How Humour and Trust Built a 20-Year Dream Team

Initially, Karl Anders was born out of a moment of creative necessity, not a formal business plan. Having first met over 20 years ago at the agency Fischer-Appelt, founders Claudia Fischer-Appelt and Lars Kreyenhagen are a dream team whose own agency, Karl Anders, has been thriving for 14 years.

It all started with sharing a co-working space, which led them to brainstorm the possibility of their own project; from there, the branding agency Karl Anders was born. What began on a whim is now one of the household names in German branding.
But what makes the founders, Claudia and Lars’ dynamic special is the way their values align with their humour and outlook on life.

Laughing Through the Bad Times: How Culture Conquered Crisis

“The Brain Runs on Fun” is not only the company ethos, but also something that both value. “It is something that keeps everyone together,” says Claudia. “That’s actually what we’re trying to get right. To find a flow and nurture a creative environment.”

“We always laugh through the bad times,” Lars says, reflecting on the last couple of years. “The bar around the corner definitely helped,” he jokes. Making tough business decisions about whether to let people go or ride the wave was taxing on both.

Come rain or come shine, Claudia and Lars push through the hard times. A couple of years ago, the agency experienced a rough patch when a client withdrew from a project. Lars says, “We didn’t react quickly enough.”

Claudia says, “We had to really look at each other and be honest and decide if we even still wanted to do this.” Finally, after a big rebranding and transformation, the agency made it out on the other side. Claudia says, “We knew it wasn't over for us yet, and that is also the time we came up with the change to Contemporary Branding.”

This change to Contemporary Branding allowed them to position the firm not merely as a design or advertising agency, but as a strategic partner that integrates design and communication to drive client transformation.

Looking At Things Differently – The Origins of Karl Anders

But, where does the name Karl Anders come from? 'Karl' is a common German name, and 'Anders' means 'different' – a concept integral to their approach.

Claudia says, “We have somehow put the topic of identities into focus... Therefore, we also conceived of a person, namely this Karl Anders, who symbolically represents all future or developing identities or, in fact, just these identities in general.”

That understanding of ‘the different essence’ or ‘Das Andersartige’, as you say, in German, is the core of the company's identity. Helping others reform their brand and being a comprehensive branding partner is important to the company. However, one thing is even more vital.

Why Independence Is Everything

“Independence means everything,” Lars says. “We only have to justify decisions with each other.”

Especially now, with a difficult political climate, both value the power that comes with being an independent company. “We can tell a client that we don’t want to work with them. Even if it is a big client. That means a lot.”

Claudia adds, “We also have the luxury to decide which topics and matters we want to highlight or prioritise.”

Since Claudia and Lars decide things together, they run their company in a somewhat unconventional manner at times. “We actually have a chef cooking for the whole agency during the week. That would not be possible if we weren’t independent. But since we wanted food anyway, we thought, ‘Why not get a cook for everyone?’”

The Big Secret To A Successful Partnership

Talking about how both have made it work for such a long time working together, Claudia says, “it’s all about humour and trust.”

Lars chimes in, “Yes, absolutely. Also, acknowledging each other and valuing the other person is key. But there were so many stressful and serious moments where we just laughed through them together. So humour is key.”