IFA · BRANDING & CEO KEYNOTE
From brand to stage.
A new identity for IFA’s 100th anniversary. A new story for its CEO keynote in 2026.
- CLIENT
- IFA Berlin
- MY ROLE
- Brand strategy & creative direction Keynote concept, script & design concept Project leadership
- COLLABORATION
- IFA leadership & communications Highsnobiety · Brand identity Monomango · Stage & motion design
CHALLENGE
How do you move a 100-year-old brand forward?
For IFA’s centenary, the brand needed to connect its heritage with a wider public. In 2026, the CEO keynote brought AI, robotics and their impact on society into focus.
01 / APPROACH · BRANDING, 2024
Designed for that moment of awe.
We designed for that moment of awe: when technology sparks something that feels almost like magic. “Innovation for All” opens that experience to everyone. With IFA’s leadership and Highsnobiety, we translated this ambition into a shared identity.
The new identity in use at IFA’s anniversary edition.
One clear invitation
Families, technology enthusiasts and people with no specialist knowledge should all feel welcome. “Innovation for All” is an invitation to try new technology for yourself and understand it better.
Innovation for All: a brand built around people.
From identity to experience
I led strategic and creative direction in close collaboration with IFA and its design partners. Together, we carried the same idea through identity, communication and the event experience: technology is for everyone.
02 / APPROACH · CEO KEYNOTE, 2026
Turn an event update into a point of view.
I developed the keynote concept, wrote the script and created the overarching design concept. Building on this, Monomango delivered the stage and motion design. I led the project in close collaboration with IFA.
Leif Lindner delivering the CEO keynote.
Start with a question that matters
The story moved from the speed of technological change to the need for understanding. AI and robotics gave it urgency. IFA’s role was to make that change tangible.
The keynote’s central message: “Trust cannot be downloaded”.
Bring it back to real experience
“Trust cannot be downloaded” connected the argument to seeing technology, trying it and meeting the people behind it. Event announcements became evidence for that larger story.
RESULT
A shared identity. A clear voice on stage.
A shared direction across brand and stage: the anniversary identity made “Innovation for All” visible. The 2026 keynote developed that promise through Leif Lindner’s perspective on AI, robotics and society.
ON THE IFA REBRANDING
“His ability to combine IFA’s rich heritage with a forward-looking vision has exceeded all expectations.”
Leif Lindner · CEO, IFA
Photography: Dominik Tryba / INTRODUCE Productions
Next project
BRAND, BUSINESS & OPERATIONS
Umane
I helped shape Umane’s brand, business strategy and early operations, bringing sports science and human care into one experience. We are also investors.