The Starting Point: Why classix.de Needed Rethinking
When Sascha Stein, Marketing Manager at classix Software GmbH in Hamburg, talks about the rebrush of the company website classix.de, one term comes up quickly: AI slop. It refers to the interchangeable, generated images and unclear structures that have spread across many B2B websites. classix was going to be different – with Katja Nitsche of BUERO NITSCHE leading the creative work, and Christoph Troitzsch, who heads support at classix and directly oversaw the technical implementation, as an indispensable anchor on site.
What led to the decision to revamp classix.de?
Sascha Stein: The website worked – but it didn't convince. We had AI-generated images, a navigation that confused visitors more than it guided them, and content that had grown organically without ever really being planned. My vision was clear: out of the AI slop, into an honest, structured, and visually coherent presence. classix is a software company with real depth – the system makes companies fully mappable and complexity manageable. That needed to show on the website.
What was your first impression when you saw the old classix website?
Katja Nitsche: All the pages felt somewhat undefined – just large type, body text in a light grey. The site had grown over years, and you could tell.
The Right Partner: Who Is BUERO NITSCHE – and Why Katja Was the Choice
Why did you choose Katja Nitsche and BUERO NITSCHE?
Sascha Stein: Because her style was exactly what we needed. Minimalist, structured, clear. No frills. Anyone who looks at her projects sees it immediately: here is someone who doesn't design for herself, but for the client's message. That won us over.
Katja, how would you introduce yourself and BUERO NITSCHE in two or three sentences – for someone who doesn't know you yet?
Katja Nitsche: Hi, I'm Katja – a web designer and web developer since 2012. I build websites with WordPress or entirely in HTML/CSS/JS for a wide range of industries, from sole traders to law and tax firms.
Approach and Attitude: How Katja Nitsche Thinks Her Way Into an Unfamiliar Subject
You're not just a web designer, but also a photographer. How does that photographic eye feed into your design work?
Katja Nitsche: I go through each page multiple times and check whether it adds up to a coherent whole. There are predefined base structures and spacing, of course. But when those don't sit well with the content, I adjust things individually.
I also don't start working until I've had a longer conversation with the client and received some initial content. From that, I develop my visual sense of what suits that particular person or company. A picture forms.
I don't work with ready-made designs that I just fill with content. Every person, every company gets their own design.
Software is a subject that needs explaining. How did you find your way into the world of classix?
Katja Nitsche: I read through classix's product pages and tried to understand what value the solutions offer to people and businesses.
I work with software tools myself, so thinking in that space isn't unfamiliar to me. With websites, it's usually about presenting an offer clearly and guiding the right people through the site to the product. Whether it's coaching, design, or software – the goal is mostly the same. What makes each project interesting is the different industries, and above all the people behind them.
The Biggest Challenge: Bringing Structure to Complexity
What was the greatest design challenge on this project?
Katja Nitsche: Structuring the sheer volume of text!
It was great that classix was open to letting me start from scratch in my own system first – to figure out where the design could go. Reset everything to zero and then work together to see how we could rebuild the site efficiently, without having to re-enter all the content from scratch.
Sascha Stein: The challenge was also in the handover. Content you know inside out has to be made legible for someone coming from outside. Christoph Troitzsch played a key role here: he knows the historically grown site better than anyone – and implemented Katja's change requests directly and reliably. I handled content and structure; Christoph handled technical execution. That division of labour worked.
Collaboration at Eye Level: How the Project Really Came Together
What was it like working with classix as the on-site contact?
Katja Nitsche: I found it really pleasant, fun, and genuinely at eye level. The people at classix are quite a team!
What I particularly appreciated: nothing was fixed at the start. My scope kept shifting in the first few weeks – sometimes that was confusing, but looking back, it was exactly right. First I was supposed to advise classix on design, then rebuild the site entirely in my own system, until we realised that would blow both our schedules. A real back-and-forth. Somehow organic.
Christoph, you handled the technical changes directly. What was it like working with Katja from that angle?
Christoph Troitzsch: Working with Katja was straightforward, fast, and inspiring. She brought her ideas without changing the DNA of classix.
Sascha, you're not only Marketing Manager at classix – you also advise companies on PR, social media, and marketing. How did that shape your role in this project?
Sascha Stein: Knowing both sides helped. I know what a website needs to communicate – and I know what clients, journalists, and partners want to see. At classix, it was important to me that the range of solutions – from AI-powered chat systems to warehouse management and sanctions list screening – isn't perceived as an unwieldy catalogue, but as a coherent system. Anyone advising companies on marketing and communications has to be able to take that outside perspective. That applies here just as it does in any client project.
Sascha Stein: For me, it was the ease with which Katja approached a complex subject. When roles are clear, trust is there, and everyone pulls in the same direction – something emerges that you can be proud of. And we are.
Quality Is Not a Budget Question
What would you advise other web designers taking on a similar project?
Katja Nitsche: Honestly, I don't think it was a rebrush – it was a relaunch. We changed a great deal, really. I can't give general advice: we all work in such different ways. You just have to look carefully and stay open.
Sascha Stein: That quality is not a matter of budget, but of attitude. No AI slop. No interchangeable stock photos. Real content with real structure instead. If you sell software that promises modularity over monoliths, your website should show that you know what clarity means.
Thank you for the interview!
More about Katja Nitsche and BUERO NITSCHE at bueronitsche.de. The revised classix Software GmbH website is at classix.de. At the time of this interview, Sascha Stein works as Marketing Manager for classix.de and as a PR and marketing consultant for SMEs at saschastein.info.
