HI Switzerland Reorganized as a Center of Excellence for Brands
Things have gotten noisier out there: Artificial intelligence is transforming entire ways of working, customers expect more, and cost pressures are mounting. While companies today have more opportunities than ever—they must also make correspondingly more decisions. This makes the question of what provides guidance all the more important. HI Switzerland is responding to this with a broader understanding of brand management and, after more than 20 years as a branding agency, is evolving into Switzerland’s first center of excellence for brands. This repositioning began with a fundamental question: What do companies need from a brand management partner today?
«We’ve always viewed brands as holistic systems,» says Yves Herger, owner and brand expert at HI. «Technological development, corporate culture, business model, communication, and identity are all intertwined. Brands are not individual planets in a company’s solar system. They form the entire solar system and hold it together as its gravitational center.»
Complexity as a Driver of Realignment
What has changed is the complexity that companies must navigate today. The number of possibilities, technologies, interfaces, and relevant perspectives is constantly growing. For HI, it was therefore clear: as the system becomes more complex, the nature of collaboration must become more open. The former branding agency is evolving into a center of excellence that is deliberately opening up its own «solar system»—to additional areas of expertise, external expertise, new perspectives, and, depending on the issue at hand, ever-changing connections.
The insight behind this: Brand management is becoming increasingly important in the face of technological and societal changes. New technologies are constantly opening up additional opportunities for companies. At the same time, the number of decisions that executives must make is growing. For HI, a clearly managed brand is intended to serve as a framework for corporate development. «There is an incredible amount of knowledge, an incredible number of possibilities, and also an incredible amount of noise right now,» says Herger. «That’s precisely why having a distinct identity is becoming more important. A strong brand helps a company decide what’s relevant, what it needs and what it doesn’t, and in which direction it wants to develop.»
HI therefore also views brand management as a form of management consulting. The focus is on brand consulting, digital and analog brand experiences, and the meaningful integration of new technologies. At the same time, the center of excellence aims to expand knowledge transfer: An in-house editorial team covers current developments in brand management, corporate culture, and artificial intelligence. The insights gained will be incorporated into client projects, expert articles, workshops, training programs, keynote speeches, and panel discussions.
From a Branding Agency to an Open System
For HI, the term «competence center» also describes a way of working. «We view a center of excellence as an open system,» says Creative Director Daniel Klauser. «Our goal isn’t to know everything ourselves or to be able to do everything ourselves. What matters is bringing the right skills together and knowing where to find additional expertise.»
As a result, the understanding of brand management has broadened. The 17-member team is supplemented by a dedicated network of specialized experts. Accordingly, the starting point for clients can vary widely. Companies may come to HI with a specific task—such as a repositioning, a new website, or an advertising campaign. Alternatively, the process may begin with nothing more than a business-related question. «You don’t have to know what you need right away,» says Yves Herger. «Sometimes our most important task at the outset is to separate the important from the unimportant, reveal connections, and figure out which question actually needs to be answered.»
The rebranding makes the opening visible
This repositioning is also reflected in HI’s new visual and verbal identity. The previously minimalist design has been expanded and made more colorful, while the communication has become more personal and accessible. «We wanted people to really feel this openness,» says Klauser. «HI should be a place where people enjoy coming together, asking questions, discussing issues, and working on solutions together. That’s exactly the atmosphere we experience here every day. The new identity conveys much more of that.»
Even in spatial terms, HI does not view the competence center primarily as an institution, but rather as a meeting place for people and perspectives. Workshops, events, and open exchange formats are set to play a greater role in this going forward. «In the end, despite all the technology, it’s still about talking to people,» says Klauser. «The best ideas emerge when different people bring something to the table and develop those ideas together.»
For HI, this repositioning is therefore the logical next step in a journey that began more than 20 years ago as a branding agency.
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Messe Luzern organizes eleven trade and public exhibitions as well as two conferences. At the same time, the operator of the Lucerne Exhibition Center rents out its infrastructure and offers services for events of all kinds. It positions itself as the first port of call for trade fairs, corporate and customer events, general meetings, congresses and conferences.
