. On the other hand, I really appreciate what I learned at KISD, especially the soft skills and team building through the many intercultural projects abroad. You learn how to find common ground with different people, which is extremely important later on in the professional world. You have to be able to compromise and convince others so that everyone is pulling in the same direction. These are skills that are very well developed at KISD and will help me in the long run.

Q%Thank you Justus for your time and we wish you all the best!