Daelim is a South Korean construction and petrochemical company that rebranded as DL Group in January 2021. The current identity, introduced with the name change, is a typographic watermark using uppercase English letters in a blue color scheme.
Design and History
In December 2020, Daelim announced it would change its group name to DL and unveiled a new corporate identity (CI) ahead of its official launch as a holding company structure on January 1, 2021. The new CI was designed to shape and emphasize DL’s business of building the fundamentals of the world, as if stacking blocks. The color was carried over from the existing Daelim CI blue to continue the company’s tradition. The construction division became DL E&C, and the petrochemical division became DL Chemical. [1]
According to DL’s official CI introduction, the watermark reflects DL’s corporate identity with a spirit of driving innovation while complying with the basics. Uppercase English letters were applied to give a sense of honesty and weight, along with DL’s social status as a global corporation. The identity reflects the vision of DL to keep ahead of the times with weighty, sophisticated color while maintaining the existing blue shades. [2]
Earlier in the company’s history, Daelim Industrial used a symbol featuring a tower inside a circle, with the tower’s legs forming the Chinese character “rim” (林). The company promoted the green color used for this mark as symbolizing youth, drive and safety, as well as the company’s unlimited development. This mark was used from the late 1960s until a new symbol was announced in 1980. [3]
In January 2009, on the occasion of its 70th founding anniversary, Daelim Industrial announced a commemorative slogan and emblem at its management strategy meeting. The emblem shaped the company’s 70 years of growth and the future it would pioneer in the form of a road. The slogan was “Power of 70 Years and for the New Future.” [4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The DL Group’s CI was described by the company as shaping and emphasizing DL’s work of building the fundamentals of the world, as if stacking blocks. The blue color was inherited from the previous Daelim CI to signify the continuation of tradition. [1] The uppercase lettering was chosen to convey honesty and weight appropriate to a global corporation. [2]
Typography and Design
The DL watermark uses uppercase English letters as its primary typographic treatment. The official color system designates DAELIM Blue with web RGB values of R12 / G35 / B64, along with DAELIM Gray (R102 / G102 / B102) and DAELIM Light Gray (R161 / G161 / B161) as primary colors. Secondary colors include DAELIM Light Blue 1, DAELIM Light Blue 2, DAELIM Light Yellow, DAELIM Black, DAELIM Gold and DAELIM Silver. The company specifies that Pantone color charts should be used to verify accurate color rendition. [2]
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