Thyssenkrupp AG, the Essen-based industrial and technology group, introduced its current visual identity in November 2015. The rebrand unified more than 180 separate brand identities that existed across the group into a single common brand, reflecting the company’s transformation into a diversified industrial group.[1]
Design and History
The 2015 identity was developed by the Hamburg and New York agency thjnk together with its design subsidiary loved, working with a team from thyssenkrupp and McKinsey.[2] The work began in spring 2014, when thyssenkrupp approached thjnk founder Dr. Michael Trautmann, and the final result was presented in November 2015.[3]
The new logo merges the historical signets of the two founding companies: the three Krupp rings and the Thyssen arch (also called the Rheinstahl arch), intertwined into a single contemporary symbol.[4] Previously, since the 1999 merger, the Thyssen arch had wrapped around the three Krupp rings as separate elements in the combined logo.[5] In the new mark, the arch and rings are fused into a single element with a uniform line weight.[6]
The rebrand also changed the company name presentation from the previous mixed-case “ThyssenKrupp” to the all-lowercase “thyssenkrupp,” written as one word.[7] The company name is now written in lowercase and without a space.[8]
The new slogan “engineering. tomorrow. together.” was introduced alongside the logo, described by communications chief Alexander Wilke as condensing “in three words who we are, what we do and how we do it.”[1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The logo’s fusion of the Thyssen arch and Krupp rings into a single element visually expresses the unity of the two formerly separate companies.[1] The Red Dot Design Award jury, which recognized the identity, described the mark as melding the historic signets “into a contemporary symbol of unity and innovative strength.”[4]
The corporate color changed from the previous dark “Prussian Blue” to a brighter shade called “Electric Blue,” which color experts mixed specifically for thyssenkrupp.[9] The lighter blue was described in thyssenkrupp’s own customer magazine as looking “fresh, light and inviting.”[10]
Typography and Design
The Red Dot jury noted that the brand signet is paired with the company name “in a modern, slim typeface” set against a radiant blue background.[11] The previous logo’s shadows and gradients were removed in the redesign.[12]
The new brand was introduced gradually rather than through a lavish advertising campaign. Service vehicles, trucks, office stationery and work clothes were scheduled to appear in the new design only when they were due for regular replacement. thyssenkrupp invested a mid-single-digit million euro amount in the new brand.[1]
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