Deutsche Telekom makes the brand future-proof

• Company faces the changes in society and technology 
• "Liquid Brand Design" opens up new creative possibilities
• New TeleNeo font bolsters digital presence and brand characteristics

Deutsche Telekom is taking a number of comprehensive measures to future-proof its brand and is thus addressing the changes taking place in society and technology by revamping brand elements as they apply to various areas. These measures will ensure the continued recognition of the brand across all contact points in an expanding digital world and provide the basis for a coherent brand experience.

Digital transformation is progressing at a pace that poses new challenges for business enterprises and their brand strategies. Recognizing the significance of this trend, Deutsche Telekom has identified central fields of development that will boost the power of the brand for the future. “Our brand experience framework enables us – for the first time – to reach common ground in terms of understanding precisely what drives the Telekom brand experience. It offers simple guidelines for designers by succinctly expressing our ‘corporate attitude’ in a nutshell,” says Alexander Engelhardt, Vice President Brand Management and in charge of brand development. “Digital environments are increasingly demanding contextual flexibility rather than rigid rules. The brand must have the capability to engage with people and specific situations – and not vice versa.”

The first step was taken last year with the definition of a new audio identity for Deutsche Telekom. Now, more than ever before, brands are recognized to a higher degree through voices, sounds and signal tones. Thus the familiar Deutsche Telekom sound logo was revamped and functional sounds derived from its acoustic environment.   

These sounds are now among more than 40 tones heard in various Telekom apps and the “Hallo Magenta” smart speaker. What’s more, the typical brand voice “Flavia” was created for the speaker. These sounds, tones and patterns will contribute to the acoustic recognition of the brand in the future. 

Liquid Brand Design – flexibility meets recognizability

The current launch of a new Brand Design System signaled the start of the next stage of the further development of the Deutsche Telekom brand presence. The gradual international rollout of the revamped design began in June. The new branding approach – so called Liquid Brand Design – was developed in collaboration with the MetaDesign branding agency in Düsseldorf, Germany. The well-known magenta hue in Deutsche Telekom’s corporate identity has been strengthened and at the same time allows a higher level of creativity. The revision is based on two aspects: flexibility and recognizability. The balance of these two aspects is organized within an overarching design system and guided according to simple principles.

Alexander Engelhardt: “The magenta color, our T logo and our new corporate typeface TeleNeo serve as the visual constants in our brand appearance. These strong and familiar brand elements will ensure recognizability well into the future. At the same time, the strong visual anchor of our exclusive brand color will lead to new freedoms and a broader creative scope. Magenta is just right for any form.” 

Consequent further development – shapes and font

Among the most noticeable brand innovations are the variable shapes and the TeleNeo font. Shapes are variable design elements that leverage form to support a brand message and which – at the same time – can serve as a carrier for communication and sender information. “The communication for our smart speaker clearly shows how specific shapes transport meaning purely through their form alone. In this case, the form of a sound wave acts as a stimulus enabling the association to the context sound on the part of the recipient. Form follows function and thus supports the content,” says Hendrik Bruning, Creative Director at MetaDesign.

The new TeleNeo typeface was designed especially for Deutsche Telekom and replaces the former Group font. TeleNeo features many optimized typographical details and projects a much stronger brand character in line with contemporary trends. This typeface is also a technical update for the variable font format needed for many future virtual applications such as VR and AR. For example, variable fonts can interact with users or be viewed in three-dimensional space from various perspectives. 

About Deutsche Telekom: Companyprofile