In the mountains
or in the office.
We’re strategists and designers whose outlook has been shaped by the Alps and mountain sports. Our approach follows the mountaineering credo: by fair means. And that comes with a clear set of values.
The name
Under our own steam. No shortcuts.
“By fair means” comes from mountaineering. It stands for an attitude: planning your route with care, using your own resources wisely, taking responsibility and seeing yourself as part of something bigger.
That’s exactly how we work: clarity first, then strategy, then design – with the goal always in sight. Long projects have their ups and downs, just like long climbs. Stamina and trust in the process come with the territory.
Our stance
What we stand for.
Three principles guide our work – on the mountain and in every project.
01 With you, not for you.
We don’t work behind closed doors. You’re involved at every stage. You know your organisation best – and you’ll be the one carrying the work forward long after we’ve stepped back.
02 Listen first, then design.
We don’t start with a design, we start with a conversation. In workshops we work out together where you are and where you want to go. Only then do we start designing.
03 We know when to turn back.
In the mountains, turning back is part of the game. The same goes for projects: if a brief doesn’t fit our values or an approach isn’t working, we say so.
Co-founder
Stephanie Hobmeier
Stephanie creates spaces where people can talk openly and get to the heart of things together. She trained in Art of Hosting and participatory process design to do just that. As a qualified systems designer, she’s fascinated by complexity. She looks beyond the obvious to what’s at work underneath and how it all connects: structures, relationships and dependencies.
Responsible design has been on her mind for a long time: from her diploma thesis to a year of social entrepreneurship in Sweden and stays in Norway and Brazil focused on social innovation and regenerative agriculture. These experiences still shape by fair means today.
At by fair means she leads strategy, process and workshop design, as well as communication and editorial design. Writing is a personal passion she loves to bring in. She guides organisations and individuals from the very first question to the finished identity – making sure that in the end it’s not just the logo that’s right, but the direction too.
When she isn’t designing, she’s probably doing yoga or out running trails in the mountains.
Dipl. Systems Designer · Art of Hosting · Social Design Award 2019
Co-founder
Max Hänisch
Max learned design from the ground up: first as an apprentice, then studying visual communication. Along the way came art projects, training as a climate educator and, early on, the question of how design and activism can work together. That question is where by fair means began.
At by fair means he leads creative direction, strategy and design. He works from the big picture down: understand the whole first, then get every detail right. That’s how strategies make it off the page. As a climate educator, he knows how to explain complex topics in a way that brings people along – something he draws on in his workshops.
When he isn’t designing, you’ll find him on trails and ski tours in the mountains around Bad Tölz.
MA Visual Communication · Climate educator
Solidarity principle
We keep some of our capacity in reserve.
We deliberately set aside some of our capacity for initiatives doing important work on a tight budget. It’s not charity – it’s a choice about what we want to put our energy into.
If that sounds like you, get in touch.
Let’s talk.
Tell us where you are. In the intro call we’ll see together whether we’re the right fit and what a sensible next step would be. 30 minutes, free, no strings attached.
After booking, we’ll send you a few questions to help you prepare. That way we can spend the half hour talking, not covering the basics.
Just want to follow along for now?
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Positioning, communication strategy and design
Office:
Jungmayrplatz 11
83646 Bad Tölz
+49 176 72 98 90 62
info@byfairmeans.net
Newsletter – every now and then, never too often.
© 2026 by fair means GbR