About
Updated March 2025
Hi, I’m Thilko — a staff product designer focused on design systems. As my name suggests, I grew up in rural East Frisia in the North of Germany, but my design journey has taken me through Cologne, Paris and Stockholm. After running my design studio, Neithernor & Co., successfully for a couple of years, I joined sipgate in Düsseldorf, where I have spent the last six years evolving their design system strategically from the ground up. Outside of work, I teach user interface design at an online university, sharing my passion for good design. I also volunteer as a mentor for emerging designers, helping them to develop their unique creative voices and push the boundaries of digital design.
Skills
Experience
Staff Product Designer | Design Systems
sipgate · Full-time
Düsseldorf, Germany · Hybrid
- Design System Leadership: Initiated, developed, and maintained a scalable design system in Figma and code, ensuring consistency across teams and platforms.
- Design Tokens and Theming: Architected a token system using semantic naming in Tokens Studio and Style Dictionary, enabling flexible theming and a dark mode. Conducted workshops training designers and developers on effective use.
- Rebrand Rollout: Contributed to the successful rollout of the rebranding across products and websites, ensuring consistency and high-quality visual standards.
- Figma Environment Leadership: Spearheaded the company-wide migration to Figma in 2020. Established best practices and delivered hands-on onboarding, accelerating adoption and elevating design consistency across the organization.
- Developer Collaboration: Proactively partnered with developers through cross-functional pairing, independently contributing 1,000+ commits to our GitHub repository—ranking among the top 5 contributors of all time.
- Technical Documentation: Comprehensively documented interaction patterns, which served as a foundational resource for designers and developers, promoting adherence to design standards.
- Mentorship: Successfully onboarded and mentored two new Designers over a year, enhancing their skills and integration into the team. Additionally, mentored an apprentice for three years, who successful transitioned to a full-time role.
- Peer Recruiting: Led the interview process for dozens of candidates, successfully identifying and hiring top talent to drive the expansion of our design team.
- Internal Newsletter: Co-founded and authored over 20 issues of "IDEA" (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility), promoting a more inclusive work environment.
- Diversity Initiatives: Initiated and organized the company’s Pride group, participating in the Cologne Pride parade for five consecutive years, promoting diversity and inclusivity.
Design Mentor
adplist.org · Volunteer
Remote
- Mentor aspiring and established product designers, providing guidance on portfolio and resume reviews, design systems, and product design best practices.
- Offer tailored advice on career development, design challenges, and industry trends. use.
- Help mentees strengthen their design thinking, improve their deliverables, and navigate the job market.
University Lecturer and Certified Tutor
DIPLOMA University of Applied Sciences · Freelance
Remote
Beyond my full-time position, I dedicate myself to tutoring as a certified professional. Here, I combine my extensive industry experience with a passion for teaching and mentoring, empowering the next generation of designers.
Freelance Designer
Neithernor & Co. · Full-time
Cologne Area, Germany · On-site
Education
Köln International School of Design
Bachelor of Arts · BA, European Studies in Design
Cologne, Germany
North Butler High School
Exchange Year during High-School
Iowa, USA
Gesamtschule Veenhusen
High-School Diploma / Abitur
Veenhusen, Germany