Brands that work
Corporate design and brand identity for groups of companies and mid-sized businesses
When companies grow, merge or change direction, their brand has to keep up. From Stuttgart, we develop positioning and corporate design for mid-sized companies and for groups with many locations and subsidiary brands. With a design system and templates, your team can then apply the brand on its own.
Book an initial consultationWhat does brand development include with us?
It starts with the question of what your company stands for. From there, we develop corporate identity and corporate design and carry both over to everything that makes your brand visible, from the website to the trade fair stand. You can commission the complete rebranding or individual parts.
Brand positioning
Together we work out what your brand stands for and how it differs from the competition. For groups of companies, we define the brand architecture: what applies to everyone as the umbrella brand, and where does each company keep its own accents? In moderated workshops, we bring the views of everyone involved together into clear decisions.
Results: Brand core · Positioning · Mission statement · Brand architecture · Workshops
Corporate identity
Visual identity makes the brand visible. We design logo, colours, typography and imagery based on the brand strategy, so that the identity shows attitude and stands out from the competition. We show drafts early on real applications, so you can see what the brand looks like in everyday use before you decide.
Results: Logo · Typography · Colours · Imagery · Icons · Illustration style · Key visual · Claim and slogan
Design system and guidelines
For a brand to still look the same in three years, it needs clear rules. We set them out in brand guidelines and a design system, for print, digital or both. On top of that come templates that let your team and every location apply the brand themselves. That saves coordination for every new flyer and every new page.
Results: Brand guidelines · Design system · Print templates · Office and social media templates
Website relaunch
For most prospects, the website is their first contact with your brand. For the relaunch, we develop information architecture and clickable prototypes, test them with users and turn them into modular page templates. This allows several companies to run their own websites on a shared foundation. Design, technology and operation come from a single source, right through to the content management system and hosting in the EU.
Results: Information architecture · Clickable prototypes · User tests · Page templates · Website with CMS
Brand roll-out
A brand only works when it is applied consistently everywhere. We design the communication materials that make your brand visible in everyday life and support your teams and locations during the roll-out, so that the new templates are actually used.
Results: Business stationery · Print products · Ads and banners · Landing pages · POS material · Vehicle livery · Trade fair appearances
When does a company need a new brand identity?
Usually when the existing brand no longer shows who the company is today. Typical occasions are mergers, new business units, or a brand that has grown independently in many places over the years.
Several companies, no shared image
After acquisitions or mergers, every company presents itself differently. Prospects don’t realise they are dealing with a group. An umbrella brand makes the group visible and leaves each company room for its own accents.
Grown, but inconsistent
Logo, presentations, website and trade fair stand were created at different times and no longer fit together. A rebranding brings them back into line.
New audience, own brand
An offering is aimed at people the main brand doesn’t reach, such as families rather than a professional audience. A sub-brand addresses them directly and remains recognisable as part of the company.
Selected projects
These projects are examples of how we develop brands: from positioning and corporate design to the roll-out. Each comes with a detailed case study.
Auxilium GmbH 14 companies, one brand
Read case studyOne brand for 14 companies, from the mission statement and corporate design to a website system with around 100,000 visits a month.
SMINA The right touchpoints for a new medical supply store culture
Read case studyA brand experience for a new medical supply store brand, from UX design, content magazine and shop to the store concept.
More projects
A glimpse of further work from our brand projects, from trade fair stands to illustration. Click to view the images full size.
Trade fair stand
XCarstens · 2024
The first public appearance of the rebranding at REHAB.
Vehicle livery
o|r|t · 2025
A graphic update of the vehicle fleet, focusing on the Mini Cooper.
Illustration
Luttermann · 2024
A friendly animal illustration for the “LUKE” network for children and parents.
How does brand development work?
In four phases, from analysis to embedding the brand. How long a project takes depends mainly on how many companies or locations are involved and how quickly decisions are made.
Understand We analyse the market and starting point and talk to the people who experience your brand, from customers to management. Together we clarify goals and constraints.
Sharpen In workshops, we work out positioning and brand core, and for groups also the brand architecture. You approve this foundation before we start designing.
Design We translate the strategy into a corporate design and show the drafts on real applications. For the website, we create wireframes and clickable prototypes.
Embed Brand guidelines and a design system set out the rules, so the brand works in the long term. We support your teams and locations during the roll-out.
What do you gain when brand and implementation come from one studio?
With us, the brand is created under the same roof where it is then implemented. We turn the design system directly into website templates, and our product design and animation teams work with the same rules. This way your brand reaches every medium without another agency reinterpreting it.
Let’s talk about your brand
Your brand no longer fits your company, or several companies are to come together under one brand? In an initial consultation, we’ll work out how we can support you.
Frequently asked questions
What does a corporate design include?
Logo, colours, typography and imagery, along with the rules for how these elements are used. The rules are set out in brand guidelines. For websites and digital applications, a design system with components such as buttons, forms and page modules is added.
What is the difference between corporate identity and corporate design?
Corporate identity describes what a company stands for and how it presents itself. Corporate design is its visible part: logo, colours, typography and imagery. We develop both together, so that the visual identity shows what defines the company.
How long does a project take?
That depends mainly on how many companies or locations are involved and how quickly decisions are made. We plan fixed dates such as a trade fair or a launch in from the start.
What do we need to provide before the project starts?
Any information about your company, your goals and your previous activities is helpful, such as corporate design guidelines, existing materials or content requirements. If you wish, we build on your existing foundation. If there are no guidelines yet, we develop the strategic and creative foundation together with you.
How much does a new brand identity cost?
That depends mainly on how many companies or locations are involved, whether the positioning is developed from scratch, and how many applications are included. After an initial consultation, we can usually estimate the scope quickly. As a rule, we work with fixed prices.
Can we commission individual services?
Yes. We support complete projects as well as individual tasks, such as brand guidelines for an existing design, UI design, a landing page for a product launch or print production. You decide what you need.
What if our project needs several disciplines?
Then you still work with one studio. If your project needs product design, 3D animation or a web app alongside the brand, our teams work on it together directly.
Which industries do you work for?
Our focus is on medical service providers and manufacturers, including sensitive topics and professional external communication. We also have a lot of experience in other industries.
Do we own the logo and design once the project is finished?
Yes. All rights pass to the client upon payment of the agreed fee.
What’s the best way to get started?
With a no-obligation initial consultation about your current brand and what should change. We then suggest which steps suit your project.