Bernhard Handgrätinger is the namesake brand of a German electrical engineering firm founded in Ulm. The company began as the “Ingenieurbüro für elektrische Anlagen” (Engineering Office for Electrical Installations), established by Bernhard Handgrätinger in 1937. In 1971, his son Bernhard took over the business, and in 1997 the firm was reorganized as Handgrätinger Elektro-Anlagen GmbH. Uwe Wöhrle became sole managing director in 2003, and in June 2024 the company was acquired by M. u. W. Schlecker Elektrische Anlagen.[1]
Design and History
The Bernhard Handgrätinger symbol was originally designed in 1962 by Winfried J. Jokisch, a German graphic designer based in Düsseldorf.[2][3] Jokisch, born in 1937, worked as a graphic designer in Düsseldorf and later served as a guest lecturer at the Fachhochschulen (universities of applied sciences) in Krefeld and Düsseldorf from 1976 to 1990.[4] He also operated a design practice under the name “Planungsbüro für visuelle Programme” (Planning Office for Visual Programs) in Düsseldorf.[5]
The 1962 mark is catalogued as a cut, angular design with stripe elements, consistent with the geometric approach common in mid-century German corporate identity work.[2] The logo was created during the period when the company operated under its original name as an engineering office for electrical installations, before the 1997 reorganization into the GmbH structure.[1]
Meaning and Symbolism
Documented symbolism for the Bernhard Handgrätinger mark is limited. [2] The geometric, angular character of the mark aligns with the functionalist design language of the early 1960s, though the specific symbolic intent behind the shapes has not been publicly documented.
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