]init[ and KERN Form Partnership Design Style Guide for Digital Government Services

The states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein have launched the KERN Design System in line with the EfA philosophy. We are actively helping to shape this cross-state design standard for public administration.

Through our mission—Services for the eSociety—we are committed to building a society in which digitalization benefits everyone. A key component of this effort is the development of intuitively designed online services that make everyday life easier for both citizens using the portals and staff managing the backend of specialized procedures. We share this goal with the KERN initiative, and not just in theory.

As part of a strategic partnership, our UI specialists and UX designers are working alongside the team to prepare KERN’s technology-agnostic open-source design system for its first implementation in pilot projects.

We are very excited about our collaboration with ]init[ and the expertise they bring to the table. To me, this collaboration perfectly embodies KERN’s bottom-up approach: we need to build on existing knowledge and work together to further develop KERN so that it becomes a truly useful product.

Robin Pfaff

Projektverantwortlicher bei der Staatskanzlei Schleswig-Holstein

Together, we want to bring the KERN Design System to fruition as quickly as possible. I’m excited that we’ll be able to contribute our expertise from OZG digitization projects to the development of UI components.

Christian Maletz

Director Experience Design, ]init[

The KERN Design System is intended for use by states, municipalities, federal agencies, and IT service providers in the public sector. Consistent design principles and reusable UI elements are intended to make digital government services more consistent. The ease of use and greater recognizability of platforms designed using the design system help build trust in public services.

Your contact person for media inquiries

Sascha Lansmann

Principal Communication Manager

+49 30 97006 759

Other topics and projects

Digitalization in the Public Sector

For over 30 years, ]init[ has been one of the most effective digital transformation partners in the public sector. We support federal and state ministries and agencies at every stage, from consulting to operations. With solutions that simply work and deliver lasting results.

Technological Excellence for Digital Government

]init[ once again ranks among the top 3 in the 2026 Internet Agency Ranking

In the BVDW Internet Agency Ranking, ]init[ once again took third place and secured two second-place finishes in the sub-rankings. This success demonstrates that the end-to-end approach resonates with the market.

Our position in the ranking

EinfachMachen Portal for Reducing Bureaucracy

On behalf of the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and State Modernization (BMDS), we have developed the website for the new portal. Starting now, citizens, businesses, and other stakeholders can report bureaucratic hurdles directly online to help improve processes.

Portal project based on GSB 11

A man sits at a desk and uses the tablet for research. In the background you can see a large window with a view of a city.

Good design makes democracy

In a democracy, vital information must be equally accessible to all. A very user-friendly digital research tool from the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) for the federal budget fulfills exactly this requirement.

Get to know the Federal Budget Digital tool

A young woman sketches the wireframe of a website on a whiteboard.

User Experience: Shaping digitalization together with users

We stand for interdisciplinary teams and an open mindset. We therefore shape the digital transformation of our clients in agile teams together with our users.

Insights into the field of experience design