Bruckmann Verlag is a Munich-based German publishing house founded in 1858 by Friedrich Bruckmann as a press for art and science, moving to Munich in 1863.[1] The publisher is today part of the GeraNova Bruckmann Verlagshaus group, which also includes the Bruckmann, Bucher, J. Berg and GeraMond imprints.[2]
Design and History
In 2001, after Bruckmann and GeraNova had been legally and organizationally linked since 1999, the two companies moved into shared offices in Munich and Bruckmann announced it would reposition itself with a new logo.[3] In January 2003, the sister publishers GeraNova and Bruckmann began operating jointly under the umbrella brand Verlagshaus GeraNova / Bruckmann, with a new logo for the group introduced at that time.[4]
A further visual update came in 2008. When the publishing group moved to new premises in Munich’s West-Schwabing district on May 1, 2008, it also presented a new logo.[2] The mark features fanned-out leaves, intended to symbolize the full range of the publishing house’s offerings, from books and magazines to calendars, collector’s editions, relaunched websites and DVDs.[2]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 2008 logo was rendered in orange. Publisher Clemens Schüssler explained the color choice by noting that in color theory, orange stands for stimulation, sociability and a readiness to discover new things.[5]
Regarding the earlier 1970 logo attributed to designer Dieter Urban, no verifiable primary documentation has been located. Urban was a German graphic designer and professor who wrote and edited numerous books on communication design for Munich publishers including Bruckmann,[6] and he published the 1991 volume Markenzeichen + Firmensignets (Trademarks + Corporate Symbols) through Bruckmann Verlag.[7] However, no reliable source confirms that Urban designed a specific Bruckmann Verlag logo in 1970, and that attribution should be treated as unverified.
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