BDG

What BDG does

BDG Berufsverband Kommunikationsdesign e.V. is a registered non-profit professional association (eingetragener Verein) headquartered at Markgrafendamm 24 in Berlin, Germany, serving communication designers across Germany with a stated remit extending to the DACH region. Founded circa 1900, the association has operated for over a century as the central representative body for the Kommunikationsdesign profession, advocating on issues including fair fees, Künstlersozialkasse (artists' social insurance), VG Bild-Kunst royalties, and the regulation of generative AI. BDG is led by an elected Präsidium comprising President Claudia Siebenweiber, Vice President Leonie Altendorf, and Treasurer Marc Todesco, and is registered with the Amtsgericht Düsseldorf Vereinsregister.

BDG's commercial offering is structured as a membership subscription model funded by annual member dues (specific fee levels are not publicly disclosed). Members receive a bundled portfolio of services: free legal and tax consultation from qualified specialists, the BDG-BASE business model framework, the Tagessatzkalkulator (day-rate calculator), legally vetted Mustertexte (contract templates), a digital Existenzgründung (business founding) info package, educational workshops and lectures, and access to the #BDGNetzwerk online community. The Perspektiven-Blog on responsible design and the BDG on air online event series extend engagement between biennial flagship gatherings, the most prominent being re_CREATION — held every two years at Berlin's Wannsee-Forum, with the 2026 edition themed 'feel it – shift it' following 2024's '#bettertogether'.

The underlying technology is intentionally lightweight and non-proprietary: a WordPress-based website (bdg.de), CleverReach for email newsletter delivery, Matomo for analytics, Vimeo for video, and standard social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn). BDG operates no commercial software product, holds no patents or trademarks of note in the input, and does not develop AI/ML capabilities. Go-to-market is community-led, acquiring members through event participation, regional meetups (BDG vor Ort), thought-leadership content, and word-of-mouth within the design community. Partnerships are largely advocacy-aligned (Initiative Urheberrecht, Charta der Vielfalt, Women of DDC) or event-sponsorship in nature (Die Umweltdruckerei, StickerApp, addi, copic, Grafikmagazin).

Name

BDG

Legal name

BDG Berufsverband Kommunikationsdesign e.V.

Website

https://bdg.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

BDG Berufsverband Kommunikationsdesign e.V. is a German non-profit professional association, founded circa 1900 and headquartered in Berlin, that represents freelance communication designers through membership dues, providing legal/tax consulting, contract templates, networking, biennial events, and political advocacy on fair fees and AI policy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: BDG generates revenue through annual membership fees from communication designers across Germany. The association provides value through legal consultation, tax advice, professional templates, day-rate calculators, business resources, networking events, and political representation for the design profession.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BDG is a German professional membership association (eingetragener Verein) for communication designers. It sells annual memberships that unlock free legal and tax consultation, business tools (day-rate calculator, contract templates, BDG-BASE business model framework), a peer networking community, workshops, business-founding support, and political advocacy on issues such as fair fees, AI regulation, and artists' social insurance. The association also runs the biennial re_CREATION design conference and regional meetups across Germany.

Product overview

BDG (Berufsverband Kommunikationsdesign) is a professional association for communication designers in Germany, not a software product company. The organization offers a portfolio of member services including free legal and tax consulting, business tools (BDG-BASE-Modell, Tagessatzkalkulator, Mustertexte), networking platform (#BDGNetzwerk), startup support (Existenzgründung), educational workshops, and publications. The flagship event is re_CREATION, held every two years. BDG also publishes the Perspektiven-Blog covering responsible design topics. Membership includes political representation and advocacy for fair compensation. The association uses standard web tools (WordPress, Vimeo, Google Maps, Matomo analytics, CleverReach newsletters) for its operations but does not offer a commercial product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Perspektiven-Blog: A design experiment blog focused on responsible communication design, covering topics like sustainability, inclusion, racism, and justice in the design profession.

Products and services

• BDG Membership (Annual Dues)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Initiative UrheberrechtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBDG is a member of the Initiative Urheberrecht, which advocates for regulation of generative AI to protect creators' rights. BDG supports the initiative's demands for protecting intellectual property against unauthorized AI use.
• Charta der VielfaltminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBDG has signed the Charta der Vielfalt (Charter of Diversity), committing to promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace and within the design profession.
• Die UmweltdruckereiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEnvironmental printing company supporting re_CREATION 2024 as a sponsor, providing sustainable printing services for event materials.
• StickerAppminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStickerApp supported re_CREATION 2024 as a sponsor, providing sticker products for the event.
• addi (Adolf Würth GmbH)minorGTM or Marketing Partneraddi (brand of Adolf Würth GmbH) supported re_CREATION 2026 as a sponsor, providing art supplies for workshops.
• GrafikmagazinminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGrafikmagazin served as a media partner for re_CREATION events, providing editorial coverage and promotion for the design community.
• Women of DDCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBDG participated in the Learn&Burn – Day for Female Networking organized by Women of DDC, promoting female visibility and networking in the creative industry.
• copicminorGTM or Marketing Partnercopic (marker brand) supported re_CREATION 2026 as a sponsor, providing art supplies for creative workshops.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AIGA: The largest professional design association in the United States, providing member resources, events, and policy advocacy across communication, interaction, and experience design — a broad incumbent peer covering BDG's category at much greater scale.
• ico-D (International Council of Design): International umbrella organization for design associations worldwide, providing advocacy, standards, and global networking — overlapping with BDG's advocacy role but operating internationally.
• European Design Association (BEDA): European federation of design associations providing policy advocacy, research, and cross-border programs; BDG is adjacent to BEDA's stakeholder ecosystem and shares the professional-association mandate at a pan-European level.
• BVDW (Bundesverband Digitale Wirtschaft): German industry association for the digital economy with members in digital marketing, design, and tech; overlaps with BDG's digital-design constituency and provides broader industry advocacy and events.

Direct peers

• GDesign e.V. Note: using German Design Council (Rat für Formgebung) as a comparable German design-promotion organization with awards, exhibitions, and member services — overlaps BDG's mission to elevate the visibility of German design.
• ADC (Art Directors Club) Deutschland: German club for creative directors and designers focused on awards, creative excellence, and industry networking; competes for the same German communication designer audience as BDG with an awards-led value proposition.
• DDC – Deutscher Designer Club: Leading German creative and design club with a membership of designers, agencies, and students; offers networking events (e.g., female networking days), professional recognition, and community — directly comparable to BDG as a national membership body for designers.

Regional players

• designaustria: Austrian professional association for design with member services, awards, and policy advocacy; structurally identical to BDG but operating in the Austrian market, making it a direct DACH-region peer.
• Swiss Graphic Design Association (SGD/SDG): Swiss professional association for graphic and communication design providing community, continuing education, and representation; operates in DACH adjacent to BDG with a comparable membership-association model.

Emerging players

• Women of DDC: An initiative under the DDC focused on female networking in the creative industry (e.g., 'Learn&Burn' day); partners with BDG and targets an overlapping audience segment of designers seeking community and professional development.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/bdgdesigner
• Facebookfacebook.com/bdgdesigner
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bdgdesigner
• Instagraminstagram.com/bdg_de
• Xx.com/bdg_designer

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 BDG