unit-design

What unit-design does

unit-design GmbH is a Frankfurt am Main–based spatial-communication design studio founded in 2000 by Bernd Hilpert and Prof. Peter Eckart, operating as a tightly held 10-person team under Managing Director Christian Breig. The firm specializes in wayfinding and information systems, visual identity, spatial graphics, product design for public spaces, and exhibition design — work delivered to enterprise and government clients such as the European Central Bank, Deutsche Bank, Siemens, Deutsche Bahn, Fraport (Frankfurt Airport), Lufthansa, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Roche, and Swiss Re, as well as German municipalities (Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Karlsruhe, Bamberg) and international cultural foundations.

The studio's offerings are anchored on proprietary design systems rather than discrete products: the modular Regiomove mobility-station system (German Design Award Gold 2023), the Messe Basel universal coding principle and product family, the Deutsche Bahn Service Point family with Dietz Joppien Architekten, and 3D transparent signage systems for the ECB headquarters (50+ product types, 8,000+ individual positions) demonstrate method-based, repeatable design frameworks. The studio also extends into adjacent product categories such as modular wooden roof systems for E-charging infrastructure with FFM-Architekten and Terhalle. Engagement model is project-based professional services, with multi-year planning and implementation cycles delivered directly to clients and embedded into architecture-led project teams led by partners including Herzog & de Meuron, Coop Himmelb(l)au, Henning Larsen, Schneider + Schumacher, Albert Speer und Partner, and corporate-design agencies such as Studio Dumbar and Atelier Markgraph.

Geographically, unit-design operates as a boutique international practice with delivered projects across Germany, Switzerland, South Korea (Paju, Hahoe-Yangdong), Saudi Arabia (Riyadh Diplomatic Quarter), Austria, France, China (CCTV Beijing), the Netherlands, and Portugal. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; engagements are negotiated individually on a project basis. The firm is founder-owned, privately held, and bootstrapped — no external investment, funding rounds, or M&A activity are disclosed in the source material.

Name

unit-design

Legal name

unit-design GmbH

Website

https://unit-design.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

unit-design GmbH is a Frankfurt am Main–based, founder-owned design studio of 10 specialists delivering wayfinding systems, visual identity, spatial graphics, and product design to enterprise, government, and cultural clients across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Graphic Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (541410), Industrial Design Services (54142)

akta.pro primary industry

Space Planning & Workplace Design (BPAHAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA), Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Wayfinding signage systems
• Environmental graphic design
• Orientation systems design
• Corporate visual identity
• Exhibition design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Design and consulting services: Provides design services including wayfinding systems, visual identity, spatial graphics, product design, and exhibition design to enterprise and government clients. Projects span multiple years with design, planning, and implementation phases.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

unit-design is a Frankfurt-based design studio that conceives and implements wayfinding and information systems, visual identities, spatial graphics, product designs for public spaces, and exhibition design. Its work spans corporate signage systems, mobility station design, urban furniture, and exhibition scenography for enterprise and government clients across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The studio delivers each project from concept through design handbooks to implementation oversight, often in collaboration with leading architecture firms.

Product overview

Unit-design is a Frankfurt-based design studio founded in 2000 by Bernd Hilpert and Prof. Peter Eckart, operating as a 10-person team that conceives and implements design solutions with high aesthetic and strategic standards. The company's service portfolio centers on Leit- und Informationssysteme (guidance and information systems) as their primary offering, complemented by visual identity design, exhibition design, urban furniture (Stadtmöblierung), and product design services. Their work spans mobility stations, corporate signage systems, visitor guidance for cultural institutions, and public space design. Key named projects include the Messe Basel Leitsystem, ECB New Premises system, Siemens Headquarters signage, and the Goethe-Institut global visual identity. The company collaborates with international clients and partners including Herzog & de Meuron, Coop Himmelb(l)au, Henning Larsen Architects, and Studio Dumbar.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wayfinding and Information Systems (Leit- und Informationssysteme) Design of comprehensive orientation and guidance systems for buildings, campuses, public spaces, and transportation hubs, including signage, pictograms, digital displays, and spatial graphics. Intended for enterprise, government, and institutional clients undertaking complex architectural projects.
• Visual Identity and Spatial Graphics Spatial translation of 2D corporate identity into 3D architectural and product applications, including facade animations, 3D logo installations, and brand environment design. Serves corporate clients and their appointed corporate design agencies (e.g., Studio Dumbar, Elodie Boyer Conseil).
• Exhibition Design Design of permanent and temporary exhibitions for corporate customer centers, museums, and cultural institutions, including interactive exhibits, thematic displays, and informational graphics. Used by automotive manufacturers, museums, and cultural foundations.
• Product Design for Public Spaces and Urban Furniture Design of modular street furniture, public seating, mobility stations, E-charging infrastructure roofs, and other public-space products, delivered as standardized product systems with design handbooks. For municipal authorities, transit operators, and energy utilities.
• Messe Basel Wayfinding and Product System Comprehensive guidance and information system for Messe Basel exhibition halls, including a universal coding principle and a full product family. Delivered for the MCH Group in partnership with Herzog & de Meuron.
• European Central Bank Headquarters Wayfinding System Wayfinding and information system plus brand representation for the new ECB headquarters, developed with Coop Himmelb(l)au and integrating the historic Grossmarkthalle. Features 3D transparent signage with laser-cut glass layers and warm anodized aluminum.
• Regiomove Mobility Station System Modular port system for multimodal mobility stations with configurable modules, sign modules, landmark modules, and wayfinders, documented in a design handbook. Deployable across municipalities including Karlsruhe, Bamberg, Eichenzell, and Leinfelden-Echterdingen.
• Modular Sustainable Roof System for E-Mobility Charging Parks Modular wooden roof system for E-mobility charging parks with integrated greening and photovoltaic panels, developed with FFM Architekten and timber specialist Terhalle. For sustainable mobility infrastructure deployments.
• Deutsche Bahn Service Point Product Family Product family of Deutsche Bahn service points with prismatically folded frame elements and a form that opens toward the user, designed with Dietz Joppien Architekten. Includes related kiosks and stations.

