WirtschaftsWoche: Breaking Silos
WirtschaftsWoche: Breaking Silos Through Design Systems
Role: Executive Creative Director
Context: Handelsblatt Media Group
Focus: Design systems · Cross-department governance · Editorial & campaign alignment
Context:
Within large media organizations, editorial, marketing, sales, and event teams often operate in parallel rather than together. At WirtschaftsWoche, this structure limited the reuse of insights, slowed decision-making, and reduced the long-term effectiveness of communication.
At the same time, the brand needed to align image campaigns, subscription growth, and live events under tighter budgets — without compromising editorial integrity.
The Actual Problem
This was not a campaign problem.
It was a system problem.
How do you design shared structures that allow different teams to collaborate without losing their individual mandates?
My Role
As Executive Creative Director, I was responsible for designing and governing cross-media communication systems across editorial, marketing, events, and sales — aligning stakeholders and defining reusable frameworks.
The System Designed
I introduced a shared communication system based on:
- Unified audience research and personas
- Reusable narrative frameworks
- Cross-team planning and production workflows
- Clear governance across departments
Proof in Practice
The system was applied to a hybrid image-and-sales campaign later known as "In One Business Week".
Rather than treating the campaign as a one-off, it became evidence that the system worked.
Results
- +25% subscription growth within one month
- Strong engagement among younger and female audiences
- Record female participation at the founders’ event
- Establishment of a long-term female founders’ network
- Adoption of the system as a best-practice model across the group
Why This Matters
Breaking silos is a design challenge.
When systems are designed first, campaigns become coherent by default — and communication becomes more sustainable.
