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Since October 2026, the Wuppertal-based branding and digital agency pechschwarz® has been a member of the German Design Council's circle of patrons (Rat für Formgebung). Managing Director Erik Breit initiated the membership – with a clear conviction: good design is not a matter of taste, but a measurable lever for business success.
Following a successful vote among the existing patrons, the German Design Council officially welcomed pechschwarz GmbH into its circle of patrons on 15 October 2026. The agency now belongs to a network of companies and individuals who see design, brand management and innovation as strategic success factors.
A membership that grew out of a conversation about brands
Erik Breit, managing partner of pechschwarz, personally paved the way into the foundation. It began with a conversation with Julia Voigtländer, Vice President Foundation-Development & Strategy at the German Design Council, about quality, people and what makes brands strong. This led to an application – and, in October, to admission into the circle of patrons.
»For me, design is far more than a question of aesthetics. It determines whether a brand stands out – and often a company's economic success along with it. I am all the more pleased that pechschwarz is now part of the German Design Council and that I can bring this perspective to this level as well.«
Why design belongs on the management agenda
In his day-to-day agency work, Erik Breit sees brand decisions being made too late or too far down the organisation. His approach: brand, design and digital platform must be conceived together – from strategy and corporate design to the website on which the brand has to prove itself every day.
That is the core of pechschwarz. The agency supports companies from brand core to rollout and builds brand presences as high-performance headless websites with Storyblok and Contentful. Around 30 specialists in strategy, design and development work in Wuppertal on brands for mid-sized companies and industry.
»Many companies invest heavily in products and sales but treat their brand like a logo project. Yet it is the first thing customers, applicants and partners see. Companies that manage design strategically sell better, recruit more easily and are understood faster.«
Kick-off at Council Night 2026 in Berlin
Erik Breit made his first appearance in the new circle on 22 October 2026: at the patrons' meeting and the subsequent Council Night at Soho House Berlin, he and Amina Sipcanin, Head of Corporate Communications at pechschwarz, met decision-makers from business, design and culture. The evening also saw the presentation of “The Major German Brands 2027”.
About the German Design Council
The German Design Council (Rat für Formgebung) was founded in 1953 on the initiative of the German Bundestag and promotes the strategic importance of design, brand and innovation. The foundation is known for the German Design Award, the German Brand Award and the publication series “The Major German Brands”, among others. More at german-design-council.de.
Outlook
For pechschwarz, the membership is a starting point: the agency intends to actively shape the dialogue on brand management and design within the network. Participation in “The Major German Brands 2028” is already planned.
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