Centrum-Warenhaus was a department store chain operated under the state-owned Handelsorganisation (HO) in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The brand’s visual identity was created by graphic designer Herbert Prüget, who is regarded as a leading figure in GDR logo design and whose marks for organizations such as Sachsenring, Konsum-Genossenschaft, the Reisebüro der DDR and Centrum-Warenhaus became widely known across the country [1].
Design and History
The Centrum-Warenhaus symbol was originally designed by Herbert Prüget in 1965 [2]. The first Centrum department stores opened from 1965 in existing retail buildings, with the first newly constructed store beginning in August of that year in Hoyerswerda [3]. The chain’s stores were known for their distinctive honeycomb-patterned aluminum facades, which served as a kind of trademark for the Centrum brand [4].
The logo itself was not set in a standard typeface. As one typography forum discussion notes, when the Centrum-Warenhäuser received their logo, it was not a commercial typeface but rather freely drawn by a graphic designer, with the “C” and “R” being particularly important letterforms [5]. The mark was widely used across the chain’s signage, including neon signs at locations such as Leipzig [6].
Meaning and Symbolism
Documented descriptions of the logo’s symbolism are limited. A beer coaster from the DDR Museum in Berlin shows the Centrum Warenhaus logo used decoratively, printed in light and darker blue, with the logo appearing at the center of the coaster alongside ribbons and flowers on one side and inside a beer mug on the reverse [7]. This object confirms the logo’s use in promotional materials and its blue color scheme, though it does not document any specific symbolic meaning behind the mark itself.
Typography and Design
The Centrum-Warenhaus lettering was hand-drawn rather than set in a standard typeface. The freely drawn letterforms, particularly the “C” and “R,” were central to the logo’s character [5]. The logo was also accompanied by a separate “C” symbol, which appeared on store signage and in advertising, as documented in photographs of the chain’s buildings and in forum discussions about the brand’s streetcar advertising in the late GDR period [8].
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