Heine Lenz Zizka

What Heine Lenz Zizka does

Heine Lenz Zizka (HLZ) is a privately held German design agency founded circa 1988 and operating from two closely cooperating studios in Berlin (Knesebeckstraße 33) and Frankfurt (Braubachstraße 30-32). With a team of 20, the firm delivers an integrated portfolio of design services organized around seven practice areas: branding (brand strategy, corporate design, visual identity, brand architecture), digital (website design, responsive layouts, digital publications), film production (brand films, product films, testimonial campaigns), campaign development across print/digital/environmental channels, publication design (books, catalogs, magazines, anniversary publications), signage and wayfinding systems, and brand space / exhibition design.

The agency's client base is concentrated in German cultural institutions, premium consumer brands, and technology/industrial companies. Named engagements include Leica Camera (a brand relaunch spanning since 1999-2000 covering identity, campaigns, packaging, and the Lens Book), Bosch across Software Innovations and Bosch.IO, Symrise (logo and identity for the 2003 DAX-listed merger of Haarmann & Reimer and Dragoco), IKEA Deutschland, BMW-Foundation, Egon Zehnder International (corporate design across 55 countries), Manufactum, Alape, and a long roster of museums and cultural foundations (Futurium, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Deutsches Museum, Grimmwelt Kassel, Hilti Art Foundation, among others). The firm has collected industry awards including Red Dot, iF Design Award, D&AD, ADC, Art Directors Club Europe, German Brand Award, German Design Award, DDC Award, and Corporate Design Preis.

Heine Lenz Zizka is founder-led: Achim Heine is the founder and Ulrike Willingmann serves as Managing Director (Geschäftsführung) of the legal entity Heine Lenz Zizka Projekte GmbH. There is no evidence of external institutional investment or parent company ownership. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements priced via quote-driven, custom proposals typical of German premium design consultancies. Marketing and lead generation rely on the website portfolio, Instagram, Facebook, X/Twitter, Behance, and an email newsletter, while project acquisition runs through direct studio engagement, referrals, and portfolio-driven inbound interest.

Name

Heine Lenz Zizka

Legal name

Heine Lenz Zizka Projekte GmbH

Website

https://hlz.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Heine Lenz Zizka is a Berlin- and Frankfurt-based German design agency of 20 people offering integrated branding, digital, film, campaign, publication, signage, and exhibition design to premium cultural, technology, and consumer brand clients since circa 1988.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Design Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (54143), Graphic Design Services (541430), Advertising Agencies (541810), Marketing Consulting Services (541613)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Graphic Design & Visual Communications (Collateral, Illustration) (MPAAAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wayfinding, Signage & Environmental Graphic Design (BPAHAKAN), Creative Concepting & Campaign Development (BPAFAEAD), Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)

Keywords

• Brand identity design
• Corporate design services
• Wayfinding systems
• Exhibition design
• Digital design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Design consulting services: Project-based design and branding consulting services for enterprise clients, including brand strategy, corporate design, digital design, signage systems, exhibition design, and campaign development.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Heine Lenz Zizka is a design consultancy offering integrated brand, digital, film, campaign, publication, signage/wayfinding, and brand space design services. The agency develops brand strategies, corporate design systems, visual identities, responsive websites, brand films, campaigns, publications, and physical wayfinding and exhibition design for enterprise and institutional clients. Services are delivered from two closely cooperating studios in Berlin and Frankfurt.

