brandbook

What brandbook does

brandbook (legally Next design+produktion GmbH) is a Frankfurt am Main–based manufacturer of made-in-Germany custom notebooks, image books, journals, planners, and calendars, selling primarily to enterprise customers and creative agencies that use its products as branded merchandise, corporate gifts, onboarding kits, and commemorative publications. The company runs a sales-led model with two commercial entry points: a modular notebook shop (minimum order 25 units, 1–2 week production, published unit pricing of €5.00–€15.50) and a more granular book configurator for fully individualized notebooks (minimum 200 units, 4-week production, quote-based). Underlying capabilities sit in in-house German bookbinding craft plus a stack of finishing techniques—blind, color, and metallic debossing, motif printing, silkscreen, UV varnish, custom book edges, and personalization—that collectively differentiate the offering from commodity print-on-demand.

The go-to-market combines direct e-commerce, a Frankfurt showroom, personal consulting, and worldwide shipping via UPS, freight forwarders, Deutsche Post, and Amazon FBA; payments are processed through Amazon Pay, PayPal, and SOFORT. Headcount is reported in the 11–50 range, the legal entity is a privately held GmbH with no disclosed outside investors or M&A activity, and the operating history spans 25+ years under the brandbook name alongside a sub-brand, nuuna, that retails premium notebooks DTC from a single-copy MOQ at nuuna.com. Notable reference customers include Porsche, Google, Adobe, Lufthansa, DFB, Moët & Chandon, Swatch, Monocle, MoMA San Francisco, and MMK Frankfurt. Recent product activity is limited to 2024 launches of a sustainable kraft-paper notebook line and Prodir personalized pens (from 500 units), with no AI/ML capabilities disclosed in any source material.

Name

brandbook

Legal name

Next design+produktion GmbH

Website

https://brandbook.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

brandbook is a Frankfurt-based, made-in-Germany B2B manufacturer of fully customized notebooks, journals, planners, and image books, serving enterprise clients and creative agencies seeking branded merchandise, corporate gifts, and commemorative publications via a modular shop and book configurator.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Notebook and Book Manufacturing

NAICS

Stationery Product Manufacturing (32223), Books Printing (323117), Office Supplies (except Paper) Manufacturing (339940)

SIC

Blankbooks, Looseleaf Binders & Bookbindg & Relatd Work (2780), Book Printing (2732), Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950)

akta.pro primary industry

Stationery & Office Paper Products (notebooks, pads, forms) (IMAMAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Art, Photography & Illustrated Books Publishing (MPAJAAAF), Art & Drafting Supplies Retail (CRALABAG)

Keywords

• Custom notebook manufacturing
• Branded corporate notebooks
• Bespoke book production
• Private label stationery
• Promotional notebook printing

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Notebook and Book Production: One-time production of customized notebooks and books with minimum order quantities of 25 pieces for modular notebooks and 200 pieces for fully individual notebooks. Revenue generated from production fees with 4-week production time for custom orders.
2. Branded Merchandise (Pens and Accessories): Production of branded pens (prodir) and other accessories as complements to notebook orders, starting at 500 pens minimum.
3. Design and Consulting Services: Additional services including data check, design service, and personal consulting for customer projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

brandbook manufactures customized notebooks, books, journals, planners, and branded pens for enterprise clients and agencies. Customers configure products via an online book configurator (minimum 200 copies, 4-week production) or select from modular notebook templates (minimum 25 copies, 1–2 weeks production), with extensive finishing options such as blind debossing, metallic debossing, silkscreen, UV varnish, and personalization.

Product overview

brandbook is a German manufacturer of fully customized notebooks and books, operating under the parent company Next design+produktion GmbH. Its product portfolio centers on two core offerings: (1) modular notebooks — pre-designed models customizable with branding and accessories, available from 25 copies with 1–2 weeks production time, and (2) 100% individual notebooks produced via an online book configurator, requiring a minimum of 200 copies and 4 weeks production. The nuuna by brandbook sub-brand retails a premium own-collection of notebooks (available from 1 copy). Beyond notebooks, the company offers journals and planners, anniversary books, onboarding notebooks, book production services, and — through a Prodir partnership — personalized ballpoint pens (from 500 pieces). Add-on modules span personalization and finishing services (blind/color/metallic debossing, motif print, silkscreen, UV varnish), book block customization (paper, grids, image pages, calendars, book edges), and book accessories (closures, bookmarks, pen loops, pockets, banderoles, packaging). Supporting services include design and data check support, sample services, and a showroom in Frankfurt.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• nuuna: Stationery label producing notebooks, including their own branded collection and collaborations with museums and design institutions.

