Nina Schoerner grew up watching her father — media design professor, photographer, creative — and decided early that design was her path. Based in Cologne with roots in Indonesia, she brings something rare to brand and identity work: a genuine belief that collaboration, personal exchange, and honest communication are not soft skills but the foundation of everything.
Her approach is analogue at heart, shaped by a culture where people work with their hands. She has strong views on AI, on gatekeeping, and on what it takes to stay a constant in an industry changing faster than most can follow.
Can you tell us a little about your first few steps in your career. Was there a moment or experience when you realised this was what you'd do as a career?
What lessons from your career have most shaped your style and approach?
I have gone through several stages in my career, and each one has shaped me – both positively and negatively. For example, I realised that I am capable of much more than I thought (as a creative introvert). The role of team lead sharpened my eye for employees and teams, promoted my soft skills of empathy, intuition and understanding, which had always been dormant in me, and took me out of my comfort zone. Working in agencies had always been my dream, but it began to fade as I enjoyed the benefits of freelancing.
Over the last few years, I have established my own signature style, but only incidentally, because I think it is important to be able to engage with each individual customer without trying to impose my own stamp on them.
I would now say that I have developed my own style in the areas of consulting, workflows and working methods. Collaboration is extremely important to me, as is personal exchange and honest and open communication. All of these points are usually rare in a service-oriented industry.
Tell us about the core values or philosophies that guide your creative practice.
My love for creative work suffers here and there – I guess that's how it is for every creative person. Especially in this day and age. Somehow, values are still a concept, but since we live and work in a world that is already partly controlled and influenced by artificial intelligence, the boundaries are becoming blurred.
This makes it all the more important for me to hold on to my values and my background. I have roots in Indonesia, and in the rural areas of Java (where my mother grew up), people work with their hands. Analogue, raw, honest. And so I try to do the same, even though I feel that it is becoming increasingly difficult.
Building a visual brand or identity is like... drawing a person you cannot see, about whom you know very little in terms of character traits. That is why it is particularly important to me to get to know my clients and their dreams, and to work together to translate words into symbols, images and shapes.
What needs to change, so emerging and under-represented creative professionals have more opportunity, are seen and heard?
An incredible amount has happened in recent years. For example, I can't remember the last time I was asked for my portfolio. Many potential clients actually want to get to know the designer and creative minds behind the scenes, identify with them and find out who the creator is on a personal level. In my opinion (not always, but in many of my projects), collaboration has become closer and more personal, which I find incredibly rewarding. Of course, this change is linked to the fact that many creative people present themselves and their work on social media. We now know what our potential graphic designer eats for breakfast in the morning, what they do in their free time and who they spend their time with. This allows for closeness, but also harbours dangers.
You have to be willing to share a little bit of your life. And I know that many people don't do that, and even criticise it. And that's perfectly fine. In my opinion, more exchange, no gatekeeping and collaboration are the key to helping each other, being open to new connections and sharing success.
How important is it that creative professionals find their unique voice?
Looking ahead, what do you think are the key factors that will influence change for creative professionals?
I don't want to talk much about AI. But sure, it's one of the reasons why our industry is changing, why its arms are closing in on us creatives. I've been observing the effects for a while now, commenting on them here and there, and I find it interesting to see the angry conversations and discussions that arise.
‘If you can't control it, you've lost,’ ‘Taste is rare,’ ‘We remain the curators of good design.’ Yes, I stand by all these statements, which I have also shared publicly. But everything is changing so incredibly fast. It's almost impossible to keep up. For me, personality, individual approaches to work and interaction between people, which creates an emotionally charged brand, are still the most important things. For me, this is something we must maintain in order to remain a constant in the business.
How much does your city influence your work?
How much does your culture influence your work?
As mentioned above, my cultural background is a significant reason for the way I work and act.
Indonesian culture is incredibly colourful, creative, craft-oriented and a place that will always inspire me.
Tell us some of your favourite, creative professionals and inspiring places in your city!
I loooove the museums here in Cologne, I try to visit them regularly, because we have a lot of nice exhibitions. The Wallraf-Richartz-Museum is my favorite – Baroque and Renaissance art influences and inspires me greatly (as you can see on my Instagram).
As a nature-loving designer, I often try to escape the city and the noise and like to barricade myself away with my boyfriend and my dog in deserted, cosy cabins outside the city or visit the parks in the surrounding area. The Decksteiner Weiher lake and the botanical garden in Cologne are a must-see.
What should emerging creative professionals keep in mind as they begin their design career?