Product overview

Heine Lenz Zizka (HLZ) is a German design agency operating from two studios in Berlin and Frankfurt with over 36 years of experience. The agency offers a unified portfolio of design services organized around seven core practice areas: Branding (brand strategy, corporate design, visual identity), Digital (website design, responsive layouts, digital publications), Film (brand films, product films, testimonial campaigns), Campaign (cross-channel campaign development), Publication (editorial design, books, catalogs, magazines), Signage/Wayfinding (guidance systems, pictograms, spatial graphics), and Brand Space (exhibition design, environmental graphics). These services are delivered as an integrated offering, with the agency typically engaging clients across multiple service categories to create cohesive brand experiences spanning strategy, visual identity, digital presence, and physical environments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Branding Services Strategic brand development including brand positioning, corporate design systems, visual identity, and brand architecture for enterprise and institutional clients across cultural, corporate, and institutional sectors.
• Digital Services Digital design solutions encompassing website design, responsive layouts, digital publications, and interactive experiences for online platforms and digital collections.
• Film Production Film and video production including brand films, product films, testimonial campaigns (e.g., Leica with Wim Wenders), and cinematic content for marketing and communication purposes.
• Campaign Services Campaign development spanning concept, design, and execution across multiple channels including print, digital, and environmental media.
• Publication Design Editorial and publication design including books, catalogs, magazines, brochures, and anniversary publications for cultural institutions and corporate clients (e.g., Hatje Cantz, IKEA Billy 30th anniversary book, Leica Lens Book).
• Signage and Wayfinding Systems Guidance system and signage design including pictograms, typography, spatial orientation systems, and environmental graphics for museums (e.g., Futurium, Hamburger Kunsthalle), corporate campuses (Bosch IoT Campus), and public spaces (Yangshengtang headquarters).
• Brand Space Design Exhibition design and brand environment creation including trade show booths (e.g., Alape at ISH), museum installations, conference stage design (e.g., Bosch Connected World 2020), and spatial brand experiences such as the generative swarm-algorithm-based identity for Messe Frankfurt's Kap Europa.

Named customers34 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Hollin+RadoskeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on interior and furniture concept for Messe Frankfurt Kap Europa congress center project. HLZ developed the design system while Hollin+Radoske contributed to interior and furniture design.
• Business WorldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Business World on Symrise project - Business World developed the new company name while HLZ developed the logo and visual design system for the merger of Haarmann & Reimer and Dragoco.
• René BiederminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with type designer René Bieder to develop custom corporate typeface HAF Rational for Hilti Art Foundation, combining classical modernism clarity with contemporary precision.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• KMS Team: Munich-based brand consultancy serving enterprise and consumer clients across brand strategy, corporate design, and digital. Comparable size, German-market focus, and full-service brand offering.
• Strichpunkt: Stuttgart and Berlin design agency specializing in brand identity, digital, and corporate design for enterprise clients. Closely comparable in service mix and German premium positioning.
• Studio Dumbar: Amsterdam-based design studio specializing in identity, motion, and sonic branding. Similar boutique scale and award-winning creative reputation in the European design community.
• MetaDesign: Berlin- and Zurich-based brand consultancy with a similar integrated brand-strategy-to-execution model and comparable cultural/enterprise client mix. Closest direct peer in scope, geography, and positioning.
• Bureau Oberhauser: Independent design studio focused on brand identity, editorial, and exhibition design for cultural and corporate clients. Comparable boutique scale and design-first positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Scholz & Friends: One of Germany's leading independent creative agencies with full-service brand and campaign capabilities. Overlaps in advertising and brand work for German enterprise clients, though at much larger scale.
• Interbrand: Global brand consultancy offering strategy, naming, identity, and brand valuation at significantly larger scale. Overlaps in brand strategy and identity services but operates broadly across many categories.
• Landor & Fitch: Global brand consultancy with a strong European presence and integrated brand-to-environment offering. Competes in enterprise brand identity and brand-space design, though at much larger scale.
• Pentagram: Largest independent design partnership globally, with partners across identity, editorial, and digital. Comparable design-first, partner-led model but with significantly greater scale and geographic reach.
• Serviceplan Group: Largest owner-managed agency group in Europe with brand, digital, and campaign capabilities. Comparable German-headquartered creative services peer at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/heinelenzzizka
• Facebookfacebook.com/heinelenzzizka
• Instagraminstagram.com/heinelenzzizka
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heine-lenz-zizka-projekte-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Heine Lenz Zizka