Deutsche Bank was founded back in 1870 by a group of businessmen who wanted to establish a reputation for Germany in international financial circles. They were so successful that Deutsche Bank is now the largest bank in Germany, and one of the biggest banks in the world. To maintain a united brand image at all of their international offices, Deutsche Bank relies on a plain yet recognizable logo. In this article, we will tell you all about the Deutsche Bank logo history and design.
Deutsche Bank Logo Design Elements
Deutsche Bank’s logo is impressively simple, but it is very well designed. Called “slash in a square” by the bank, this logo consists of a single basic emblem. The exterior of the logo is a square shape drawn by a single thick line. Inside of the square is a single diagonal line that slants from the lower left corner to the upper left corner.
Both the upper and lower edges of this line are cut off at a blunt, horizontal line that runs parallel to the lines of the square. Line widths for the slash and the square outline are completely identical. The color used for the Deutsche Bank logo is a deep blue color that has a hint of purple in it. This shade helps the logo stand out from the plainer navy blue logos used by so many other banks.
Changes and Evolution
1. Shape
The first Deutsche Bank logo was an eagle meant to represent their German origins. Following a 1929 merger, the logo switched to a circle containing an interlocked D and G. This then transitioned into an oval with a small D and a large B in the middle. When the company split into a few different regional banks, they used various oval and round logos with initials inside.
Once the banks reunited, they went back to the “DB” monogram inside of an oval. Starting in 1974, the logo said “Deutsche Bank” on the left side, and had the slash in a square on the right. In 2010, the company removed their name altogether.
2. Color
For the first several decades, the bank used plain black logos that could easily be printed on older printing equipment. When they switched to the 1974 logo, the company began using a deep indigo blue shade instead of black.
3. Font
Deutsche Bank’s first logo with text did not even occur until 1929. For this logo and all subsequent logos until 1952, classic serif Roman fonts were used. The bank briefly tried out a sans- serif, capitalized font before switching back to a Roman font in an oval. They permanently switched to a sans-serif font with both upper and lower case lettering in 1974.
Influences/Inspiration
The Deutsche Bank logo was created after a contest between eight graphic artists, and Deutsche Bank selected German designer Anton Stankowski’s design as the winner. Stankowski’s design was selected because it had a striking visual appearance that is bold and recognizable. The bank liked that the logo looked entirely different from all of their competitors, and it was very easy to reproduce on company materials. This versatility makes the Deutsche Bank logo ideal for generating brand recognition.
According to the Deutsche Bank, their logo is meant to symbolize a stable environment characterized by growth. The forward leaning slash represents growth, development, and the future. At the same time, the strong square around the slash means that it is secure and safe. The sense of trustworthiness is further emphasized by the blue color that reminds people of reliability and responsibility.
Trivia
- A massive version of the logo can be seen on the top of the 509-foot tall Deutsche Bank Twin Towers.
- Due to the name, many people make the mistake of thinking the bank is Dutch. However, Deutsche actually means “German” in the German language.
- The logo designer was inspired by famous artist, Piet Mondrian.
Conclusion
The Deutsche Bank logo is so successful because it is simple and easy to describe, yet it is also completely unique and original. Its clever meaning does an excellent job of representing the bank’s main mission, and making the bank look stable and reliable. This logo has been a part of Deutsche Bank branding since the early 1970s, and it will not be going anywhere any time soon.
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