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From components to culture. I enable teams to ship digital products people love.
About
I’m Tobias — Design Lead.
At the intersection of technology, people, and business, I build design systems, run design operations, and grow communities — turning standards into efficient, reliable, and scalable delivery.
At Deutsche Bahn I scaled DB UX from a simple style guide to a company-wide design framework and operating model for 200+ designers and 1,000+ engineers across B2C & B2B.
- Built and led the DB UX teams (Design System, Design Ops, Community) — defined roles and responsibilities, scaled the team (recruiting/onboarding) and secured a recurring budget.
- Set governance & cadence — use → extend → propose, RFC/PR reviews with SLAs — and embedded funding & ownership in enterprise architecture.
- Launched the central platform (docs, starter kits, sandboxes, onboarding, libraries, migration playbooks) to drive adoption at scale.
- Activated the community engine — advocates in product teams and open feedback via GitHub; built a cross-company peer network (SAP, Deutsche Telekom, Deutsche Bank; SBB, NS, ÖBB,...).
Experience
Shaping design across industries
Lead @ DB UX — Deutsche Bahn · 2024–present
Lead the company-wide UX capability (Design System, Design Ops, Community); set standards & governance, run release cadence, and operate the central platform.
Lead @ DB UX Design System — Deutsche Bahn · 2022–2024
Scaled the system from style guide to enterprise DS (tokens, components, patterns); established contribution workflow and predictable releases with designers & engineers.
CEO / Co-Founder — SOVYY · 2020–2024
Independent studio delivering brand, websites, and campaigns; end-to-end from strategy to shipped digital experiences.
UX Designer — Techpilot (Dynamic Markets) · 2019–2022
Co-created a new design system and rebuilt web UX/UI; improved consistency and design-to-dev flow across site and platform.
Art Director — Fidor Bank · 2017–2019
Drove rebrand and website redesign; produced multi-channel campaign assets (email, social, landing pages, motion).
Projects
Exploring my work
Adapting Design at Scale
Consistency at the core, flexibility at the edges.
Community-based Standardization
From multi-layer DS to contribution at scale.
Design Identity in a Decentralized Company
Coherence without centralization.
Values & Skills
How I make an impact
- Design systems — tokens, components, patterns
- Design ops — governance, workflows
- Product design (Figma) — libraries, variables
- Enablement — docs, training
Proficient: HTML · CSS · Git/GitHub · Jira/Confluence · Community building & facilitation · Communication · Accessibility
Working knowledge: · Git/GitHubJavaScript · React/Next.js · User research
Languages: German (native), English (professional)
1
Think big, start small
Achieve big goals by learning and delivering in small, iterative steps.
2
Systems, not one-offs
Create standards, tools, and training that make good work repeatable.
3
Open by default
Share knowledge to foster collaboration and lasting adoption.
4
Enable autonomy
Set clear expectations so people can take real ownership.
Media & Events
Where design meets community
UX Logistics @ KLM/NS
Amsterdam (2024) · speaker
UX Titans: Insights from the World of UX Thought Leaders
Book (print interview; eds. Dr. Benjamin Franz & Dr. Michaela Kauer-Franz, 2025)
Design System Leadership Summit (SAP × Figma)
Frankfurt (2024) · participant
Config (Figma)
London (2025) · invited attendee
The Design System Guide
Interview (online; Romina Kavcic, 2023)
World Usability Day @ DB
Frankfurt (2023) · speaker
Adobe MAX
Los Angeles (2023) · invited attendee
Hack4Rail (SBB)
Bern (2025) · participant
Open Source Day @ DB
Frankfurt (2023) · speaker
From components to culture. I enable teams to ship digital products people love.
About
I’m Tobias — Design Lead.
At the intersection of technology, people, and business, I build design systems, run design operations, and grow communities — turning standards into efficient, reliable, and scalable delivery.
At Deutsche Bahn I scaled DB UX from a simple style guide to a company-wide design framework and operating model for 200+ designers and 1,000+ engineers across B2C & B2B.
- Built and led the DB UX teams (Design System, Design Ops, Community) — defined roles and responsibilities, scaled the team (recruiting/onboarding) and secured a recurring budget.
- Set governance & cadence — use → extend → propose, RFC/PR reviews with SLAs — and embedded funding & ownership in enterprise architecture.
- Launched the central platform (docs, starter kits, sandboxes, onboarding, libraries, migration playbooks) to drive adoption at scale.
- Activated the community engine — advocates in product teams and open feedback via GitHub; built a cross-company peer network (SAP, Deutsche Telekom, Deutsche Bank; SBB, NS, ÖBB,...).
Experience
Shaping design across industries
Lead @ DB UX — Deutsche Bahn · 2024–present
Lead the company-wide UX capability (Design System, Design Ops, Community); set standards & governance, run release cadence, and operate the central platform.
Lead @ DB UX Design System — Deutsche Bahn · 2022–2024
Scaled the system from style guide to enterprise DS (tokens, components, patterns); established contribution workflow and predictable releases with designers & engineers.
CEO / Co-Founder — SOVYY · 2020–2024
Independent studio delivering brand, websites, and campaigns; end-to-end from strategy to shipped digital experiences.
UX Designer — Techpilot (Dynamic Markets) · 2019–2022
Co-created a new design system and rebuilt web UX/UI; improved consistency and design-to-dev flow across site and platform.
