Design pays and design counts; but design also "recounts". All three aspects are combined in these selected corporate stories of companies that have set the standards in their field. They telt a tale of something very special and personal. They report of historical moments, unusual circumstances and extraordinary characters. In a series of portraits, case studies and illustrations of the details, the reader is given an exciting behind-the-scenes glimpse of the creative-innovative core driving these companies. This new exhibition and book project from the Design Center Stuttgart and the Deutsche Werkbund Baden-Württemberg presents successful companies that boast special design achievements which have not only buoyed their own commercial success but also set the standards or broken new turf for their industry, thereby setting an example for entrepreneurship and corporate responsibility towards society and employees: design as an essential expression of their own corporate culture.