In view of the constant change in the trade fair world, which is strongly based on relationships and encounters, and the dynamic development of the industry, the company recognized the need to reposition its brand. This process was initiated in collaboration with the Hi Schweiz agency.
Transformation process for a modern trade fair experience
Hi Schweiz supported the company in developing a new visual and communicative image. The aim was to align the brand, which is firmly anchored in the region, with the current brand behavior. The agency retained the core elements, developed them further and combined them with new components to make the brand more digital and approachable.
The lettering and logo elements have a new dynamic design and meet the requirements of a modern corporate design. The clear positioning of the individual communication measures and the self-confident appearance form the core. A holistic communication concept coordinated with the design is intended to make the messages and services of the trade fair visible.
The revised brand identity will be implemented over the course of the year.
The trend sport of padel is conquering the Swiss sports world. In the process, the Lucerne-based company Padelta, founded in 2021, is also making its mark on the scene. With its location in Rothenburg and its pop-up facilities, Padelta has gained notoriety, and since September 2023, Swiss ice hockey player Nino Niederreiter has also been on board as co-owner. Padelta's vision is to spread and promote padel nationwide.
The Lucerne agency HI Switzerland developed the new brand in collaboration with the Padelta team. As part of this collaboration, the agency designed the entire image, programmed the website and developed and implemented all communication measures. The brand is meant to embody dynamism, sport and active leisure. The typography should pick up on the speed of the sport and, together with a versatile typeface, form the core of the identity. Clearly defined elements carry the brand to the public and allow the necessary flexibility in daily use.
Responsible at HI Switzerland: Yves Herger (Owner), Daniel Klauser (Creative Director), Nina Ruppen (Art Direction), Ivo Wermelinger (Web Developer), Leana Santschi (Communication).
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iIn November 2021, the Gallery of Hi Switzerland was officially inaugurated. After further events this spring, the agency opens its doors again on Wednesday.
The "HI Insights" offer invited guests impulse presentations on competence topics such as signaling or brand development. The aim is to transfer knowledge in a personal setting. At the subsequent aperitif, the guests can exchange ideas and round off the evening.
The first event on the topic of signaling in architecture will take place on Wednesday. Architects can register for the event "Signaletik versus Designanspruch". This connection between orientation and design, which can be recognized in the title, is emblematic of the agency's attitude.
Further events are to follow before the end of the year. In addition to the Gallery in Lucerne, the focus will also be on the cultural and conceptual space "Ink" in Appenzell. This will be used for events, keynote speeches and exhibitions, among other things.
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Burkhalter Group's own apprenticeship campaign was a lighthouse project in view of the joint future due to the merger with Poenina that had taken place earlier. Interested young people can now learn almost 20 apprenticeships at more than 150 locations in the field of building technology. In order to be able to continue training over 900 apprentices, HI developed NEXT, Burkhalter's own corporate brand, which is activated in cross-media campaign loops. Once the strategic direction was defined, the first drafts and presentations were created based on this. Logos, colors and icons in a neon look represent "NEXT".
Yves Herger, brand developer, says: "The uniqueness of this project is that we did not realize a usual campaign, but a brand within the Burkhalter Group. NEXT stands for a part of the attitude."
Youthful fresh language
In addition to the visual appearance, HI took on a large part of the linguistic design. When developing slogans, lead texts and writing other textual elements, attention was always paid to using language that is appropriate for the industry, but also youthful and fresh. In addition to the digital measures, the first brochures and posters are currently being produced.
The apprenticeship campaign website went live on August 8. Smaller elements such as photos or video contributions are added on an ongoing basis to bring the appearance to life. The NEXT apprentice campaign is another stage in the successful collaboration with Burkhalter Group, which has existed since 2007, one year before the IPO.
