Nordsonne Identity

What Nordsonne Identity does

Nordsonne Identity (legal entity NORDSONNE IDENTITY GmbH) is a Berlin-based strategy and creative agency founded in 2003, specializing in science communication and societal communication for non-commercial and public-sector clients in the DACH region. The agency operates a team of approximately 15 cross-disciplinary specialists covering organizational consulting, communication strategy, brand development, editorial design, motion design, and web development, delivering end-to-end projects from concept through production. Its service portfolio is organized around the proprietary TIK model (Transformation, Identität, Kommunikation) — an integrated framework linking organizational change, identity development, and targeted communication — and incorporates supplementary methodologies such as the Strategiehexagon organizational diagnostic and an adapted Future:System framework from The Future:Project.

The agency's offering spans four interlocking service lines: (1) organizational consulting including adaptive strategy, organizational analysis, and transformation management; (2) brand development including brand workshops, brand strategy, corporate design, brand architecture, naming, and rebranding; (3) creative production including editorial design and magazines, websites and UX/UI, animated explainer films, social-media campaigns, infographics, and exhibition catalogues; and (4) communication strategy including stakeholder workshops, dialogue formats, and dedicated science-communication services. Pricing is custom, project-based, and not publicly disclosed; reference benchmarks indicate typical budgets of EUR 100,000-200,000 for professional science communication within larger EUR 2 million research projects, with the agency recommending 5-10% allocation to science communication.

The go-to-market is consultative and sales-led, with primary acquisition channels being direct outreach, referrals from existing institutional clients, and inbound interest generated through content marketing (website, blog-153, newsletter, Instagram, LinkedIn). The customer base is anchored in three primary verticals — universities and research institutions (Fraunhofer, Helmholtz, Max-Planck, Leopoldina, KIT, Humboldt, TU Braunschweig), NGOs and political foundations (Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, AWO, Wissenschaft im Dialog), and public institutions and government bodies (Auswärtiges Amt, TAB Bundestag, Grün Berlin) — with limited exposure to commercial enterprises. Notable proprietary assets include the TIK model, the Zoffstoff facilitation tool, and the NIKI website AI assistant. The company is founder-led (Tom Schmiedel, Founder and Managing Partner), privately held, and operates without external institutional investors.

Name

Nordsonne Identity

Legal name

NORDSONNE IDENTITY GmbH

Website

http://www.nordsonne.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nordsonne Identity is a Berlin-based strategy and creative agency founded in 2003 that delivers science communication, brand development, and organizational consulting exclusively to universities, research institutes, NGOs, foundations, and public-sector clients in the DACH region, using a team of about 15 specialists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Science and Society Communication Agency

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (54143), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Public Relations Agencies (541820)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Visual Identity & Brand Design Systems (BPAFAEAC), Naming & Verbal Identity (BPAFAEAB)

Keywords

• Science communication services
• Organizational transformation consulting
• Brand development strategy
• Creative agency services
• Public sector communications

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Strategy Services: The primary revenue stream comes from fee-based consulting engagements including organizational analysis, communication strategy development, stakeholder workshops, and change management advisory. Projects are scoped and priced individually, with engagements ranging from workshops to multi-month transformation processes. They also work on retainer or ongoing service contracts depending on client needs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Nordsonne Identity is a Berlin-based strategy and creative agency that delivers integrated science and society communication services for universities, research institutes, NGOs, foundations, and public institutions. Its work spans organizational consulting, brand strategy and corporate design, communication strategy, and creative production (websites, magazines, animated films, campaigns). All projects are delivered directly by an in-house team using the agency's proprietary TIK-Model (Transformation, Identity, Communication).

