Heads Corporate Branding AG

What Heads Corporate Branding AG does

Heads Corporate Branding AG is a privately held, owner-managed branding and design agency headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, at Mainaustrasse 35, 8008 Zurich. Founded in 1981, the firm serves Swiss SMEs, mid-market companies, and large enterprises across industries including insurance (Swiss Re), mobility (AMAG), industrial (Schindler, V-ZUG), education (ETH Zurich, University of Zurich), government (EasyGov, ZVV), senior living (Tertianum), energy (Axpo), and the nonprofit sector (Stiftung Buechweid). Ralph Hermann has led the firm as Managing Director and Owner since 2003, with Olivier Müller joining the Board of Directors in 2021. The team comprises approximately 12 listed professionals across consulting, design, and production roles.

The firm's offering is organized around three pillars: Strategy (brand analysis, the proprietary 'Heads Brand Profiling™' methodology, purpose/vision/mission development, positioning, brand architecture, and ongoing brand management), Design (visual identity systems, naming and claim development, corporate wording, and brand experience across digital and offline channels), and Transformation (corporate culture and behavioral branding, leadership engagement, and employer branding with EVP development). The proprietary 'Heads Brand Profiling™' methodology, adapted from FBI criminal profiling principles and refined over more than ten years, systematically collects over 7,000 data points per engagement to identify brand personality and growth potential.

Commercially, the firm operates as a project-based professional services practice priced per engagement, with SME design refresh projects starting at approximately CHF 75,000 and enterprise projects scaling several times higher depending on scope, complexity, and number of touchpoints. Project durations typically run 3–8 months, conducted on a hybrid delivery model with on-site workshops at the Zurich office or client headquarters and remote reviews between phases. The go-to-market motion is consultative and referral-driven, supported by 60+ documented reference projects, the Swiss Brand Congress platform, content marketing through the company blog, and social channels (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram). The firm earned a double victory at the 2021 ABC Awards and has no disclosed external investors, parent company, or M&A activity.

Name

Heads Corporate Branding AG

Legal name

Heads Corporate Branding AG

Website

https://heads.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Heads Corporate Branding AG is a privately held, owner-managed Swiss branding and design agency founded in 1981 and headquartered in Zurich, serving SMEs and large enterprises across industries with strategy, design, and transformation services underpinned by its proprietary Heads Brand Profiling™ methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Consulting Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Packaging & Brand Identity Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Naming & Verbal Identity (BPAFAEAB), Employer Brand Strategy & Talent Branding (BPAFAEAH)

Keywords

• Corporate branding services
• Brand strategy consulting
• Brand design agency
• Employer branding services
• Brand transformation consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Branding Projects: Project-based professional services revenue model. Clients engage Heads for complete branding projects including brand strategy, brand design, brand communication, and transformation processes. Projects are scoped in phases that clients can approve incrementally. Pricing varies significantly based on project scope (strategy, design, workshops, training), complexity, number of touchpoints, and additional services such as employer branding. For a simple design refresh for SME, agency costs are around CHF 75,000; large enterprise projects cost several times higher. The company offers both complete packages and individual services such as naming, design, or employer branding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Heads Corporate Branding AG is a Zurich-based branding and design agency delivering professional services across three integrated disciplines: brand strategy (analysis, positioning, brand architecture, management), brand design (visual identity systems, brand experience, naming, corporate wording, communication), and brand transformation (corporate culture, behavioral branding, employer branding). The agency's distinguishing capability is its proprietary Heads Brand Profiling™ methodology, adapted from FBI criminal profiling principles, which systematically collects over 7,000 data points per engagement to identify unique brand potential for SMEs and large enterprises.

