43 years and stronger than ever …

James Bond’s Moonraker, starring Roger Moore, is playing in theaters. Muhammad Ali is actually still an active boxer (albeit in his final year of career). and Sony launches a new product: a so-called Walkman.

And speaking of classics who have the year 1979 in common - I'm sure most of those present are unaware of it until now. And yet it is worth mentioning for the occasion that...

MetaDesign, being honored here today as Red Dot Agency of the Year, was founded in 1979. Indeed, a very long time ago, it is all the more worth emphasizing that MetaDesign is still here today. And that too in such a fast-moving and unpredictable space as the agency world. Moreover, it is more successful today than ever before. Today's award honors and underscores this in equal measure.

Where brands are concerned, this much is certain: MetaDesign has left a big footprint on the world. There is hardly a company or institution MetaDesign has not shaped at some point. Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen, DHL, Apple, Stanford University, New York Philharmonic, Nike. The list goes on. Even the design system of the German federal government. Been on a bus or train in Berlin? The design system of the Berlin public transportation system: from MetaDesign. Or maybe you had a bite to eat at the famous Borchardt restaurant across the street before the event. Their logo: from MetaDesign. Even the brand identity of the Konzerthaus Berlin, the institution that is giving this evening's Red Dot Award its festive setting, is - you guessed it - from MetaDesign. In fact, wherever you go in the world, whether Berlin, San Francisco or Beijing - you are constantly surrounded by MetaDesign’s work. What Meta - a popularly used abbreviation for the agency, at least until the renaming of a well-known Internet giant - does has relevance because we encounter it in our lives all the time. That's another reason why, sorry Facebook, the only true meta is and remains MetaDesign.

An icon when it comes to success, the agency has won just about every creative brand awards around. It enjoys the highest reputation in all the markets in which it operates, whether in the USA, Asia or Europe. Its employees are frequent lecturers at renowned educational institutions such as Princeton and the University of St. Gallen. MetaDesign is the birthplace of a number of successful companies and has also been a launching pad for many successful careers. In and out of design. In Germany, MetaDesign has been number one in the turnover ranking of CD/CI agencies published by Horizont magazine for almost a quarter of a century. Getting to the top is one thing, but successfully defending a top position over such a long period of time is a truly extraordinary achievement.

As of today, the agency has a total of seven locations on three continents, almost 300 employees worldwide and is part of Publicis Groupe. While the agency has always remained true to itself, it has constantly evolved and reinvented itself time and again – like successful brands do.

MetaDesign, was born of the idea of a company that would develop "design for design". Or more concretely: design can and must also be systematically created in order to express the essence of a company. Far beyond aesthetics or a superficial paint job. It was the realization that strategy informs design, and that design is brought to life in an experience that is indispensable to the success of businesses. You see that proof of concept today. Although over the years since its founding things have become more complex, the media landscape has changed completely, and it's no longer just about communications or visual design, MetaDesign continues to change the way the world experiences brands. Through sophisticated brand strategies, brand staging via digital products and spatial design, the development of entire brand experiences and systems, or even very specific topics such as employer branding. This is because clients are constantly demanding answers to new questions from you. One thing has always remained: MetaDesign's systematic approach to developing brands, no matter in what dimension. In my view, this is a real competitive advantage.

There are many successful agency brands. And most of them are relevant in a certain time, usually linked to a certain personality. Without a doubt, there have been and still are impressive entrepreneurial personalities who have strongly influenced MetaDesign in a particular phase. Erik Spiekermann as founder, then in later years Uli Mayer-Johanssen, Arne Brekenfeld and most recently Global Chairman Alexander Haldemann and Global CEO Daniel Leyser. Fun Fact: The latter, by the way, was born in 1979 in Berlin. However, and this is what particularly distinguishes MetaDesign for me, it’s really never been about a single person, but always the team. The agency itself. The team is the star. As they would probably say about themselves: the people who work at MetaDesign are a diverse, smart and colorful bunch of creative people who really do everything they can to make brands successful and make even the seemingly impossible possible. I myself have witnessed this time and again in our projects. Take the AOK brand relaunch, for example. We were about to start and then Covid came. After just one face-to-face meeting, everything started running remotely. Under unprecedented circumstances, the team had to work together with a variety of different stakeholders to bring a change of this magnitude to fruition for a health insurance company with nearly 21 million members in a very short period of time. I am really proud of the result that we achieved together with our colleagues from the AOKs and MetaDesign. I've already said this once in an interview, and I'll repeat it here: the rebranding project was one of the best things we've worked on in my team. And that is in no small part thanks to MetaDesign. MetaDesign is exactly what they strive to make their clients. Timeless. Classic. A lighthouse for all things branding. People will probably still be saying that 40 years from now. Therefore, the award is truly well-deserved, and I personally am very happy for Daniel and the entire MetaDesign team! Congratulations and only the best for you!