BASF SE, the German chemical company headquartered in Ludwigshafen, uses a logo built from three inseparable components: the four letters “BASF,” two reverse mirror-image square shapes, and the claim “We create chemistry.” The logo has no color of its own and appears either white or black depending on the background, most often white on one of the company’s corporate colors.[1]
Design and History
The first BASF company logo appeared in 1873, following the merger with two Stuttgart firms, Knosp and Siegle. It combined the Stuttgart horse with the Bavarian lion.[2]
The wordmark in its current form dates to 1986, when it was created by the company’s own advertising department.[3] In March 2004, BASF introduced a new logo and corporate design worldwide. The familiar letters were retained, but two interlocking squares were added in front of them, and the claim “The Chemical Company” was introduced.[4] The 2004 identity was designed by Interbrand.[5]
In September 2014, BASF announced it would replace “The Chemical Company” with “We create chemistry” in its logo, effective globally on January 1, 2015. The new claim was based on the “We create chemistry” strategy launched in 2011. The other elements of the corporate design, including the six corporate colors, did not change.[6] In 2017, BASF updated its corporate design to present the brand more flexibly, uniformly and efficiently in a fast-moving media landscape.[7]
Meaning and Symbolism
According to BASF’s brand portal, the four letters “BASF” express pride in the company’s tradition and strengths. The two reverse mirror-image square shapes are described as an additional symbol of partnership and intelligent solutions.[1]
When the squares were introduced in 2004, BASF’s chairman Jürgen Hambrecht explained that they stand for partnership and cooperation that can ensure mutual success. “One square completes the other and together they form one whole, just like key and lock or problem and solution,” he said.[4]
The claim “We create chemistry” refers to innovation and cooperation: developing solutions with customers, with scientists and within the BASF Verbund. It is used in English worldwide and is never translated.[1]
Typography and Design
The BASF logo’s three components always appear together, and the claim is never translated. The logo must always appear on a uniform, monochrome background, never on images, gradients or patterns. The minimum width of the logo is 15 mm, and the minimum blank space on all sides equals one-sixth of the logo’s width.[1]
BASF prohibits any animation of the logo or its components, and does not allow recreating the logo with AI, requiring instead that the correct logo file be integrated manually into any AI-generated visuals.[1]
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