By Arne Brekenfeld

If you talk about design in Germany, you’ll find a very one-dimensional way of seeing things. To put it crudely, the general perception is still that design is about “making things look nice“ or “polishing the surface.“ Using design to impact innovation and transformation processes, as well as brand development, is not yet widely recognized. Even though the quality of German design is exceptionally high and there’s a strong design tradition dating back to the Bauhaus school almost a century ago, Germans often underestimate the potential of design.