Product overview

Heads Corporate Branding AG offers professional branding services organized around three core pillars: Strategy (brand positioning, brand profiling, purpose/vision/mission development, and brand architecture), Design (visual identity systems, brand design, naming, corporate wording, and brand communication), and Transformation (corporate culture, behavioral branding, leadership engagement, and employer branding). The company utilizes its proprietary Heads Brand Profiling™ methodology, adapted from FBI criminal profiling techniques, to analyze and develop brand identities. Services are delivered as consulting engagements through defined project phases from kick-off to brand management, typically spanning 3-8 months for full branding projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy Services Brand strategy consulting services including brand analysis, the proprietary Heads Brand Profiling™ methodology, purpose/vision/mission/values development, brand positioning, value proposition, brand promise, brand architecture and portfolio strategy, and ongoing brand management. Designed for SMEs and large Swiss enterprises seeking authentic differentiation and a structured approach to brand development.
• Design Services Visual brand design services including brand identity systems, logos, typography, color systems, imagery, layouts, iconography, brand experience design across digital and offline touchpoints, naming and claim development with international trademark screening, corporate wording and tone of voice with style guides, and brand communication strategy.
• Transformation Services Corporate transformation consulting covering corporate culture and behavioral branding, leadership engagement programs with tools for middle-management internal communication, and employer branding with employee value proposition (EVP) development to support recruitment campaigns. Designed for organizations undergoing change who need to align internal culture with brand promises and compete for talent.
• Heads Brand Profiling™ A proprietary brand analysis methodology adapted from FBI criminal profiling principles, used to identify brand personality, elasticity, differentiation opportunities, and growth potential through systematic multi-perspective observation. The methodology collects over 7,000 data points per analysis phase and is applied across the agency's Strategy, Design, and Transformation engagements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 7,000 data points collected during brand profiling analysis phases for SMEs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• VSG Datenschutzpartner UGminorOthersData protection officer for Switzerland and EU, ensuring compliance with Swiss Data Protection Act (DSG) and European GDPR (DSGVO). Located in Hamburg, Germany.
• Ivan LüthiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMotion designer and 3D artist collaborated with Heads on the AMAG City project for visualization and animation of the interactive digital presentation wall.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• KMS Team: Munich-based brand and communication consultancy. Directly comparable DACH brand strategy and design peer, working with European enterprise clients on similar brand positioning, corporate design, and transformation engagements.
• MetaDesign: German-founded brand strategy and design consultancy with offices in Europe, the US, and China. Closely comparable to Heads in offering integrated strategy, design, and employer/brand experience work, with deeper DACH roots that would compete for the same cross-border clients.
• Peter Schmidt Group: Hamburg-based brand design and strategy consultancy. Highly comparable in the German-speaking market to Heads' Swiss positioning, with a similar focus on corporate brand identity, design systems, and brand strategy for large enterprises.
• Brandpulse: Swiss brand strategy and corporate identity consultancy. Heads is directly comparable: both are mid-sized Swiss firms focused on brand strategy and design, and the overlap is reinforced by senior team members (e.g., Simone Raubach, Timo Kesselring) who moved between the two firms.
• Sasserath Munzinger Plus: Berlin-based brand strategy and corporate communication consultancy. Comparable mid-sized DACH peer in the brand strategy and corporate identity space; relevance is reinforced by a Heads senior consultant (Sina Frank) having previously worked there.

Broad incumbents

• Landor & Fitch: Global brand strategy and design consultancy. Operates in the same brand identity, naming, and brand experience space as Heads, but as part of a WPP-owned network with substantially broader geographic and service reach.
• Interbrand: Global brand consultancy offering strategy, naming, design, and brand valuation. Interbrand is a broad incumbent in the same category as Heads but at significantly larger scale, frequently competing for the same enterprise rebranding mandates.
• FutureBrand: Interpublic-owned global brand consultancy competing for corporate identity, brand strategy, and experience engagements. Larger scale and broader geographic footprint than Heads, but operating in the same core category of enterprise brand work.
• Jung von Matt: Major independent European creative agency network. Competes with Heads for Swiss enterprise brand and campaign work, and is directly relevant given that Heads' Managing Director Ralph Hermann was previously Client Service Director there.

Regional players

• Elephant: Swiss design and brand agency. Comparable Swiss-market peer with similar SMB-to-mid-market brand and digital design services; smaller in scale than Heads but overlapping on core brand identity and design work for Swiss clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Headsbranding
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heads-corporate-communication-ag-bsw
• Instagraminstagram.com/headszurich

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Heads Corporate Branding AG