Product overview

Nordsonne Identity is a strategy and creative agency based in Berlin, Germany, specializing in science communication and societal communication. The agency operates a service-based portfolio organized around its TIK-Model (Transformation, Identität, Kommunikation) for holistic organizational support. Core service offerings include: (1) Organizational Consulting: Adaptive strategy, organizational analysis, organizational diagnosis, transformation management, team development, and process accompaniment; (2) Brand Development: Brand workshops, brand strategy, brand process and corporate design, brand architecture, umbrella brand concepts, rebranding, naming, and core messaging; (3) Creative Production: Editorial design and magazines, websites and UX/UI design, animated films and explainer videos, social media campaigns, infographics and scientific illustrations, illustration, exhibition catalogs and art books; (4) Communication Strategy: Communication strategy development, stakeholder workshops, dialog workshops, and science communication services. The agency also offers specific products including NIKI (website AI assistant chatbot) and Zoffstoff (tool for constructive political discussions). Projects span universities and research institutions, scientific institutes (including Fraunhofer, Helmholtz, Leopoldina), NGOs and foundations (including Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, AWO), and public institutions and ministries (including Auswärtiges Amt).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NI Playce: Creative Space located at Linienstraße 158, Berlin
• Zoffstoff
• NIKI

Products and services

• Zoffstoff A standalone facilitation tool developed by Nordsonne Identity to support constructive political conversations, structured for heated debates on contentious societal topics. Hosted at zoffstoff.org.
• Organizational Consulting and Transformation Management

Quantifiable outcome

• For excellence clusters with EUR 2M project budgets, recommends EUR 100,000–200,000 (5–10%) for professional science communication as an investment in societal impact
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers40 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Future:Project (Future:System Framework)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNordsonne Identity has adapted and further developed the Future:System Framework from The Future:Project for use with science and societal organizations. The agency uses this framework as the basis for strategic futures work and trend analysis workshops, incorporating systematic trend and signal analysis with structured futures modeling.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• KMS Team: Munich-based brand and corporate design agency with a strong portfolio in brand strategy, identity systems, and employer branding. Comparable integrated strategy-plus-design model for enterprise clients.
• Atelier Markgraph: Frankfurt brand and communication agency for cultural, public, and corporate clients (e.g., museums, public institutions). Highly comparable in serving cultural, public-sector, and society-oriented communication mandates.
• Strichpunkt Design: Stuttgart/Berlin brand and design agency specializing in corporate design, brand strategy, and editorial design for established institutional and corporate clients. Closely aligned with Nordsonne's brand-process and corporate-design work.
• MetaDesign: Berlin-based brand consultancy with deep expertise in brand strategy, corporate identity, and design systems. Comparable scope of work and institutional client base, with a heavier focus on global brand systems.
• Scholz & Volkmer: Wiesbaden/Berlin-based brand and digital agency combining strategy, brand design, and interactive production. Directly comparable as a German full-service brand and creative shop with institutional and cultural clients.

Broad incumbents

• Scholz & Friends: Hamburg-based full-service creative agency group with strategy, brand, and digital capabilities. Comparable full-service creative delivery, but with significantly broader commercial focus.
• Jung von Matt: Major German creative agency group known for integrated creative and brand campaigns. Overlaps with Nordsonne on brand strategy and creative production, though it serves a much broader commercial client mix.
• Serviceplan Group: Europe's largest independent agency group, headquartered in Munich, with full-service creative, digital, and media capabilities. Represents a broader incumbent that increasingly competes for the same public-sector and purpose-driven mandates.
• Heimat (TBWA): Berlin-based creative agency within the TBWA network, recognized for brand storytelling and purpose-driven campaigns. Comparable in working on social and purpose-driven briefs, but at a much larger scale.

Regional players

• Die Krieger des Lichts: Munich-based creative and strategy agency with a strong portfolio in social, cultural, and foundation clients. Comparable in targeting societal and nonprofit mandates within the German-speaking market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nordsonne-identity
• Instagraminstagram.com/nordsonne/?hl=de
• Xx.com/nordsonne
• Facebookfacebook.com/nordsonne

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Nordsonne Identity