Agency Life

Since November, there has been a change in the management at echd: Max and Lisa Wenzel have both decided to take a new direction and step down from the management of the agency. We would like to thank them both for seven years of passion, creativity and strategic development that have made echd what it is today.

Our success story will continue - with Nadine Hartmann, who will continue to lead the agency as Managing Director, and Paul Valentiner, who has been part of the management team since July 2024. Together, they have ambitious plans for the future:
➡ Expanding our offering beyond packaging
➡ The expansion of our “Future Media” department

We are particularly proud of what we have achieved together recently, such as the realignment of Dentinox, the modernization of the Chantré brand and our success at the German Design Award.

One thing remains clear to us: change is an opportunity to continue to grow. We look forward to writing the next chapters together with you and our great customers!

We are delighted to have impressed the high-caliber jury of the German Brand Awards 2024 with our Schaebens packaging relaunch! Schaebens and echd were honored in the discipline “Excellence in Brand Strategy and Creation - Packaging”. The German Brand Award is THE award for successful brand management in Germany, judged by an interdisciplinary panel of experts from brand management and brand science. It discovers, presents and honors unique brands and brand makers.

Many thanks to Johanna Botzem and Sarah Goldschmidt for their trust in our work and the great collaboration on this project!

Time to party! 🎉🥂

You can find the whole case study here

Under the motto “Unleash your creativity”, the Forward Festival recently brought together the creative and design community in Amsterdam. Who was there? echd of course!

Our colleagues Ramona, Anna and Maxi were inspired and share their highlights and biggest learnings with you below:

✨ Dutch 3D illustrator Eva Cremers made a lasting impression on us with her talk, making it clear how important it is to make time for your passions. If logo design is not your thing, there is little point in forcing it. Instead, you should focus on what really excites you. Because passionate work leads to excellence, and the right clients will follow.

🤖 London-based design agency Builders Club brought another important topic to the stage: the integration of AI into creative workflows. Instead of seeing AI as a replacement or a threat, we should see it much more as an extension that supports and simplifies our work. Incorporating AI can lead to more efficient processes and create new creative opportunities.

💞 Another highlight was the comparison of client-agency relationships with the dating world of w+k Amsterdam. This presentation was not only humorous, but also insightful. Just like dating, building a successful client relationship is ultimately about mastering the competition, a phase of knowing

Photo Credit: Alex Heuvink | Forward Festival

In the current issue 3/2024 of creativ verpacken, our Creative Director Paul talks not only of our work for the relaunch of the Chantré brandy, but also introduces the new cream liqueur, Chantré Crème, which appeals to a younger and particularly female target group.

You can find the whole article here

Since April 30, 2024 we have a new department: FUTURE MEDIA!

With professional 3D visualizations, we bring your product to life and present it in a high-quality way. Whether it's a flexible 3D model, lifelike simulation or visually stunning 3D animation - our Future Media department makes your brand ready for the future! Set new standards for the staging of your brand with impressive 3D visualizations that offer you a decisive advantage in these fast-moving times: The undivided attention of your customers. With dynamic 3D images, your brand remains anchored in the memory of your target group, appeals to them emotionally and promotes loyalty to your company.

You can find more information about our services and prices here:

https://echd.studio/future

Bordeaux, April 18, 2024

Bonjour! Last week, our CCO & Managing Partner Max and our Creative Director Paul traveled to the sunny southwest of France for the epda congress. They brought with them a presentation on “Fighting food waste - How purpose creates value”, as they took over the stage as speakers together with Knärzje founder Dan Anthes.

Under the motto “Thrive. Don't just survive!”, the program included exciting expert presentations, plenty of networking and, of course, wine tasting with design colleagues from all over Europe. And all of this in a beautiful, inspiring location.

With these 3 learnings, we boarded the plane back to Frankfurt:

1. A.I. is both a curse and a blessing

We have to take our customers by the hand and show them how we can use A.I. to add value to the resulting work. It becomes dangerous when clients use A.I. tools to develop their own designs without taking marketing strategy and buyer behavior into account.

2. pitches damage the agencies and the brand

Poorly paid pitches mean that agencies cannot afford to put their A-teams on projects. European agencies need to come together to find a sustainable solution for agencies AND clients.

3. wine from Bordeaux is simply ... a pleasure!

You can find more impressions of our epda trip on Instagram. Check out this Reel!

What is the epda?

The European Brand & Packaging Design Association (epda) offers its members a platform for networking and exchanging knowledge on trends and packaging design at European level.

www.epda-design.com

Foto Credit: Autan Blanc

In the current issue 01/2024 of creativ verpacken, our Managing Director Nadine uses the example of the medium-sized family business Schaebens to explain how important it is to constantly develop your brand and adapt it to new market conditions and target groups. As part of the 2023 packaging relaunch, the existing appearance was to be modernized, the brand-defining elements retained or gently developed further, and previous weaknesses eliminated.

You can find the whole article here

Established brands currently have it anything but easy. They are increasingly disappearing from supermarket shelves and being replaced by private labels. Inflation and ongoing price wars have already caused major losses for top global brands and there seems to be no end in sight. Their disappearance is increasing the importance of private labels, not least as a result of changing consumer perceptions. They were once seen as inferior alternatives to the big players. In the meantime, this image has changed. Today, private labels often offer high-quality products at fair prices - certified by good marks from Stiftung Warentest. The gap between own brands and premium brands is therefore becoming smaller and smaller.

The German drugstore chain Müller is one company that has taken the bold step of paying more attention to its own brands. Müller made a powerful statement last year with the launch of two own brands: a new technology brand and a natural cosmetics brand, “ON&ON” and “echt. by Terra Naturi”, were added to the range. And Müller's facial care brand “CV (Cadea Vera)” was also given a new, higher-quality look. As an agency, we were entrusted with the task of developing designs for these brands that deliberately stand out from the conventional own-brand aesthetic in order to compete with the established brands.

A trend for the future?