Ansbacher Siegel is a manufacturing brand associated with the Ansbacher-Siegle Corporation, a Staten Island, New York pigment producer that operated from 1929 until its acquisition by Sun Chemical in 1957. The mark was designed in 1970 by American graphic designer Robert Hagenhofer, who was active on Staten Island during that period. [1]
Design and History
The Ansbacher-Siegle Pigment Co. was established in Staten Island, New York in 1929, growing into an organic pigment supplier to Eastern markets. Sun Chemical acquired the company in 1957, and in 1969 the acquired firms were combined to form the Pigments Division of Sun Chemical Corporation. [2] By 1970, the operation was listed as the Ansbacher-Siegle Division of Sun Chemical Corp. at 441 Tompkins Avenue in the Rosebank neighborhood of Staten Island. [3]
The Ansbacher Siegel symbol was designed by Robert Hagenhofer in 1970. [1] Hagenhofer was a graphic designer born in Chicago in 1923 who graduated from the Chicago Institute of Design and moved to Staten Island in 1952, where he continued his graphic design work. [4] He also worked in the Will Burton design studio from 1952 to 1953. [5]
The logo was created during a transitional period for the company, which had been operating as a division of Sun Chemical for over a decade. The 1970 date coincides with the period when the Staten Island facility was listed under Sun Chemical Corp.’s Pigments Department. [6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The logo is described as having a curve, square, and circle shape composition, reflecting a geometric construction typical of the era. [1]
Typography and Design
The mark’s design is attributed to Robert Hagenhofer, whose training at the Chicago Institute of Design (formerly the New Bauhaus) would have exposed him to the school’s functionalist approach to graphic design. [7] However, no source confirms how this background specifically influenced the Ansbacher Siegel lettering or layout.
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