After 40 years: "Top change" with female power at Binkert Partner
"Reason why" of the agency celebration of Binkert Partner was the official handover of the baton to the three equal partners, who have been working in the agency as creative professionals for quite some time. At the same time, the agency partners thanked their clients for the good cooperation and welcomed numerous guests.
"Andrea, Anja and Rahel take over the management at Binkert Partner and release Peter into new freedoms," read the invitation to a party at the Binkert Partner agency, Am Wasser 55 in Zurich. Andrea is Andrea Heimgartner, Anja and Rahel are the two daughters (twins!) of Peter Binkert. "Just drop by and enjoy aperitif delicacies, exciting conversations as well as musical accompaniment", was the message on March 15, 2018.
Peter Binkert went into business for himself 40 years ago as a freelance graphic designer with his Atelier Binkert. Later, when his two daughters and Andrea Heimgartner joined him, "Atelier Binkert" became the agency "Binkert Partner", which today sees itself as a full-service agency run by three women. Peter Binkert worked for renowned advertising agencies before founding his studio. "Actually, I started my own business because I didn't get along well with all the consultants. But all the consultants who were my 'fans' then became clients, customers of mine," Binkert says, laughing. "I never had to say, 'hey, bring me work!'; they came because they appreciated my work. I didn't really have clients, I had fans!" Binkert's studio grew, soon hiring employees and training apprentice graphic designers.
Binkert's credo says a lot about his way of working: Be creative, work out solutions with a straightforward approach, understand the customer's needs. And, most important of all: "Never let the customer down, never let him down! Meeting deadlines. That was something very important back then. That's how we set ourselves apart from others. That created a breeding ground; our customers always recommended us to others, and when they changed jobs, they came back to us with their orders. Today, of course, it doesn't quite work that way anymore."
Anja Binkert explained how: "When Peter started 40 years ago, the world was only print. Today, we deal 50 percent with print and 50 percent with digital." The customer base has also changed: Anja Binkert: "A lot of cultural, NGOs, healthcare, universities, SMEs and others." Many of the agency's clients are longtime, loyal customers. "We have clients who have been working with us for 15 years. That means we're always on the cutting edge and proactive with clients. We also have a network with external partners for work we don't do here ourselves, such as programming and online marketing."
Text and pictures: Claude Bürki
