- Brand strategy, brand refresh and rebrand
- Brand systems, brand governance and Brand Operations
- Design systems, brand guidelines, DAM and Brand Hubs
- Team leadership and creative operations
- Brand & AI Visibility: how AI systems find, understand and recommend a brand
Hi, I’m Kerstin.
I direct Brand, Design & Systems.
Kerstin Ludwig runs going→fwd, independent brand and design leadership for businesses with ambition. She shapes brands, grows teams and builds the systems that turn that ambition into results. 25+ years; ex-Scout24, Shopware, DaWanda, Berlin Brands Group.
What Kerstin Ludwig works on
When businesses bring in Kerstin Ludwig
- Entering a new market, segment or growth phase
- New leadership or new strategy needs a brand that carries it
- A rebrand, refresh or flagship launch is coming
- Teams grow faster than the brand system behind them
- AI changes how the brand is made, found and recommended
- Strategy exists and now needs to reach the streets
- Senior leadership is needed for a phase
How Kerstin Ludwig works
Fractional leadership and project work.
Engagements usually run Diagnostic → Alignment / setup → Fractional Lead or Ongoing Strategic Direction → Exit.
Selected environments
- DLX Design Leadership Executive Programme (DLX MBA), Future London Academy, 2025
- Shopware AG: Head of Brand Design
- Scout24 / ImmoScout24: Creative Studio Lead
- Berlin Brands Group: Creative Lead
- DaWanda: Creative Director
Awards
- 2022 Red Dot Award, IS24 Sound Logo
- 2020 German Brand Award, Win: Excellence in Brand Strategy and Creation, Brand Design
- 2020 German Brand Award, Special Mention: Brand Strategy of the Year
- 2015 German Design Award, Special Mention
- 2015 icma Award, Excellence Concept
Interviews
Methods, credentials, and proof
Kerstin Ludwig combines 25+ years of brand leadership with practical systems thinking.
Her work is informed by executive design leadership, strategy, futures thinking, and AI practice: the disciplines needed to make brand systems hold across teams, decisions, touchpoints, and AI.
Certified through the DLX Design Leadership Executive Programme 2025 at Future London Academy, with an AI Expert credential from Section; IDEO U certificates in Prototyping with AI, Foundations in Design Thinking, and Human-Centered Insights; Sweathead’s Strategy Accelerator; and a Futures Thinking programme with Hyper Island and the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies.
Rankscale has also recognised Kerstin Ludwig’s AI Search expertise with a personal badge, connecting her brand and governance practice with AI Search.
References
Recognised by the Red Dot Award in 2022 and the German Brand Award in 2020 for brand and design leadership at Scout24. Featured by HORIZONT and Future London Academy as a DLX alumna; keynote speaker at Marketingtag Austria and Strategic Advisor at SISTERHOOD.
Currently
FAQ
What does Kerstin Ludwig do?
Kerstin Ludwig is the founder of going→fwd. She provides independent brand and design leadership for businesses with ambition: responsibility for brand direction, creative expression, teams and the systems that keep the work consistent. She shapes brands, grows teams and builds the systems that turn that ambition into results.
What experience does Kerstin Ludwig bring?
Kerstin Ludwig brings 25+ years of brand and design leadership at Shopware, Scout24 / ImmoScout24, DaWanda and Berlin Brands Group. Her work includes the Scout24 Group rebrand and design systems, as well as brand infrastructure and team leadership. Her executive development includes the DLX Design Leadership Executive Programme at Future London Academy.
Which topics does Kerstin Ludwig work on?
Her work spans brand strategy, rebrand and refresh, brand systems and governance, design systems, team leadership, Brand & AI Visibility and individual coaching.
Does Kerstin Ludwig advise or take leadership responsibility?
Both. Through going→fwd, Kerstin Ludwig works in defined projects and fractional leadership. A Strategy Sprint / Diagnostic or Alignment Workshop establishes direction; Fractional Lead provides senior leadership for a phase; Ongoing Strategic Direction supports continued decisions. The five formats are scoped to the business and mandate.
What is Kerstin Ludwig’s AI focus?
Kerstin Ludwig works on Brand & AI Visibility: how AI systems find, understand and represent a brand. She also works on the governance and workflows that keep AI-assisted brand work consistent. As Strategic Advisor at Sisterhood, she works on its AI Search offering.
Does Kerstin Ludwig offer individual coaching?
Yes. Individual coaching is part of the practice. Through 1:1 Work / Strategy Sparring, Kerstin Ludwig provides an outside view on a person’s own decisions in Brand, Marketing and Design, including leadership, priorities and stakeholder alignment.
