This pages contains: 1 About Me; 2 Systems and methods; 3 Software and Tools, 4 Performance.
Portrait in black and white of a guy with a wide smile showing teeth.

Nico Maksymiec

Brand Specialist

Brands need more than great design—they need a clear vision. For six years, I’ve been crafting strong, innovative brand experiences that merge creativity with strategy. My full-stack branding approach uncovers potential, drives impact, and creates real differentiation.

About me

Super powers

Growth Catalyst

I transform business potential into tangible results by aligning brand strategy with market opportunities. My approach identifies untapped possibilities where others see limitations, converting challenges into competitive advantages. Through strategic positioning and analysis, I create frameworks that enable businesses to expand their audience and strengthen market presence.

Resourceful

Excellence doesn't always require extravagant budgets. It demands intelligent allocation of available resources. I excel at optimizing what's available to deliver quality outcomes regardless of constraints. By prioritizing strategic impact over superficial elements, I consistently deliver high-value results within practical parameters while finding innovative solutions through creative constraint management.

Elevating Brands

I specialize in creating coherent, sophisticated brand experiences across all touchpoints. My understanding of market positioning, typography, color theory, and trend forecasting allows me to craft distinctive brand personalities that resonate with target audiences. By blending strategic thinking with creative execution, I develop brand architectures that enhance perception and create lasting market impressions.

Cross-Disciplinary

My versatile skill set spans the brand development spectrum, from strategic positioning to technical implementation. With expertise in brand strategy, photography, videography, digital implementation, and content creation, I bring an integrated perspective to projects. This multidisciplinary approach prevents disconnects between strategy and execution, resulting in cohesive brand experiences aligned with business objectives.

Collaborator

I excel in guiding stakeholders through complex brand processes, translating abstract concepts into actionable strategies. My approach combines active listening with clear communication, ensuring diverse perspectives contribute to stronger outcomes. By maintaining focus on shared objectives while respecting individual expertise, I foster environments where innovation thrives through understanding and strategic empathy.

longterm Thinker

I design brand strategies that evolve and strengthen over time, anticipating future market shifts. By creating flexible systems rather than rigid prescriptions, I enable brands to adapt while maintaining core identity. This forward-thinking approach prioritizes enduring value over temporary trends, establishing frameworks that support sustained growth with scalable processes and future-oriented implementation plans.

Systems & Approach

Time Tracking

Accountability

Transparent client relationships and precise project management rest on my rigorous time tracking system. Each professional activity over six years exists as meticulously documented records, creating indisputable evidence of work performed and substantiating billing accuracy. During scope expansions, specific time investments can be immediately referenced, transforming potential conflicts into constructive discussions.

Self improvement

Six years of productivity data has transformed my professional development through systematic analysis. By examining performance patterns, I've calibrated my schedule around natural productivity cycles and established sustainable boundaries. The system functions as both accountability mechanism and optimization tool, providing insights into how work periods affect output quality and recovery intervals.

Digital documents reading "Time Tracking Report" and "Statistics" and "Working Hours", showing mock data with purple color accents.

Brand Cycle

Systematic

Through my extensive experience across diverse brand engagements, I developed the Brand Cycle as an integrated approach that gives each phase clear objectives and room to naturally unfold. This simple yet powerful model is instantly memorable, making it easier to communicate progress with stakeholders from different departments. The result is significantly improved cross-functional collaboration and alignment throughout the brand development process.

Continuous

Brands are inherently cyclical and require constant evolution to remain relevant and authentic. In my Brand Cycle approach, each phase builds directly on the outcomes of the previous one while setting the foundation for what follows. This closed-loop system ensures comprehensive consideration of all aspects and maintains a healthy balance between economic objectives and cultural impact. The continuous nature of the cycle prevents stagnation and keeps brands responsive to market changes.

Depiction of the Brand Cycle model, featuring 6 color-coded separate sections, ordered by phases, reding: Discover, Strategize, Create, Implement, Scale, Evaluate. They are arranged in a circle through macaroni-style decorative segments.

