Wilhelm Deffke was one of the first designers who publicly reflected on the consequences of a bad logotype and its ability to harm a company’s reputation. He went as far as discussing proprietary rights and legal protection of a logo, subjects that became a part of the mainstream design rhetoric only much later.
Kiosk illustration for Reemtsma, Erfurt, 1920–21.
Work for Hansa und Brandenburgische.
Draft design for Reemtsma delivery car, 1920.
trademarks deserve our attention as a means of improving the public taste, and because of their extraordinary economic significance, their value is in the millions. —wilhelm deffke
Logo for Altona A.D. Elbe.
Some of the classic Deffke’s logos, such as J.A. Henckels’ zwilling (“twins”), are still in use. Their aesthetic vitality is driven by how the designer was working: he always picked a basic geometric shape or a primitive symbol and refined its proportions to shed weight off of a mark and get rid of all unnecessities.
Logo for J.A. Henckels.
Logo for Argus.
Redesign of the Dreiring, trademark for the cast steel works, Friedrich Krupp AG, 1917.
Redesign of the logo for Siemens & Halske AG, 1917.
Frisch Fromm Froh Frel.
Redesign of Peter Behrens' original 1908 AEG logo, 1917.
it is not sufficient to use trademarks once in a while to designate certain products. they must be used systematically and frequently. —wilhelm deffke
Whale signet, 1930–45.
Deffke’s version of the ancient Hakenkreuz (“hooked cross”) first appeared in Wilhelmwerk’s trademark brochure ‘Handelsmarken und Fabrikzeihen’ (1917): a clean-cut take on the powerful mark that over the centuries surfaced in many different cultures and contexts.
According to Deffke’s former assistant Mana Tress, the proportions of the Nazi swastika were inspired, or possibly even copied from the designer’s brochure, with minor alterations. But unlike a handful of modernized marks for the German military and propaganda materials commissioned by the Weimar Republic, that one Deffke didn’t create on a government assignment.
Hakenkreuz, 1917.
German Reich coat of arms.
if a trademark is created by competent hands, it will gain in importance, as it, in conjunction with other advertising means, reappears in ads in newspapers and magazines, business papers and brochures, on factory walls, vans and trucks. —wilhelm deffke
Eisenhand, 1920.