Annika Egan

Graduation Date:
March 2018

Study Programme:
Brand Design B.A.

Title of Thesis:
Founding a sustainable brand for functional dog wear
(Gründung einer nachhaltigen Hundefunktions-Bekleidungsmarke)

Supervisors/Examiners:
Prof. Ansgar Eidens
Andrea Konietzny

Grade:
88 Points / 1.7

(1) Hello Annika, what have you been up to after graduation?
Straight after my Bachelor’s degree I went for another internship in user experience research with OTTO Group. Afterwards I took a month off to travel through Indonesia. Now my batteries are full and I am ready to start my permanent employment as Junior Project Manager with OTTO.

(2) What kind of career are you shooting for – and why?
I’ll stay in UX for now. I took a liking to it during a practice transfer project at Brand Academy. I spent about half a year in UX Management at otto.de parallel to my studies and realised just how important it is to put the customer at the center of everything. Hence I have a lot of conversations with customers and act as an interface between them and the company. As a result, my regular work day is full of variety and I get to learn a lot. In the end, I can pass on what I’ve learned to make the online shop even better.

(3) What kind of challenges are you facing?
My work is closely monitored by other departments and I frequently encounter technical problems, so I frequently run into unexpected situations in which I have to keep my head. It took some getting used to, but in the end you get used dealing with stress.

(4) Looking back at Brand Academy – what do you see?
My studies had their ups and downs, but at the event of the day its all about the people you meet. Not just corporate partners, but also students. I have forged friendships for life. I can see now how we evolved from high school grads into strong personalities. We have all found our way in life.

(5) Do you have any advice for prospect students or first semesters?
My advice for prospects: if you’re thinking about studying design, keep in mind that Brand Academy’s study programme „Brand Design“ offers much more than. Design is the foundation and provides a certain valuable competence, but you can become more than „just“ a designer. Some of my fellow graduates have become Art Directors, others work as Conceptioners or Developers.
That said, my advice to first semesters: enjoy the fact that you can still try out things while mistakes don’t really matter. Preparation is important and digesting what you have learned is also important, but so is having fun.

(6) What are you up to when you’re not studying – or working?
Enjoying a good bottle of wine and traveling through Germany.