Responsible at HI Switzerland: Yves Herger (Brand Developer), Ines Senger (Project Manager), Daniel Klauser (Creative Director), Vanessa Peng (Graphic Designer), Vivienne Lips (Graphic Designer), Fabian Häfliger (Web Developer), Leana Santschi (Communication), Livio Lombardo (Communication)
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Data Unit has been on the market for over 40 years and is the leading competence center for SAP Business One, field and integration services. HI Switzerland was commissioned with the conception and realization of the corporate identity, the responsive website and the newsletter. In addition to the classic print products such as letterheads and brochures, a specially designed Website which scores points with bubble-like navigation and a flexible grid. This means: Data Unit can arrange the content completely according to its own wishes without any further programming effort. HI Switzerland is a design agency operating throughout Switzerland with offices in Altdorf, Lucerne and Zurich.
Responsible at Data Unit: Philipp Rügländer (CEO), Roger Wipfli (COO). Responsible at HI Switzerland: Yves Herger (Creative Direction), Mathias Bamert (Consulting and Project Management), Philipp Michel (Art Direction), Mike Stock (Frontend Programming), Sebastian Mehl (Backend Programming), Andreas Schuler (Polygraphy).
The 2021 Winter Universiade in Central Switzerland will be held at seven different locations. The host city is the city of Lucerne. The connection between the venues should create a successful branding, which gives the event an unmistakable identity. For this task, the Lucerne-Central Switzerland Winter Universiade 2021 association has engaged the design specialists from HI. The Uri-based company has been staging brands analog, digital and in space for more than a decade. "As organizers of a major event with multiple event venues, that's exactly what we were looking for," explains Urs Hunkeler, managing director of the 2021 Winter Universiade, referring also to the agency's successful projects such as staging the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel on the Uri side on behalf of the canton of Uri. "The HI team convinced us in the selection process with clear ideas and especially with their enthusiasm for the project," Urs Hunkeler continues.
Central Switzerland inspires the design
Yves Herger, owner and creative director of the agency, reveals what he and his team like so much about this project: "There are so many aspects: the diversity, the size, the target group, the uniqueness, to name just a few." When it comes to implementation, the team led by Yves Herger and CEO Mathias Bamert wants to take the opportunity to revive the destination of Lucerne-Central Switzerland in its image as well, in order to present it to a global audience. "Central Switzerland, with its legends and myths, but also incredible scenery, offers so much inspiration for our work. We want to take advantage of that," explains Mathias Bamert.
The Winter Universiade
The Winter Universiade is the second largest winter multisport event in the world after the Winter Olympics. More than 2500 people take part in the event, which takes place every two years. There are more than 1600 male and female athletes with support staff. The event is open to students of colleges and universities between the ages of 17 and 25. In total, students from more than 540 universities from 50 different countries will take part.
As part of the communication for Daetwyler's new health care offering, HI (ex-Herger Imholz) staged the entire corporate identity analog, digital and in space. The key visual symbolizes the New York skyline. Composed of the lines of the Daetwyler logo. Invitation cards were designed for this purpose, which, by means of imprinted codes, allow guest management via the specially programmed Online platform controlled. The on-site communication was produced by means of elaborate light and sound arrangements and the guests were picked up with various flanking measures such as menucards, nametags and rollups.
Responsible at HI Switzerland: Yves Herger (Creative Direction), Mathias Bamert (Consulting and Project Management), Jasmin Zurfluh (Graphics), Andreas Schuler (Polygraphy). Responsible at Daetwyler Sealing Solutions: Simone Ramser (Vice President Communications).
"We are taking another step towards our clientele and further developing the field of activity in Central Switzerland and beyond," says Yves Herger, owner and creative director. "Accordingly, we have adapted the name. HI Switzerland shows our ongoing spirit of departure, is perfection in reduction, is sharpening and concentration," says Mathias Bamert, who as CEO is responsible for the overall strategic management of the company. Philipp Michel, Art Director, takes over the management of HI at the new location in Lucerne.