The Hertie Foundation is one of Germany’s largest private foundations, with offices in Frankfurt and Berlin.
Its work focuses on two main areas: brain research and strengthening democracy. Operating with an interdisciplinary approach, the foundation promotes projects to operational maturity – combining scientific excellence with social responsibility and communicating to audiences ranging from academia to civil society.
The goal was to modernise the foundation’s website to better represent its thematic breadth and diverse audiences. From students and researchers to policymakers and partners, the website needed to provide fast, intuitive access to relevant content.
The redesign aimed to position the foundation as a modern and open institution, offering clear structure for complex topics while creating space for current programmes, projects and events.
Based on a comprehensive content and audience analysis, we developed a new structure and visual language for the website of the Gemeinnützige Hertie Foundation. The navigation was completely reimagined as a central UX element: an expandable full-page navigation allows users to intuitively and quickly explore all areas of the foundation’s work. It simplifies access to key content and programmes while providing a modern, immersive user experience.
The design combines emotional imagery with functional clarity. Large-scale visuals, modular content sections and clear calls to action improve orientation and reflect the diversity of the foundation’s activities. Sections such as news, events and projects were designed with flexibility in mind, enabling new initiatives and programmes to be easily added and updated.
Technically, the website was implemented responsively in TYPO3 with modular templates for different content formats, from articles and press areas to multimedia integrations.
Key deliverables:
The combination of design, structure and technical flexibility resulted in a platform that presents content in a vibrant way and makes the foundation’s work clear, accessible and contemporary.
The new website of The Hertie Foundation communicates its mission and activities clearly, engagingly and accessibly. It serves not only as an information hub but as a stage for programmes, projects and new initiatives. Thanks to its modular structure, the foundation can expand content independently and highlight current priorities with ease.
It is a digital platform that informs, inspires and connects – embodying The Hertie Foundation’s commitment to science, democracy and social responsibility.