Partnered with: Wüsthof | Services: Brand Strategy | Identity System | Brand & Design Consulting | Cooperated: 2018 — 2023
OBJECTIVE:
KEY RESULT:
Wüsthof, a seventh-generation family business from Solingen, Germany, partnered with Monoform to redefine its global brand identity. The goal was to honour over two centuries of knife-making quality while creating a system capable of evolving for generations to come.
The result is an identity built around The Cut — a conceptual and visual framework that embodies focus, precision, and transformation. More than a logo or set of rules, The Cut became the foundation for a living, format-agnostic system, adaptable across every brand touchpoint from product to retail.
The new identity elevated Wüsthof beyond the category of premium knife manufacturers, positioning it as a symbol of mindfulness in the kitchen. Made in Solingen, relevant worldwide.
Founded in 1814, Wüsthof is one of the world’s most respected premium knife manufacturers. Every knife is still crafted in Solingen, known as The City of Blades, using a process that combines state-of-the-art robotics with traditional hand-finishing.
The rebrand began under the 7th generation of family leadership, marking a pivotal moment to define a long-term vision for the company — one that respects heritage while embracing change.
To reposition Wüsthof from a functional tool brand to a symbol of focus, ritual, and craft. The ambition was to claim the cutting moment, transforming the act of cutting from a mundane task into a mindful and expressive experience.
The Wüsthof trident, first registered as a trademark in 1895, has always been a symbol of craftsmanship. Over time, its sharp and primal character had softened through layers of graphic additions. The redesign returned to the essence of the original mark, rediscovering its simple, sharp, and to-the-point quality. Inspired by markings on steel crates found in their Solingen factory, the new trident was liberated from its enclosing rectangle and stripped of redundant details to reveal its pure form.
This refinement not only reinforced differentiation but also simplified application across products — from blades and handles to packaging and communication.
At the centre of the new brand stands The Cut — the conceptual and visual idea that defines the entire system. It represents the precise moment of transformation: when hand, tool, and ingredient align in focus and control.
This concept became both brand positioning and design system. It connects the emotional and functional dimensions of the brand. From the Cook to Relax, Cook to Discover, and Cook to Impress personas (united by the shared experience of cutting) to the tiniest of the visual identity applications (precise etchings on blades).
Scalable across formats and mediums, the visual language combines high-tech and high-touch: engineered precision balanced with human warmth. Together, the visual elements form a living identity system designed to evolve over time and allow creative expression based on one solid foundation.
A comprehensive brand book defined the strategic foundation (positioning, personas, creative principles ...) while the digital identity manual translated these into practical guidance for brand expression.
Together, they form a toolbox of visual and verbal elements designed to ensure consistency and alignment across all brand touchpoints, creating a living framework that connects purpose and execution across global teams and external partners.
The identity system became the foundation for all future creative work and guided all key executions:
Partner studios built upon this shared system, extending it into product, space, packaging, and photography. Each interpretation reinforced a single, coherent visual and conceptual language. The result is a unified brand world capable of evolving while staying unmistakably Wüsthof.
The new Wüsthof identity achieved measurable impact and long-term clarity. Within the first months of launch, Wüsthof exceeded its initial sales expectations by 125%, confirming the strength of the new positioning and visual language.
The system gave Wüsthof a unified global voice, reconnecting the brand with its roots in Solingen while enabling relevance across diverse markets. Internally, it provided a shared creative foundation, aligning product, communication, and retail design under one adaptable framework.
The result is a brand prepared for the future. Precise, mindful, and ready for the 8th generation.
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Hartmut Wunram, Executive Vice President Brand & Creative, WÜSTHOF GmbH
Monoform is a strategic design studio. We engineer brands grounded in your core values and business reality. From there, we develop identity systems that scale across regions, channels, and time.