Quantifiable outcome

• German Design Award Gold 2023 for Regiomove mobility stations
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers31 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Herzog & de MeuroncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Architecture firm collaborating with unit-design on the Messe Basel wayfinding system project. Herzog & de Meuron designed the new Hall 1, expanding exhibition space to 140,000 sqm, and unit-design developed the unifying wayfinding system for the connected halls.
• Coop Himmelb(l)aucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm that designed the ECB headquarters with integration of Martin Elsaesser's historic Grossmarkthalle. Unit-design developed the wayfinding and brand representation system for the new ECB building.
• Henning Larsen ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm for Siemens headquarters at Wittelsbacherplatz in Munich, integrating historic Palais Ludwig Ferdinand. Unit-design developed the corporate signage system.
• Drees & SommercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering and project management consultancy that partners with unit-design across numerous projects including ECB, Deutsche Bank Green Towers, Roche, Siemens, Meret Oppenheim Hochhaus, and Deutsche Bahn Silberturm.
• BURRI public elementsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSwiss manufacturer specialized in wayfinding systems and public space equipment, selected by unit-design as production partner for the Messe Basel product system. Jointly optimized elements for demanding continuous operation.
• Dietz Joppien ArchitektencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm with ongoing partnership with unit-design on Deutsche Bahn projects including Service Point product family, kiosks, and Deutsche Bahn station design.
• Studio DumbarcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch design agency responsible for corporate design of Paju (South Korea), AG2R La Mondiale, CCTV Beijing, Swiss Re, and others. Unit-design translates their 2D corporate designs into 3D spatial applications.
• Atelier MarkgraphcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign agency collaborated on DaimlerChrysler Expo 2000 interactive exhibats and Mercedes-Benz customer center exhibitions and 'Story of Passion' project.
• NetzwerkarchitektencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm collaborating on Regiomove pilot project (first seven ports built), Stadthalle Karlsruhe renovation, and Gemeinde Eichenzell mobility stations.
• Albert Speer und PartnercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUrban planning and architecture firm collaborating on Riyadh Diplomatic Quarter wayfinding system and ECB project coordination.
• FFM-ArchitektencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm collaborating on modular sustainable roof system for E-charging stations and E-Ladestation designs with unit-design.
• TerhalleminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSpecialist for timber construction and prefabricated buildings, partnered with unit-design on modular sustainable roof system for E-mobility charging stations.
• Schneider + Schumacher ArchitektencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm collaborating on Dom Römer parkhaus wayfinding system and Deutsche Bahn Silberturm renovation project.
• Meixner Schlüter Wendt ArchitektencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm collaborating on Ordnungsamt Frankfurt wayfinding system and Wetterpark Offenbach Besucherzentrum.
• Bödeker und PartnersminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsulting partner for Riyadh King Abdullah Road visual quality manual and Diplomatic Quarter projects.
• Elodie Boyer ConseilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate design agency for AG2R La Mondiale and Eiffage projects. Unit-design translates their corporate designs into 3D spatial applications.
• Kienleplan GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPlanning consultancy for mobility stations competition in Leinfelden-Echterdingen.
• Nuts OneminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsultancy partner for Bamberg mobility stations concept including potential and location analysis.
• EDAGminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering partner for Gemeinde Eichenzell mobility and interaction spaces project.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Two Twelve: New York-based environmental graphic design and wayfinding studio. Directly comparable niche specialist serving enterprise, aviation, and cultural clients with signage and orientation systems.
• Studio Dumbar: Dutch design agency specialized in visual identity and brand systems. unit-design lists Studio Dumbar as a long-standing partner - they operate on the same brand-to-spatial translation continuum for global enterprise and government clients.
• Pentagram: Independently-owned global design partnership delivering identity, environmental graphics, and wayfinding. Pentagram is the most directly comparable peer in structure (small partner teams delivering premium design across multiple disciplines).
• Atelier Markgraph: Frankfurt-based design agency for brand experiences and exhibitions. Named as a unit-design partner on DaimlerChrysler Expo 2000 and Mercedes-Benz customer-center projects; comparable in scale and German enterprise/government focus.
• Ralph Appelbaum Associates: New York-based firm specializing in exhibition, interpretive, and museum design. Comparable in being a boutique studio winning signature public/cultural projects at international scale.
• MetaDesign: Berlin/Zurich-headquartered brand and corporate design consultancy founded by Erik Spiekermann. Comparable German/DACH-rooted design firm serving multinational enterprises on identity systems and environmental graphics.
• Selbert Perkins Design: Boston-based wayfinding, placemaking, and environmental graphic design firm. Closest functional peer in unit-design's core craft - signage/wayfinding systems for campuses, transit, and civic environments.

Broad incumbents

• Landor & Fitch: WPP-owned global brand and experience consultancy with deep experience in environmental and wayfinding design. A broader incumbent that overlaps with unit-design on the spatial-application layer of large enterprise brand systems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100063649086877
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unit-design-studios

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 unit-design