Products and services

• 100% Individual Notebooks (Book Configurator) Fully customized notebooks produced through a step-by-step online configurator where customers choose format, cover materials, branding, finishing options, and book block details. Production time is 4 weeks with a minimum order of 200 copies. Targets agencies, corporate clients, and brands.
• Modular Notebooks Pre-designed notebook models selectable from the shop, customizable with branding and accessories. Production time is 1–2 weeks with a minimum order of 25 copies. Designed for brands needing faster-turnaround custom notebooks.
• Book Production Custom book production services including hardcover, softcover, sketch books, notebooks, and Swiss brochure binding with extensive cover materials and finishing. Targets brands, museums, publishers, and corporate clients requiring bespoke publications.
• Journals and Planners High-quality customized journals and planners for brands, labels, and companies seeking structured planning and journaling solutions. Format, layout, and finishing are customizable.
• Anniversary Books Customized commemorative books designed and manufactured for corporate milestones and special occasions.
• Onboarding Notebooks Personalized employee gifts designed for onboarding and welcome kits within companies, featuring custom branding and design.
• Prodir Personalized Ballpoint Pens Branded ballpoint pens configurable with logos through a partnership with Prodir, available from 500 pieces, designed to complement the notebook product range.
• nuuna by brandbook Premium own-brand collection of high-quality notebooks produced by brandbook under the nuuna sub-brand, including the Graphic L model featured in MoMA San Francisco collaborations and the Millimeter notebook. Sold from 1 copy via nuuna.com.
• Book Accessories Accessories including book closures, bookmarks, pen loops, pockets, banderoles, and packaging offered alongside the notebook and book product line.
• Design and Data Check Services Professional services including print data verification by trained graphic designers and optional design and print template creation for notebook and book orders.
• Sustainable Kraft Paper Notebooks New sustainable notebook line made from kraft paper with singer stitching (Rückennaht), minimum order quantity 25 pieces, available in the modular notebooks shop.

Quantifiable outcome

• Production time as short as 8-10 working days for modular notebooks
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• nuuna by brandbookcoreStrategic or Co-development Partnernuuna is brandbook's own premium stationery label, operating as a separate brand (nuuna.com) while sharing production capabilities and design expertise. nuuna produces high-end notebooks available from 1 copy in their own online shop, complementing brandbook's custom B2B focus.
• Deutsche Post AGminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTransport service provider for shipments within Germany.
• UPSminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational parcel delivery service used for smaller shipments.
• Amazon Fulfillment (FBA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmazon's fulfillment service used for order processing and logistics support.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Printful: Print-on-demand platform expanding into custom notebooks and branded merchandise; an emerging player leveraging on-demand fulfillment that pressures traditional premium notebook manufacturers on lead time.
• Semikolon: German premium notebook and stationery brand offering customizable journals and planners for corporate gifting; comparable niche player in the premium European custom notebook segment.

Direct peers

• MOO: Online custom printing platform offering business cards, notebooks, and branded merchandise with design tools; competes with brandbook's configurator for SMB and agency-custom notebook buyers.
• BookFactory: US-based custom book and notebook manufacturer offering hardcover and softcover customization for businesses; comparable custom book production service with similar low-MOQ and finishing offerings.
• Moleskine: Iconic premium notebook and journal brand with global brand recognition; competes in the same design-led, premium-paper notebook category and increasingly offers customization services.
• Castelli (Castelli Notebooks): Italian manufacturer of custom branded notebooks, diaries, and journals for corporate clients; directly comparable B2B custom-notebook offering with similar finishing capabilities and European customer base.
• Leuchtturm1917: German premium notebook manufacturer offering customizable hardcover and softcover notebooks with similar finishing options; the most direct competitor given shared German origin and premium positioning.

Broad incumbents

• 4imprint: Large promotional products distributor offering branded notebooks alongside a wide merchandise catalog; a broad incumbent that competes for the same corporate gifting and branded merchandise budgets.
• Vistaprint (Cimpress): Mass-market custom print platform with broad enterprise offerings; an incumbent that covers notebooks as part of a much wider promotional products portfolio rather than specializing in premium notebooks.

Regional players

• Hugendubel (Corporate Solutions): German book retail and corporate book solutions provider offering custom editions and corporate publishing; regional DACH player with comparable custom book production capabilities.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brandbook.de
• Instagraminstagram.com/brandbook.de
• Pinterestpinterest.de/brandbook

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 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 brandbook