©julianjakob

Julian Jakob | Global Brand Designer

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hello@julianjakob.at Intro call (30 minutes)

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Distilling complexity
into clarity.

Modern brand identities struggle to keep up with content demands, leading to fragmented systems, weaker messaging, and declining loyalty. My approach builds brands as evolving ecosystems—identities that adapt to context, grow with knowledge, and move with culture.Most identities today cannot keep pace with the volume of output modern brands demand. The result is always the same: design systems fracture, messages dilute, and the loyalty that took years to build quietly erodes. Over the course of my practice, I have developed a way of building brands that function as living ecosystems rather than fixed objects. An identity, like a human one, should evolve with knowledge, adapt to context, and move with culture. That is what I build.

Portrait of Julian Jakob, brand designer

Selected experience

Spotify Porsche Meta Sony Music
Mercedes Maybach Red Bull Music OVB Holding AG Life360

Awards

2× Cannes Lions

I'm based in the heart of Europe, Salzburg. While I currently hold a full-time position, I take on a handful of freelance projects each year for selected companies and individuals. Having studied and worked across both business and design, I understand what a brand needs to perform commercially and what people actually respond to. Most projects fail at the gap between those two things. That is where I work.I'm based in the heart of Europe, Salzburg. While I currently hold a full-time position, I take on a handful of freelance projects each year for selected companies and individuals. Having studied and worked across both business and design, I understand what a brand needs to perform commercially and what people actually respond to. Most projects fail at the gap between those two things. That is where I work.

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Transformation
enables precision.

Brands face different challenges at each stage—some need clarity, others structure to scale. My work builds systems that connect strategy, identity, and execution, creating a foundation for purposeful and adaptable communication. Each project is individually scoped, with focused senior involvement throughout.I build brand systems that connect strategy, identity, and implementation — a clear foundation that allows a brand to communicate with purpose and adapt over time. Every brand faces different challenges at different stages of its development. Some require strategic clarity before they can grow, while others need structure to remain consistent as they scale. My services focus on exactly that. Every project is scoped individually. The investment reflects the specific problem, not a fixed package. I work with a small number of clients at a time, meaning each receives genuine senior attention from start to finish. Get in touch and I am happy to put together a proposal for you.

Contact

hello@julianjakob.at Intro call (30 minutes)

Clarity fuels
transformation.

A strong result depends on its foundation. Every project follows a four-step process, starting with understanding competition, culture, and audience behavior before any design decisions. This groundwork separates design that simply looks good from design that performs.The output is only as good as what leads to it. Every project follows the same four-step process. Most brand problems are not design problems. They are clarity problems. Before a single visual decision is made, I invest time understanding the competitive context, the culture, and the audience's actual behaviour. This groundwork is what separates work that looks good from work that performs.

01 Research
–

Understanding is built through research and collaboration. We define what is truly needed and why it matters by aligning with stakeholders, analyzing competitors, and studying the audience—creating a shared foundation for all decisions.Understanding is created, not assumed. Through careful research and open collaboration, I define what you need and why it matters, before design takes form. This includes stakeholder interviews, competitive landscape mapping, and audience analysis. The output is a shared understanding that guides every decision that follows.

Workshop · Competitive analysis · Audience analysis
02 Construct
–

From these insights, I create a visual system rooted in what makes your brand distinct. It establishes how the brand communicates, translating strategy into a clear structure that ensures consistency while remaining adaptable.Based on the findings, I construct a visual system derived from what makes your brand distinct. This defines the logic of how you speak to your specific audience. Strategy is only useful if it can be acted on. I translate research into a clear brand architecture that is specific enough to be consistent and open enough to evolve.

Positioning · Brand strategy · Messaging
03 Deliver
–

Whether launching or evolving a brand, this phase defines its structure. You gain the tools to build a clear, relevant, and effective presence.For launches, refreshes or pivots, this is where your brand's structure is defined and you gain the tools to build a meaningful, clear, and high-performing presence.

Naming · Visual identity · Design system
04 Implement
–

Here, the brand moves into execution. Interfaces, campaigns, and internal channels are designed to express the identity consistently and without dilution.This is where the brand leaves the guidelines and enters real life. Interfaces, activations, and internal channels are designed to carry the identity without dilution.

Campaigns · Digital applications · Editorial design

My goal is long-term collaboration. Brand systems should grow with the company, supported by the right specialists when needed.My ambition with every project is a long-term partnership. A brand system should grow as your company does, and that requires someone invested in the outcome, not just the delivery. Where the scope demands it, I bring in a curated network of specialists: strategists, copywriters, motion designers, developers. The right people, precisely when needed.

Curriculum vitae Year: 2026
Portrait of Julian Jakob

Julian Jakob

Salzburg, Austria

Introduction

I’m a brand designer working on systems for brands that operate at scale. I’ve worked on sub-brand identities, brand communication assets and campaigns for Porsche, Spotify, Meta and Sony Music. My approach combines cultural insight with strategic positioning and consistent execution.

Experience

LOOP | Digital Brand Designer | 2026–⁠present:

Digital brand work for clients including Porsche, Amazon Prime and PrimaLoft.

Studio Herrström | Junior Designer | 2024–⁠2026:

Concepting and design execution for clients including Spotify, Meta, Sony Music and Red Bull Music. Organized workflows for delivery of brand identities, presented creative work to stakeholders and contributed to a structured, high-performing team.

Freelance Designer | Self-employed | 2022–⁠present:

A few projects a year for selected companies and individuals. Visual systems, and the client relationships that keep those systems working after handover.

Lebenshilfe | Civil Service (Zivildienst) | 2021–⁠2022:

Provided daily support and care for people with disabilities, assisting with activities and mobility.

Internships | Various companies | 2016–⁠2021:

Gained early professional experience across diverse industries, including accounting at OVB, procurement at Palfinger, marketing activities at Biogena and administrative assistance at the European Heat Pump Association in Brussels.

Education

New Design University, St. Pölten | Graphic & Information Design | 2021–⁠2024:

Specializations in Integrated Campaigns and Brand Design, with a consistent focus on branding and cross-media communication. Graduated with excellence.

Erasmus Exchange at ESADA | Graphic & Information Design | 2022–⁠2023:

Studied Graphic & Information Design, adapted to the Spanish academic environment and worked on cross-cultural projects.

Handelsakademie (HAK) | Matura | 2015–⁠2020:

Five-year Handelsakademie program with an emphasis on Accounting & Business Administration, including coursework in Law, Mathematics, English and German. Completed with Reife- und Diplomprüfung (Matura).

Legal notice

Julian Jakob
5223 Pfaffstätt
Bergstraße 3, Austria
Graphic Designer

+43 664 88791650
hello@julianjakob.at

Austrian business details

Member of WKÖ, WKÖÖ, State Association of Graphic Designers, Federal Association of Graphic Designers

Professional law:
Trade regulations: www.ris.bka.gv.at
District administration Braunau am Inn

Graphic Designer in Austria

Complaints

Complaints can be addressed to the email address given above.