To support the trust in the design development of adhesively bonded joints, it is important to precisely predict their mechanical failure load. A numerical simulation model with a two-dimensional linear elastic cohesive zone model using a combination of a soft and a stiff adhesive is developed to optimize the strength of a lap-joint. Separation under mixed-mode conditions (normal and shear direction) is considered. By varying the length of the adhesives, the fracture load is optimized. The results obtained from the numerical experiments show an improvement in strength.