WIN
WIN Creating Images is an independent packaging design agency founded in 1997, employing 100+ creative and strategic experts across offices in Aachen, Berlin, Cologne, Zug, and New York. The firm delivers integrated brand strategy, packaging design, photography, trend research, and AI transformation services to global FMCG and consumer brands.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersAachen, Germany
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What WIN does
WIN (legally WINDESIGN GmbH, operating as WIN Creating Images) is an independent packaging design agency founded in 1997 by Cate Wind and headquartered in Aachen, Germany. The company employs 100+ creative, strategic, and technical experts across five offices — Aachen, Berlin, Cologne, Zug (Switzerland), and New York — and has a 29-year track record serving global consumer brands and FMCG clients including Lindt, Migros, dm-drogerie markt (Balea), HUGO BOSS, Trojka, Zoeva, and Pommery. The firm operates six wholly-owned legal entities across Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, and the United States and is structured as a privately held, founder-controlled group with no disclosed external equity investors.
The agency's technology stack centres on an integrated creative-services platform that combines brand strategy, packaging design, corporate design, communication design, photography, trend research, and AI transformation under one roof. Its proprietary technology includes the WIN AI Inno Creator (AI Innovation Sprint), a tool used in client workshops to generate and filter scalable innovation routes; a local AI environment with custom-trained models tailored to packaging and brand-strategy tasks; and AI-powered heatmap and eye-tracking tools for evidence-based design validation. Documented commercial outcomes include €33.8M in first-year sales uplift for the Lindt HELLO sub-brand, a 3-day sellout of M-Budget TASTEA across more than 200 Migros stores, and Trojka's geographic expansion from Switzerland into eight countries following a packaging redesign.
WIN generates revenue through professional services engagements — project fees and retainers billed per client — with no publicly disclosed pricing. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales complemented by thought leadership at industry events (ISM Cologne, ProSweets Cologne), an active LinkedIn and Instagram portfolio presence, and a project-portfolio-driven website. Customer segments centre on global consumer brands and FMCG companies seeking premium packaging design and brand strategy, heritage brands modernising for younger demographics, and brands/agencies seeking AI transformation services. Multiple award recognitions (Red Dot, German Design Award, Pentawards, Dieline, EPDA, World Brand Design) and a deep, multi-decade client roster anchor the firm's reputation in the European packaging design market.
WIN firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WIN
- Legal name
- WINDESIGN GMBH
- Website
- https://win-ci.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- WIN Creating Images is an independent packaging design agency founded in 1997, employing 100+ creative and strategic experts across offices in Aachen, Berlin, Cologne, Zug, and New York. The firm delivers integrated brand strategy, packaging design, photography, trend research, and AI transformation services to global FMCG and consumer brands.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WIN industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Packaging Design Services
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (54181), Graphic Design Services (541430)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Packaging & Brand Identity Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAN)
Keywords
Where WIN is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Aachen
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
WIN business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Brand Strategy & Design Consulting: WIN generates revenue through professional services engagements including brand strategy, packaging design, corporate design, communication design, and concept development. Projects are billed on a per-engagement basis, typically as project fees or retainers for ongoing brand management.
- AI Transformation Services: WIN offers AI strategy, infrastructure, and content transformation services to brands and agencies, providing consulting engagements focused on AI integration into brand and marketing workflows.
- Trend Research & Workshops: WIN provides trend research, workshops, trend reports, inspiration walks, and category analysis as billable service offerings, contributing to the overall revenue mix.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
WIN product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WIN is a brand and packaging design agency that sells integrated creative services spanning packaging design, corporate design, communication design, brand strategy (Brand Compass, Concept Sessions, Innovation Sprints, Breakout Sessions), food and beauty photography with retouching, AI transformation services (strategy, infrastructure, content, innovation sprint), and trend research/workshops. Engagements are delivered by 100+ experts across offices in Aachen, Berlin, Cologne, Zug, and New York to enterprise and mid-market consumer brands. The agency combines strategy, design, photography, AI tooling, and trend intelligence into a unified brand-building system sold as project-based or retainer professional services.
Product overview
WIN (WIN Creating Images) is a brand and packaging design agency offering integrated design services under one roof. The company operates as a creative consultancy — not a software product company — providing Packaging Design, Corporate Design, Brand Strategy (Brand Compass, Concept Sessions, Innovation Sprints, Breakout Sessions), Photography (Food & Beauty Photography, Food Stylings, Photo Studio, Retouching, Social Media), AI Transformation services (AI Strategy & Leadership, AI Fundamentals & Infrastructure, AI-Powered Content & Media, AI Innovation Sprint), Trend Research (Trend Reports, Workshops, Inspiration Walks, Category Analysis), and Communication/Consultation/Print Production. The portfolio spans work for clients across beauty, food, beverages, lifestyle, and spirits categories, including Migros, dm/drugstore private labels (Balea), Lindt, HUGO BOSS, Zoeva, and Pommery. WIN has 100+ experts across five locations (Berlin, Cologne, Aachen, Zug, New York) and 29 years of experience.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Packaging Design Standalone packaging design service for consumer brands covering structural and visual packaging design across food, beverage, beauty, personal care, and lifestyle categories. Delivered as project-based engagements by WIN's design teams across five offices.
