MetaDesign: Off to new shores - move to the Publicis parent company

They’ll miss this distinctive building in Seefeld a little once the last boxes are packed and the last desks are cleared out in a few months. Lukas Eiselin is certain of that. «The atmosphere here really is something very special,» says the CEO of Metadesign, gazing out at the agency’s garden—the lawn, the pond, and the old trees.
There are, of course, people who say that creativity these days just requires a MacBook and a chai latte—somewhere at Starbucks or, these days, in a home office—and that’s all it takes to get the job done. But Metadesign has benefited from the Seefeld atmosphere that CEO Eiselin refers to—because the company’s work is, in fact, often an exploration of what lies beyond the obvious; to the core of a brand and then to what people are meant to associate with it.

Totum pro parte

Erik Spiekermann, one of the founders of «Meta» more than forty years ago, wanted to look at «the big picture» for his clients without losing sight of their everyday lives. «We can change your culture,» he is quoted as saying, «but we can also make sure your documents look nicer on computer screens.» That was in 1979, in Berlin. Spiekermann sought a brand’s «Meta» perspective in order to translate it into everyday design—“totum pro parte,” so to speak. Combining deep strategic thinking with a high degree of creativity: little has changed in this internal commitment. When it came to location, however, there has been significantly more change, due to the fact that Metadesign quickly outgrew the German capital; it expanded to San Francisco for clients like Apple, to London for Ferrari, and even as far as Zurich in 2000 for the Bluewin account.

ABB, Swiss Life, Lucerne Festival

In Switzerland, clients such as ABB were added later; their Head of Brand Management, Nicolas Ziegler, still recalls the «interdisciplinary war room» where the Metadesign team worked on the industrial giant’s new visual identity; A completely new concept for the brand’s look and feel was developed «in record time» back then. Anyone who thinks of ABB’s signature red today is thinking of Metadesign’s work.
Another big name that’s actually hard to imagine without «meta-branding» is Swiss Life. Previously targeted by the press as a «pension fund» due to failed expansion plans and battered by the collapse of the international financial markets, Meta-design initiated both a conceptual and visual turnaround. Things could have turned out very differently for this traditional insurance company; but the fact that it’s hard to imagine that scenario anymore is also a testament to the agency’s success.
Or the Lucerne Festival: As part of its internationalization efforts, Metadesign oversaw the rebranding of the International Music Festival Lucerne into the premium brand “Lucerne Festival,” as well as the ongoing brand management and communication.

Two decades, two captains

For nearly twenty years, the projects and the number of employees in Switzerland grew, with Alexander Haldemann—who had been with the company since the early days of the Zurich branch—leading the way for most of that time. Haldemann was promoted to International Chairman in 2019, completed the sale and integration of «his» agency chain into the Publicis network, and was appointed CEO of Publicis Groupe Zurich in 2020. To ensure continuity and quality, Lukas Eiselin had already taken over the reins at Metadesign in Zurich by then; the transfer of power and responsibility was complete.

Together, what belongs together

That said: The physical separation between Publicis and Metadesign in Switzerland initially remained in place, even though the much-touted Publicis «Power of One» was actually the goal of the whole exercise. And that is why—despite the wonderful atmosphere in Seefeld—we’ve now moved into the new offices at Bellevue, joining our other colleagues under the umbrella of the parent company.
«The change will challenge us, but it will also help us move forward. It will do us good to break out of our routine and tackle new things,» says Publicis Groupe CEO Haldemann, «and second, we’ll strengthen our strategy by bringing all our brands together under one roof.» In French-speaking Switzerland, where Publicis has already consolidated all its subsidiaries in Lausanne, this approach has «proven highly successful.».

Strong position within the group

Metadesign—as both he and the new Meta CEO, Lukas Eiselin, agree—will not give up its strong independence. Instead, there are still quite a few clients who only need support from «Meta» but not from other areas of Publicis—and vice versa. However, when it comes down to it, the two join forces. «Using an analogy from soccer, I’d explain it this way,» says Alexander Haldemann. «Each of us has two jerseys: the Metadesign jersey, and when it counts, the Publicis Group jersey as well.»

Challenges on the Horizon

It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see that this kind of teamwork will be in high demand: In a world undergoing epochal change—where the pandemic is challenging the habits of the past thirty years and calling our lifestyle into question—brands must not only serve as a safety net, not only as an «anchor» for their companies, but also demonstrate unprecedented agility. As a result, the work of branding professionals is becoming even more complex.
«In the past, brands defined themselves through a single message—a simple statement that they tried to cement,» explains Metadesign CEO Lukas Eiselin. In the future, the goal must be to convey a similarly positive feeling to people with every interaction with a brand—even if those individual interactions may vary greatly. Or, to use the agency’s own terminology: the «meta» aspect becomes even more important in every single design. «As brands, we need to create increasingly fluid systems and logics,» he says—meaning we shouldn’t build the brand universe around a static center, but rather design the entire universe from the outset with an emotion at its core. «We no longer need just a logo, no longer just a color; instead, we start with the experience,» says Lukas Eiselin, «and then we ask ourselves: What triggers the associations we want at this or that point?»

INTERVIEW

«Working Together for the Best Solution»

Lukas Eiselin knows Metadesign inside and out: He served as Head of Strategy at the agency from 2008 to 2014 before joining Ricola as Vice President of Global Brand and Communications. He returned to «Meta» in 2019 and has been CEO since 2020.

m&k: Lukas Eiselin, SThey had left Metadesign, but they came back. Why??
Lukas Eiselin: For me, it was like «coming home.» I feel that, on the one hand, the team here really enjoys doing excellent work—and that suits me. At the same time, friendship, a sense of community, and working together to find the best solution are absolutely essential.

Of course, people can read online about what your company offers. But I'm interested in hearing your own words: As CEO, how do you see the essence of Metadesign's work?

Generally speaking, we have three main tasks: We help companies navigate the transformation process using brands as a tool. Second, we often work with companies whose business environment has changed and that need to adapt their brand. And third, we help clients create new brands from the ground up. In the broadest sense, all of this is branding, but in most cases it takes place within a rapidly changing environment.

In some companies, there is still a belief that their brand emerges on its own—through its character, experiences, and products. What is your take on this?

I am convinced that we need to monitor the impact our brand has on people. What associations does it evoke—both consciously and subconsciously? After all, decision-making processes—such as whether someone becomes a customer—depend heavily on intuition and emotions. We need to manage this in a targeted way.

How do you strike a balance between brand tradition and innovation?

A brand’s history provides strong insights into its purpose and core messages; at the same time, however, it is essential for us to reflect on the changes in its environment. We are convinced that a brand derives credibility from its history and relevance from its drive toward the future.

The Meta Design, LLC was founded in 1979 and today has offices in Beijing, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Lausanne, New York, San Francisco, and Zurich. More than 300 employees work at the creative brand consulting firm and manage an international portfolio.