​​German Brand Award productronica impresses with brand revival and corporate brand design​

productronica has received the German Brand Award 2026 in two categories: “Excellence in Brand Strategy and Creation – Brand Revival of the Year” and “Excellence in Brand Strategy and Creation – Brand Design – Corporate Brand”. With these awards, the independent jury recognizes the strategic realignment of an established trade fair brand that embraces its heritage and translates it into a contemporary brand identity.

The At the heart of the award-winning brand project is a comprehensive revival: productronica was further developed in terms of positioning, brand identity, design and communication system—with the aim of giving the brand a clearer profile in the competitive environment of the trade fair, event and communications industry.

The German Brand Award is one of the key awards for successful brand management in the German-speaking world. This year, a 17-member, independent and interdisciplinary jury evaluated more than 1,600 entries from 12 nations. The recognition of productronica therefore underlines not only the creative quality of the relaunch, but also the strategic relevance of brand work in a changing trade fair and communications market.

Brand revival for the world’s leading trade fair

The double recognition at the German Brand Award 2026 confirms productronica’s ambition to develop brand management consistently from a strategic foundation. The award honors brands, companies and projects that provide orientation, create differentiation and set new standards through their brand work. For productronica, the award marks an important milestone in a multi-stage transformation process that closely connects strategy, design and communication.

The starting point of the project was the question of how productronica could recharge its historical strength, its relevance for the industry and its role as a platform for exchange, innovation and business. This is precisely where the brand revival begins: It sharpens the core of the brand, makes its function in the market clearer and translates it into a communicative guiding idea that provides orientation both internally and externally. The jury’s verdict reads: “The relaunch develops the existing ‘P’, the isometric grid and the three-dimensional Machine World into a corporate brand that convincingly connects heritage and future. The fact that the system is consistently applied from digital touchpoints to trade fair architecture visibly anchors the brand’s leadership claim in every application context.”

“This award is a strong signal for us: productronica is not just an event format, but a brand with attitude, relevance and a future. With the revival, we have consciously embraced our heritage while opening a new chapter—clearer in our positioning, bolder in our appearance and closer to the needs of our target groups,” emphasizes Nicole Hagenbring, Director Product Marketing & Communications at Messe München.

The productronica exhibition management also builds on this ambition. For the team, the award shows that the brand process has sharpened the role of the world’s leading trade fair in the market and translated its strengths into a contemporary language. Barbara Müller, Exhibition Director productronica, is delighted with the recognition: “The German Brand Award makes us proud because it shows how much power there is in productronica. We have further developed a brand that connects people, markets and innovations—and whose future we are shaping with great passion. A special thank you goes to Anders Wirenstrand, who, together with his team, designed the new brand identity with great commitment and creativity.”

Corporate design with a systematic approach

The new corporate brand design makes the strategic realignment visible.

The jury describes the visual identity as follows: “Redefining a leading trade show with five decades of history without obscuring its origins requires precise brand management. The relaunch strengthens the core of the brand with a design principle derived from the industry: The refined “P,” the isometric grid, and the three-dimensional brand universe come together to form a robust system for physical spaces, media, and international editions. The redesign remains recognizably rooted in tradition while simultaneously giving the brand a contemporary role as an organizing platform within a complex field.”

The result is a system that works in traditional trade fair media as well as in digital channels, social media, moving image, wayfinding systems and live communication.

This means that the design is not understood merely as a surface, but as the connecting operating system of the brand: It creates recognition, facilitates consistent implementation across all touchpoints and gives the brand a visual language that addresses trade visitors, exhibitors, partners and media alike.

“Strong brands emerge when agency and client work together as equals—and when both sides have the courage to think big. Messe München had that courage, and we are proud to have taken this path together. The award at the German Brand Award is a recognition of the entire team,” says Joel Flammann, Country Manager Merkle Germany and Client Partner Merkle DACH.

The German Brand Award is presented by the German Design Council and honors outstanding brand management. The evaluation is carried out by an independent, interdisciplinary jury of experts from business, science, consulting, services and agencies. The evaluation criteria include originality, differentiation, target group relevance, consistency of brand management, design quality, degree of innovation, future potential and economic impact.