By William Schroeder William Schroeder is the director of project management at Landor Associates, the world's largest branding and design consultancy. Prior to joining Landor Associates in March of 1999, he was the director of graphics for the Associated Press and worked as a consultant, offering strategic design services for various clients including IKEA, Carter's and County Seat. Schroeder holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Siemens is a very heterogeneous company and active in various fields of electronics and electromechanicals. Each of these areas has an operating unit and very different markets.
Designers fit into each unit at different levels.
Basically, the more consumer-oriented the business unit is, the more we are involved. When we work on capital goods, such as automation equipment, we usually work with the vice president of research and development. When we work on consumer products, such as cellular phones, we usually deal directly with the CEO, as well as with the advertising agency and other outside experts. We are considered a service entity of Siemens and continue to do all of its design. We handle not only corporate design, but also media design, trade-show design, exhibit design, packaging design and graphics, and we work for customers in very different fields.