Art Director — Fidor Bank · 2017–2019
Drove rebrand and website redesign; produced multi-channel campaign assets (email, social, landing pages, motion).
Projects
Exploring my work
Adapting Design at Scale
Consistency at the core, flexibility at the edges.
Community-based Standardization
From multi-layer DS to contribution at scale.
Design Identity in a Decentralized Company
Coherence without centralization.
Values & Skills
How I make an impact
- Design systems — tokens, components, patterns
- Design ops — governance, workflows
- Product design (Figma) — libraries, variables
- Enablement — docs, training
Proficient: HTML · CSS · Git/GitHub · Jira/Confluence · Community building & facilitation · Communication · Accessibility
Working knowledge: · Git/GitHubJavaScript · React/Next.js · User research
Languages: German (native), English (professional)
1
Think big, start small
Achieve big goals by learning and delivering in small, iterative steps.
2
Systems, not one-offs
Create standards, tools, and training that make good work repeatable.
3
Open by default
Share knowledge to foster collaboration and lasting adoption.
4
Enable autonomy
Set clear expectations so people can take real ownership.
Media & Events
Where design meets community
UX Logistics @ KLM/NS
Amsterdam (2024) · speaker
UX Titans: Insights from the World of UX Thought Leaders
Book (print interview; eds. Dr. Benjamin Franz & Dr. Michaela Kauer-Franz, 2025)
Design System Leadership Summit (SAP × Figma)
Frankfurt (2024) · participant
Config (Figma)
London (2025) · invited attendee
The Design System Guide
Interview (online; Romina Kavcic, 2023)
World Usability Day @ DB
Frankfurt (2023) · speaker
Adobe MAX
Los Angeles (2023) · invited attendee
Hack4Rail (SBB)
Bern (2025) · participant
Open Source Day @ DB
Frankfurt (2023) · speaker
From components to culture. I enable teams to ship digital products people love.
About
I’m Tobias — Design Lead.
At the intersection of technology, people, and business, I build design systems, run design operations, and grow communities — turning standards into efficient, reliable, and scalable delivery.
At Deutsche Bahn I scaled DB UX from a simple style guide to a company-wide design framework and operating model for 200+ designers and 1,000+ engineers across B2C & B2B.
- Built and led the DB UX teams (Design System, Design Ops, Community) — defined roles and responsibilities, scaled the team (recruiting/onboarding) and secured a recurring budget.
- Set governance & cadence — use → extend → propose, RFC/PR reviews with SLAs — and embedded funding & ownership in enterprise architecture.
- Launched the central platform (docs, starter kits, sandboxes, onboarding, libraries, migration playbooks) to drive adoption at scale.
- Activated the community engine — advocates in product teams and open feedback via GitHub; built a cross-company peer network (SAP, Deutsche Telekom, Deutsche Bank; SBB, NS, ÖBB,...).
Experience
Shaping design across industries
Lead @ DB UX — Deutsche Bahn · 2024–present
Lead the company-wide UX capability (Design System, Design Ops, Community); set standards & governance, run release cadence, and operate the central platform.
Lead @ DB UX Design System — Deutsche Bahn · 2022–2024
Scaled the system from style guide to enterprise DS (tokens, components, patterns); established contribution workflow and predictable releases with designers & engineers.
CEO / Co-Founder — SOVYY · 2020–2024
Independent studio delivering brand, websites, and campaigns; end-to-end from strategy to shipped digital experiences.
UX Designer — Techpilot (Dynamic Markets) · 2019–2022
Co-created a new design system and rebuilt web UX/UI; improved consistency and design-to-dev flow across site and platform.
Art Director — Fidor Bank · 2017–2019
Drove rebrand and website redesign; produced multi-channel campaign assets (email, social, landing pages, motion).
Projects
Exploring my work
Adapting Design at Scale
Consistency at the core, flexibility at the edges.
Community-based Standardization
From multi-layer DS to contribution at scale.
Design Identity in a Decentralized Company
Coherence without centralization.
Values & Skills
How I make an impact
- Design systems — tokens, components, patterns
- Design ops — governance, workflows
- Product design (Figma) — libraries, variables
- Enablement — docs, training
Proficient: Accessibility/WCAG · HTML · CSS · Jira/Confluence · Community building & facilitation · Communication · Adobe CC
Working knowledge: Git/GitHub · JavaScript · React/Next.js · User research
Languages: German (native), English (professional)
1
Think big, start small
Achieve big goals by learning and delivering in small, iterative steps.
2
Systems, not one-offs
Create standards, tools, and training that make good work repeatable.
3
Open by default
Share knowledge to foster collaboration and lasting adoption.
4
Enable autonomy
Set clear expectations so people can take real ownership.
Media & Events
Where design meets community
UX Logistics @ KLM/NS
Amsterdam (2024) · speaker
UX Titans: Insights from the World of UX Thought Leaders
Book (print interview; eds. Dr. Benjamin Franz & Dr. Michaela Kauer-Franz, 2025)
Design System Leadership Summit (SAP × Figma)
Frankfurt (2024) · participant
Config (Figma)
London (2025) · invited attendee
The Design System Guide
Interview (online; Romina Kavcic, 2023)
World Usability Day @ DB
Frankfurt (2023) · speaker
Adobe MAX
Los Angeles (2023) · invited attendee
Hack4Rail (SBB)
Bern (2025) · participant
Open Source Day @ DB
Frankfurt (2023) · speaker