OpenProject's Creative Director on the evolution of OpenProject's UI, AI in design, and more

When it comes to your project management tool of choice, a few key features are vital to supporting the work you do every day. Those may differ from person to person, team to team, company to company.

The team behind OpenProject has been listening to customer, client, and user feedback for the past 11 years, determining how to create a robust, comprehensive, and feature-rich project management system that supports your most important projects.

Christoph Zierz, a Creative Director at OpenProject, is responsible for the website’s visual elements, swag, and other creative materials. It’s a fun and rewarding job, he says in this interview.

Tell us about your role and responsibilities for OpenProject.

I have been with OpenProject since the beginning, 13 years ago, so my title has changed over the years. Today, I am the Creative Director.

I create designs, concepts, videos, animations, and more! I love it. It is a privilege to work for a company I love.

You have a variety of different things that you do, depending on what the project is at the time. So, your day-to-day looks different depending on what you’re doing. What projects are you working on right now?

Most of the time, I design images and graphics for the website. We are continuously improving the website through new landing pages and articles. I create the concept for those, create images, and illustrate icons. I also do this for social media content.

I also produce the creative materials for our conferences, from our swag (hoodies, shirts, stickers, etc.) to hard copy and digital creative (flyers, business cards, etc.).

I enjoy that one day is not like the other. I can build something new every day.

Can you show me how OpenProject used to look visually?

Yes. So, OpenProject, the company began as a fork of Redmine, and we first called it the Chili Project. I designed the UI of that application. Here’s a side-by-side of the evolution of that.

Then, we matured into what is now OpenProject. I created the logo, which has a couple of variations. And the main application you see today has also evolved.

How do you think about design at OpenProject?

I’ve always had a creative mind, so I love imagining things in new ways and coming up with a unique spin on things.

Niels, the CEO, has a vision for everything about OpenProject. He and Birthe, are very passionate about the tool, the company. He also helps guide what it looks like and how it works.

What’s your biggest accomplishment this year?

I am proud of the employee videos we shot and produced from the most recent offsite. They are visually beautiful and capture the emotion and heart of the people in them.

These videos show the spirit of the OpenProject team. When we showed the final videos to Birthe, she was so emotional that she started to cry. As a designer, that’s the best compliment you can get.

Birthe has always been focused on feedback from employees, customers, and anyone who wants to share. Knowledge is power, and it’s the human side. And the videos were new; it was really powerful.

How do you feel about remote work?

I used to work very often in the Berlin office. But today, I am quite happy with the flexibility and ability to work remotely. But, the offsites to meet coworkers is important to me and so much fun.

What is your favorite style of art?

Anything that just hits me a certain way, but I love music. Rock, like the Foo Fighters. I listen to music while I work, a playlist I made, or the radio based on my favorite bands, depending on the day.

I also love outdoor activities and sports, like soccer and biking. In the Swiss mountains last year, I biked with Birthe and Niels. It was special and beautiful.

What are you reading and learning about?

I like reading about the latest in design and web development. Also, what’s new with AI.

I have tried out some AI design tools. They are great, really impressive. But they still cannot grapple with emotion like a human designer. I think AI will become big for video producing.

What did you study at University? And what was your first job?

I studied information technology. At University, I had a job selling electronics.

Learn more about Christoph in this video:

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