the language of marks is immediately apparent and thus it is easy to understand what its desired effects are. —wilhelm deffke

Promotional booklet by Hapag for the Imperator auf See ocean liner

from wilhelmwerk, “with rare talent and thoroughness”

Together with the Bauhaus designer Carl Ernst Hinkefuss, Wilhelm Deffke co-founded the Wilhelmwerk advertising studio in Berlin. They were eager to advertise their services and preach the importance of corporate identity—so Deffke started teaching, only couple years after he finished studying himself.

most modern marks are lacking in artistic merit and significance. their shapes are average and bland, ugly and utilitarian. their designers misunderstand their purpose, leading to a kind of useless playfulness. —wilhelm deffke

Black owl on a white background. A signet
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