(1,207 words, 7,388 characters with spaces)
When Sascha Stein, Marketing Manager at classix Software GmbH in Hamburg, talks about the rebrush of the company website classix.de, one term comes up quickly: AI slop. It refers to the interchangeable, generated images and unclear structures that have spread across many B2B websites. classix was going to be different – with Katja Nitsche of BUERO NITSCHE leading the creative work, and Christoph Troitzsch, who heads support at classix and directly oversaw the technical implementation, as an indispensable anchor on site.
What led to the decision to revamp classix.de?
Sascha Stein: The website worked – but it didn't convince. We had AI-generated images, a navigation that confused visitors more than it guided them, and content that had grown organically without ever really being planned. My vision was clear: out of the AI slop, into an honest, structured, and visually coherent presence. classix is a software company with real depth – the system makes companies fully mappable and complexity manageable. That needed to show on the website.
What was your first impression when you saw the old classix website?
Katja Nitsche: All the pages felt somewhat undefined – just large type, body text in a light grey. The site had grown over years, and you could tell.
The Right Partner: Who Is BUERO NITSCHE – and Why Katja Was the Choice
Why did you choose Katja Nitsche and BUERO NITSCHE?
Sascha Stein: Because her style was exactly what we needed. Minimalist, structured, clear. No frills. Anyone who looks at her projects sees it immediately: here is someone who doesn't design for herself, but for the client's message. That won us over.
Katja, how would you introduce yourself and BUERO NITSCHE in two or three sentences – for someone who doesn't know you yet?
Katja Nitsche: Hi, I'm Katja – a web designer and web developer since 2012. I build websites with WordPress or entirely in HTML/CSS/JS for a wide range of industries, from sole traders to law and tax firms.
Approach and Attitude: How Katja Nitsche Thinks Her Way Into an Unfamiliar Subject
You're not just a web designer, but also a photographer. How does that photographic eye feed into your design work?
Katja Nitsche: I go through each page multiple times and check whether it adds up to a coherent whole. There are predefined base structures and spacing, of course. But when those don't sit well with the content, I adjust things individually.
I also don't start working until I've had a longer conversation with the client and received some initial content. From that, I develop my visual sense of what suits that particular person or company. A picture forms.
I don't work with ready-made designs that I just fill with content. Every person, every company gets their own design.
Software is a subject that needs explaining. How did you find your way into the world of classix?
Katja Nitsche: I read through classix's product pages and tried to understand what value the solutions offer to people and businesses.
I work with software tools myself, so thinking in that space isn't unfamiliar to me. With websites, it's usually about presenting an offer clearly and guiding the right people through the site to the product. Whether it's coaching, design, or software – the goal is mostly the same. What makes each project interesting is the different industries, and above all the people behind them.
The Biggest Challenge: Bringing Structure to Complexity
What was the greatest design challenge on this project?
Katja Nitsche: Structuring the sheer volume of text!
It was great that classix was open to letting me start from scratch in my own system first – to figure out where the design could go. Reset everything to zero and then work together to see how we could rebuild the site efficiently, without having to re-enter all the content from scratch.
Sascha Stein: The challenge was also in the handover. Content you know inside out has to be made legible for someone coming from outside. Christoph Troitzsch played a key role here: he knows the historically grown site better than anyone – and implemented Katja's change requests directly and reliably. I handled content and structure; Christoph handled technical execution. That division of labour worked.
Collaboration at Eye Level: How the Project Really Came Together
What was it like working with classix as the on-site contact?
Katja Nitsche: I found it really pleasant, fun, and genuinely at eye level. The people at classix are quite a team!
What I particularly appreciated: nothing was fixed at the start. My scope kept shifting in the first few weeks – sometimes that was confusing, but looking back, it was exactly right. First I was supposed to advise classix on design, then rebuild the site entirely in my own system, until we realised that would blow both our schedules. A real back-and-forth. Somehow organic.
Christoph, you handled the technical changes directly. What was it like working with Katja from that angle?
Christoph Troitzsch: Working with Katja was straightforward, fast, and inspiring. She brought her ideas without changing the DNA of classix.
Sascha, you're not only Marketing Manager at classix – you also advise companies on PR, social media, and marketing. How did that shape your role in this project?
Sascha Stein: Knowing both sides helped. I know what a website needs to communicate – and I know what clients, journalists, and partners want to see. At classix, it was important to me that the range of solutions – from AI-powered chat systems to warehouse management and sanctions list screening – isn't perceived as an unwieldy catalogue, but as a coherent system. Anyone advising companies on marketing and communications has to be able to take that outside perspective. That applies here just as it does in any client project.
Sascha Stein: For me, it was the ease with which Katja approached a complex subject. When roles are clear, trust is there, and everyone pulls in the same direction – something emerges that you can be proud of. And we are.
Quality Is Not a Budget Question
What would you advise other web designers taking on a similar project?
Katja Nitsche: Honestly, I don't think it was a rebrush – it was a relaunch. We changed a great deal, really. I can't give general advice: we all work in such different ways. You just have to look carefully and stay open.
Sascha Stein: That quality is not a matter of budget, but of attitude. No AI slop. No interchangeable stock photos. Real content with real structure instead. If you sell software that promises modularity over monoliths, your website should show that you know what clarity means.
Thank you for the interview!
More about Katja Nitsche and BUERO NITSCHE at bueronitsche.de. The revised classix Software GmbH website is at classix.de. At the time of this interview, Sascha Stein works as Marketing Manager for classix.de and as a PR and marketing consultant for SMEs at saschastein.info.
(1,207 words, 7,388 characters with spaces)
