Clarity before design

Conceptual designer for complex content, products, and systems.

I support individuals and organisations in structuring and clarifying complex projects before anything is designed, decided, or implemented. My work begins where design alone no longer provides answers.

Get in touch
Clarity

Design begins long before the visual.

Many projects fail not because of execution, but because underlying clarity is missing.
Goals remain vague, content contradicts itself, and decisions are postponed or made too early.

I work conceptually at this level. On meaning, structure, and relationships long before anything becomes visible.

Who my work is for

I work with people and teams dealing with complex topics who value depth and clarity.

Does this align with your project?

Typical contexts include:

  • organisations with complex products, systems, or processes
  • academic, research, and educational environments
  • agencies working in strategy, research, or digital contexts
  • organisations facing important strategic or conceptual decisions
  • teams that see design as the result of clear thinking, not an end in itself

When I am not the right fit:

  • if fast execution without clarification is expected
  • if design is mainly about visual appeal
  • if decisions are meant to be delegated rather than reflected
  • if there is little willingness for depth, reflection, and structure

Services

My work is primarily conceptual. Design follows only when it serves the project.

01

Conceptual analysis and structuring

I analyse complex starting points, organise content, goals, and tensions, and develop clear and resilient structures.

Typical outcomes include:

  • conceptual clarity around goals and content
  • structured foundations for decision making
  • comprehensible models for complex relationships

This phase forms the basis for all further steps.

02

Design and product thinking

Based on conceptual work, I translate structures into functional thinking and design approaches.

This includes, among other things:

  • conceptual logic and systems
  • navigation and structural models
  • interface and system concepts

The goal is not design for its own sake, but meaningful and comprehensible decisions.

03

Strategic sparring

I support projects and teams as a conceptual sparring partner.
Structured, written, and reflective.

No meeting overload and no constant availability.
Instead, precise thinking, classification, and clarification of complex questions.

04

Design implementation

When it serves the project, I also support the design implementation, for example:

  • UX and UI concepts
  • digital products and interfaces
  • websites
  • visual systems

Design is never an end in itself, but part of a broader conceptual context.

Design is not an end in itself for me.
It is the result of clear thinking.

How I work

My work is predominantly asynchronous, structured, and documented.
This allows for focused thinking instead of constant coordination.

I work in clear phases:

  1. Sorting
    Content, goals, tensions, and contradictions
  2. Structuring
    Relationships, priorities, and decision logic
  3. Translating
    Into concepts, systems, or design as needed

Typical results of my work include:

  • clear foundations for decision making
  • structured concepts and thinking models
  • clear guidelines for design and implementation
Experience

Experience

I have been working for almost twenty years at the intersection of concept, structure, and design. My projects range from academic and educational contexts to digital products and complex organisational systems.

My focus lies where classical design processes reach their limits.
In situations of complexity, ambiguity, and high conceptual density.

Contact

If you are at a point where thinking matters more than speed, feel free to get in touch.

mail@katja-moeller.net

I usually respond within a few days.