ZEISS Brand Evolution
Wins Grand Prix
at the International
Corporate Design Award
7/21/2026 ZEISS has been awarded the Grand Prix at the International Corporate Design Award (CDP) – the competition’s highest accolade. Together with KMS TEAM, ZEISS has evolved its brand strategy and Brand Experience System as part of a comprehensive Brand Evolution. The award therefore recognises not only a new visual identity, but a holistic approach that rethinks the brand from its identity and design through to the brand experience.
The competition’s distinguished jury, comprising leading experts from European branding agencies and academia, honours outstanding achievements in holistic brand development with the Grand Prix. Key criteria include innovation in brand and corporate design, strategic quality, the functionality and consistency of brand and design systems, as well as the quality of implementation across all touchpoints.
Brand as a strategic driver of growth
With its Brand Evolution, ZEISS is making a conscious investment in its brand as a strategic driver of growth. In an increasingly complex corporate portfolio, a strong shared brand provides orientation, strengthens global perception and sharpens differentiation.
»This Grand Prix recognises not only the quality of our Brand Evolution, but also our shared understanding of the ZEISS brand. A strong brand is not created through communication or design alone. It emerges when strategy, culture and everyday actions work together. Above all, this award belongs to the many colleagues around the world who bring our brand to life for our customers every day,« explains Vincent Brucker, Head of Brand Management, ZEISS.
The new brand strategy and Brand Experience System combine global consistency with the flexibility required across different markets and business areas. This preserves the iconic strength of the ZEISS brand while creating a system that integrates different requirements and contexts.
»Seeing Beyond is the promise ZEISS has lived up to for generations. The Brand Evolution now makes this promise tangible not only in how the brand is experienced externally, but also in how it is embedded within the organization, through clear structures for brand management and principles that guide every action towards delivering the best possible customer experience. This was the benchmark against which we measured every decision throughout this evolution,« says Simon Betsch, Managing Director, KMS TEAM.
We are particularly proud that this award recognises the strength of the collaboration between an integrated team of design experts at KMS TEAM and ZEISS, as well as the quality of the resulting modern, dynamic Brand Experience System, which is ideally equipped for the digital era.
From visual identity to an integrated brand system
The award recognises the systemic character of the Brand Evolution. At its heart is a modern Brand Experience System that goes beyond individual design solutions, understanding the brand as an integrated interplay of strategy, design, culture and everyday actions.
Ansgar Seelen, Head of Creation & Design Strategy, ZEISS, adds: »The Grand Prix confirms the holistic approach of our concept, inspired by our guiding idea: ZEISS – Seeing beyond. We are particularly proud that this award recognises the strength of the collaboration between an integrated team of design experts at KMS TEAM and ZEISS, as well as the quality of the resulting modern, dynamic Brand Experience System, which is ideally equipped for the digital era.«
Jürgen Adolph, Executive Creative Director, KMS TEAM, adds: »The Brand Evolution does justice to the brand and its ethos by understanding design not as a state, but as a process – and in doing so, establishes a universal, scientific principle for ZEISS.«
The Brand Evolution exemplifies a shift from individual design solutions towards an overarching operating system for the brand. A system already designed to support the demands of a digital and increasingly AI-driven future. It creates the foundations for brand management that can respond intelligently, scalably and flexibly to new technologies, markets and touchpoints.
Ready for a digital and AI-driven future
The Grand Prix confirms the path ZEISS has chosen for its brand: the consistent evolution of a global technology brand with a unique history and enduring relevance.
»Today, strong brands need to do more than create recognition. They must provide orientation, enable innovation and remain scalable across new contexts. With our Brand Evolution, we have created the foundation for this – a system that enables ZEISS to continue evolving its brand consistently in the age of AI and intelligent digital experiences,« concludes Martin Dominicus, Head of Brand Strategy & Experience, ZEISS.