- Corporate Design Corporate identity and visual brand system design service for enterprises, covering logo systems, corporate visual identity, brand guidelines, and communication design for brand owners across categories.
- Brand Strategy Strategic brand-building engagements including Brand Compass, Concept Sessions, Innovation Sprints, and Breakout Sessions to help brand owners define positioning, innovation routes, and brand direction before and during design execution.
- Food & Beauty Photography In-house photography services covering food styling, beauty product photography, studio shoots, retouching, and social-media-ready imagery for consumer brands, delivered from WIN's photo studios.
- AI Transformation Services Consulting service for brands and agencies covering AI strategy and leadership, AI fundamentals and infrastructure, AI-powered content and media, and the WIN AI Innovation Sprint workshop. Uses WIN's proprietary WIN AI Inno Creator ideation tool and locally hosted custom-trained AI models.
- Trend Research & Workshops Trend intelligence offering for brands covering trend reports, workshops, inspiration walks, and category analysis to inform packaging and brand strategy decisions.
- Communication, Consultation & Print Production Communication design, consultation, and print production services that complement WIN's packaging and brand design work, supporting brand owners from concept to print-ready output.
Quantifiable outcome
- Lindt HELLO vegan sub-brand generated 33.8 million EUR in sales uplift in the first year after launch, with 50% of customers being new to Lindt.
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use WIN
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
WIN technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
WIN partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- SonovyminorSonovy, a global music technology company, joined the WIN Supporters program to support the independent music ecosystem with transparency, technology, and distribution solutions. Sonovy offers distribution to over 150 digital platforms, rights management, and royalty reporting for artists and labels. The partnership positions WIN as a supporter of independent music while aligning with WIN's broader ecosystem and community-building approach.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
WIN competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pentagram: Pentagram is a globally recognised independent design firm offering branding, packaging, and visual identity services to enterprise clients. It is comparable to WIN as an independent, partner-led design agency competing for premium brand and packaging engagements.
- Design Bridge: Design Bridge is a global brand and packaging design agency, part of Superunion, serving major CPG clients across food, beverage, and beauty. It is a direct competitor to WIN in premium packaging design with comparable enterprise client profiles.
- MetaDesign: MetaDesign is a German-headquartered brand and design consultancy with deep expertise in corporate identity, brand strategy, and packaging design for global brands. It is one of WIN's closest direct peers, operating in the same DACH market with comparable integrated strategy-and-execution offerings.
- Bulletproof: Bulletproof is an independent brand design agency with packaging design expertise, serving global FMCG, beverage, and beauty clients. It is comparable to WIN in business model (independent, packaging-focused), client mix (CPG/FMCG), and project-based engagements.
- Strichpunkt: Strichpunkt is a Stuttgart-based brand and design agency specialising in corporate identity, packaging, and editorial design for German and international clients. It is a strong comparable for WIN in the DACH market with a similar integrated brand-design model.
- Kolla Design: Kolla Design is a Berlin-based brand and packaging design agency serving FMCG and lifestyle clients. Comparable to WIN as a German independent specialising in packaging design, with a similar mid-sized boutique profile and enterprise client mix.
- Landor & Fitch: Landor & Fitch is a global brand consultancy with strong packaging design and brand strategy capabilities for FMCG and retail clients. Comparable to WIN in serving enterprise CPG accounts and offering integrated strategy, design, and brand architecture services across multiple geographies.
Broad incumbents
- Interbrand: Interbrand is a global brand consultancy and part of Omnicom, offering brand strategy, naming, packaging, and brand valuation services to large enterprises. Comparable to WIN on the brand strategy and packaging design dimensions but broader in scope and substantially larger in scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
WIN social profiles
Digital presenceWIN financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WIN leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
WIN subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
WIN funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WIN M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WIN
What does WIN do?
WIN is a brand and packaging design agency that sells integrated creative services spanning packaging design, corporate design, communication design, brand strategy (Brand Compass, Concept Sessions, Innovation Sprints, Breakout Sessions), food and beauty photography with retouching, AI transformation services (strategy, infrastructure, content, innovation sprint), and trend research/workshops. Engagements are delivered by 100+ experts across offices in Aachen, Berlin, Cologne, Zug, and New York to enterprise and mid-market consumer brands. The agency combines strategy, design, photography, AI tooling, and trend intelligence into a unified brand-building system sold as project-based or retainer professional services.
Is WIN a public or private company?
WIN is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was WIN founded?
WIN was founded in 1997. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is WIN based?
WIN is headquartered in Aachen, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does WIN make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Brand Strategy & Design Consulting is the primary driver. The others are AI Transformation Services and trend Research & Workshops.
Who are WIN's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pentagram, Design Bridge, MetaDesign, Bulletproof, Strichpunkt, Kolla Design and Landor & Fitch. Interbrand is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does WIN have an API?
No public API is recorded for WIN.
What industry is WIN in?
WIN's product category is Packaging Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAAAA, Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies, with a secondary code of MPAAAAAN, Packaging & Brand Identity Creative Agencies. Its NAICS code is 54181 and its SIC code is 7311.