Software & Tools

Creativity

Adobe Suite

Affinity Suite

Procreate

Canva

Diffusion Bee

Davinci Resolve

Final Cut Pro

Apple Motion 5

Logic Pro

LM Studio

Productivity

Asana

Notion

Tyme

Claude AI

Perplexity AI

Apple iWork

Ms Office

Obsidian

ChatGPT

Slack

Web & Marketing

Webflow

Fathom Analytics

Google Analytics

Google Ads

Hubspot

Semrush

Buffer

Looker Studio

Performance

Performance Metrics
91%
Projects completed on time 1
8
Brands launched across sectors 2
35.3%
Higher Productivity than average 3
637 hrs
professional development Time 4

Operational

Efficiency

My systematic approach eliminates redundancies and streamlines workflows across project stages. Through meticulous tracking and process refinement, I've developed methods that maximize quality while minimizing resource expenditure. By identifying high-impact activities and reducing friction points, I consistently deliver premium results without unnecessary overhead.

Optimization

I continuously refine processes by analyzing performance data throughout brand development cycles. My documented productivity patterns reveal exactly where adjustments yield greatest returns. This optimization mindset transforms subjective creative work into measurable, improvable systems that ensure sustainable quality as projects scale.

Analytical

Foresight

My strategic thinking combines market analysis with pattern recognition to anticipate industry shifts early. Through monitoring emerging trends and consumer behavior changes, I identify opportunities before they become obvious. This foresight enables proactive positioning, creating competitive advantages while preserving authentic brand identity.

Decision MAKing

I approach complex decisions with structured frameworks that balance creative exploration with analytical rigor. By establishing criteria aligned with strategic objectives, I cut through subjective preferences to focus on business impact. My approach incorporates both quantitative metrics and qualitative considerations for measurable outcomes.

Scalable

Systems

I employ brand frameworks that grow seamlessly with organizations, eliminating painful transitions during expansion. My systems incorporate flexible architecture accommodating increasing complexity without sacrificing quality. This scalability stems from thoughtful documentation, modular components, and clear governance structures maintaining integrity across touchpoints.

Experiences

I create brand experiences that maintain consistency as they scale across platforms and markets. Through careful design of core principles and adaptable guidelines, I ensure brand essence translates effectively regardless of context. My approach balances standardized procedures with contextual flexibility for cohesive yet situationally appropriate touchpoints.

Footnotes for Performance Metrics

1. Approximately 91% of client projects delivered on or ahead of schedule, based on project completion analysis. While only about 1 out of 11 projects couldn't be completed within the proposed timeline, the delay had no negative impact.

2. Portfolio includes eight complete brand launches spanning diverse industry sectors. Each project encompassed the full brand development lifecycle: initial strategy formulation, visual identity creation, strategic communications planning, project management, client correspondence, content development, website design, print collateral production, and more. This full-stack approach ensured cohesive brand implementation across all touchpoints.

3. Productivity analysis based on time tracking over a 2-year period demonstrated 91.67% productive time utilization (55 minutes of focused work per hour), compared to the German business average of 68% (Süddeutsche Zeitung, sueddeutsche.de). This represents a 35.3% higher productivity rate than the national benchmark.

4. Documented 637+ hours of intensive professional development over a 5-year period, encompassing structured research, analysis of emerging brand trends, software and AI mastery, and strategic skill acquisition. This measured investment represents only formally tracked time; conservative estimates suggest an additional 30-40% in supplemental development and research activities. This deliberate commitment to continuous learning and advancement ensures projects benefit from cutting-edge methodologies, technological proficiency, and industry foresight that exceeds standard practice—directly translating to more innovative and effective brand solutions.

Vision Forward

I believe in a world where our differences create our strength – where neurodivergent thinking, non-normative life perspectives and cultural diversity form the foundation of truly meaningful progress. My vision embraces the full spectrum of the human experience, recognizing that inclusion isn't just ethical but essential for creativity that pushes boundaries. I'm passionate about thinking how technology can enhance humanity rather than replacing it, how accessibility can expand possibilities for everyone, and how authenticity can be a powerful source of inspiration. This is the world I want to help shape.