Our Berlin team developed TKMS – Your Maritime Powerhouse from start to finish – from the brand name to the strategy, from the brand design and tone of voice to the launch and related implementation initiatives and events.
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TKMS
Setting the course for the new Maritime Powerhouse
thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, one of the world’s leading companies in the marine industry, is marking the start of a new phase in its corporate development with the launch of the new TKMS brand: the Kiel shipyard looks back on more than 185 years of history in shipbuilding. World-class submarines and surface vessels are developed and built here.
Both business divisions, along with ATLAS ELEKTRONIK’s electronics and software solutions and the civilian division NXTGEN, are united under the new umbrella brand TKMS to present a unified brand identity. TKMS clearly embodies the ‘One Company’ philosophy: as an integrated systems provider, it is the only German naval company to bring all maritime sectors together under one roof.
The design idea
Excellence and security were key drivers for the design evolution. Hence we strived for maximum simplicity and focus in every detail. The centre layout idea „course line“ is inspired by graphic shipping routes on nautical charts, providing a comprehensible point of origin for our flexible design system. It directs attention and provides clear orientation – both online and offline. If you look closely, you will find the geometry of the „course line“ even within the wordmark TKMS. Really a design from a single mould.
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Precise in every detail
The curves of products such as submarines provided formal inspiration for the brand typeface. The headline font uses similar curves rather than edges, the copytext font is more reduced, focusing on maximum legibility.
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Highlighting maritime excellence
TKMS Signal is the bright accent in the uncompromisingly reduced color spectrum based on radiant white and metallic grey tones. All five brand colors are derived from the world of the products. Together, these colors create clear, powerful recognizability that significantly differentiates TKMS from the competition and boosts visibility, also in competition for talent.
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Expanding Horizons
Illustrations and icons were developed to support the main idea of the brand design: maximum simplicity and reduction. The image style was defined with subtle desaturation to allow single color highlights to shine even more. The material surfaces, often steel or other metals with their grayish tones, skies, and seas were suitably desaturated.
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Boarding the Maritime Powerhouse
The spatial design consistently translates the brand design into the third dimension. The course line draws the eye as a strip of light. Strikingly slanted ceiling elements echo the design principle. Targeted lighting accents emphasize the clear design language, minimalist color scheme, and technically precise materials.
Making an Impact
The new TKMS brand was first introduced to the entire management and subsequently to all employees, clients, and partners during a major launch event at the shipyard in Kiel. Following this, a campaign and several events were held to introduce the brand to the capital markets, and the successful stock market launch took place in autumn 2025. The response to the new brand has been very positive from all of the target groups. The employees, many of them long-time employees of thyssenkrupp, have adopted the new brand identity quickly and very enthusiastically. Clients and partners have continued their business, stepping up collaborations, orders, and assignments. So far, the entire development and implementation of the brand has been a huge success story: The Maritime Powerhouse is setting the course.
This is an issue that is becoming increasingly visible and important for all of us – and one that demands clear positions from everyone.
We have created a powerful brand identity here – one that goes beyond all the usual clichés. A strong design characterised by uncompromising simplicity and focus.
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Awards
iF Design Award 2026 (Development of a new brand)
Transform Awards Europe 2026, Silver distinction (Best Strategic or Creative Development of a New Brand)