Design Hoch Drei

What Design Hoch Drei does

Design Hoch Drei (legal entity: design hoch drei GmbH & Co. KG) is a privately held B2B design agency headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, founded in 1993. The firm positions itself as the "Design-Agentur für Zukunftsunternehmen" — a design agency for future-oriented technology companies — and operates from an old foundry building in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt under the tagline "Engineers of Elegance." Its service portfolio spans Corporate Design, Corporate Publishing, Corporate Architecture (exhibition and showroom design), Campaign, Motion/3D Design, UI/UX Design, Infographics and Data Visualization, and Digital Media, with a proprietary methodology called "Elegant Simplexity" that simplifies complex technical content without losing essential information.

The agency's client base is concentrated in German automotive, industrial, and technology firms, including Robert Bosch (Mobility Solutions), Daimler/Mercedes-Benz, Porsche (Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche and Porsche Engineering), Herrenknecht, Festo, Claas, RECARO, LEONI, Dürr, and CHG-MERIDIAN. Documented deliverables include the Christophorus Porsche customer magazine (670,000 circulation per issue, four times a year, ten languages), the Mercedes-Benz S-Class special exhibition (173,000 visitors over six months), the Bosch Mobility Solutions communications presence, the Daimler TECHNICITY magazine, and the Audi R8 XXL-format book. The agency is owned and led by three Managing Partners — Susanne Wacker, Wolfram Schäffer, and Sonja — supported by a Creative Director, Account Director, senior and staff designers, a Corporate Architect, a 3D/Motion Designer, project managers, and HR/finance functions.

Revenue is generated on a professional-services basis through project-based engagements, retainer contracts, and consultancy fees; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with payment terms of net 14 days plus statutory VAT. Distribution is direct and sales-led: enquiries arrive through the firm's website contact form, phone, and direct outreach, primarily targeting enterprise marketing and communications buyers inside German technology companies. The firm has won 43 industry awards, including the German Design Award (Brand Design, 2019) and the Automotive Brand Contest "Best of Best" (2019), both for the Bosch Mobility Solutions work, and has produced more than 50 realized corporate books and magazines over its 30+ year history.

Name

Design Hoch Drei

Legal name

design hoch drei GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://design-hoch-drei.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Design Hoch Drei is a Stuttgart-based B2B design agency founded in 1993 that delivers interdisciplinary communication — corporate design, publishing, exhibition, UI/UX, and digital media — for German technology firms, with deep specialization in automotive, industrial machinery, and complex B2B brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Design Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Graphic Design Services (54143)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAAAAAD

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Advertising, Marketing & PR Services/Advertising Agencies (Full-Service/Creative)

Keywords

• Corporate design services
• Corporate publishing design
• Exhibition design services
• Brand identity design
• Communication design agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Design and Communication Services: Professional design agency services including corporate design, corporate publishing, communication in space (exhibition design), and digital media. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements, retainer contracts, and consultancy fees. Services include brand design, editorial design, exhibition/conference design, motion graphics, UI/UX design, infographics, and corporate communication materials.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Design Hoch Drei is a B2B design agency providing interdisciplinary communication design for technology companies across print, digital, and spatial formats. Core deliverables include corporate brand identity, corporate publishing (customer magazines and corporate books), exhibition and trade show design, motion graphics and 3D, UI/UX design, infographics, campaigns, and digital media. Engagement is delivered through project-based work and long-term client relationships with enterprise technology firms.

Product overview

Design Hoch Drei is a Stuttgart-based design agency founded in 1993, specializing in interdisciplinary communication for technology companies. The agency operates as a unified service portfolio rather than a modular software product, offering Corporate Design, Corporate Publishing, Corporate Architecture, Campaign, Motion/3D Design, UI/UX Design, Infographics, and Digital Media services. The company's signature methodology is 'Elegant Simplexity' — a principle for making complex technologies understandable through elegant reduction. Projects span major German industrial clients including Bosch, Porsche, Daimler, Mercedes-Benz, and Herrenknecht.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate Design Brand identity and visual communication design services for technology companies, including brand strategy, logo design, brand guidelines, and visual systems.
• Corporate Publishing Editorial design and magazine creation for print and digital customer magazines, corporate books, technical journals, and B2B publications for enterprise technology clients.
• Communication in Space / Corporate Architecture Exhibition design, trade show booth concepts, showroom design, and spatial communication that stages brand presence authentically for live experiences and museum installations.
• Campaign Campaign development and creative marketing communications across multiple channels for technology brands, including film, digital, print and integrated executions.
• Motion / 3D Design Animation, 3D rendering, and motion graphics for visual storytelling, product presentations, and explainer content for technology clients.
• UI/UX Design User interface and user experience design for enterprise websites, microsites, digital applications, and interactive online experiences.
• Infographics / Data Visualization Visualization of complex data and technical information through infographics, diagrams, and data mapping for effective corporate communication.
• Digital Media Digital communications including website design, interactive applications, online magazines, microsites, and moving-image content for technology brands.

Quantifiable outcome

• 173,000 visitors attracted to Mercedes-Benz S-Class special exhibition designed by the agency
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Serviceplan Group: Largest independent German agency group, with automotive and technology clients across brand, digital and communications. Competes for enterprise mandates that Design Hoch Drei also pursues, but at much larger scale.
• Scholz & Friends: Major German creative network with automotive and technology clients; competes for the same enterprise brand briefs but at greater scale and breadth, including advertising and media services beyond Design Hoch Drei's scope.
• Jung von Matt: Large independent German creative group with automotive and technology accounts. Overlaps on brand design and campaign work but operates at network scale with a much broader service portfolio.

Emerging players

• denkwerk: Cologne-based digital agency with strong B2B technology clients; overlaps on digital and UI/UX work for industrial customers but lighter on the print/exhibition heritage that defines Design Hoch Drei.
• Feldhoff & Schneider: Frankfurt-based independent brand consultancy working with corporate and cultural clients on identity and communication design — comparable in scale and approach, with some overlap in exhibition and editorial work.

Direct peers

• Meiré und Meiré: Cologne-based independent brand and design agency with a comparable focus on corporate brand design, exhibition/spatial communication and digital work for technology and industrial clients. Most analogous German peer in terms of size, vertical mix and integrated print/digital/spatial offering.
• Strichpunkt Design: Stuttgart-based corporate design consultancy operating out of the same industrial cluster, serving technology and automotive clients with brand, digital and editorial work. Direct local competitor with similar Mittelstand customer profile.
• KMS Team: Munich-based corporate brand consultancy with deep automotive and technology sector credentials (including Daimler and other German industrial clients). Comparable in offering (brand strategy, design, digital) and customer overlap.
• Atelier Markgraph: Frankfurt-based brand experience agency specialising in exhibitions, showrooms, museums and corporate architecture — directly overlapping with Design Hoch Drei's 'Communication in Space' service line and customer type.
• MetaDesign: German-origin corporate brand and design consultancy founded by Erik Spiekermann with strong automotive and industrial sector heritage. Direct peer in corporate identity, brand design and large-scale enterprise communication programmes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/designhoch3
• Facebookfacebook.com/designhochdrei
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/design-hoch-drei
• Instagraminstagram.com/designhochdrei

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Design Hoch Drei