In April 1974, Deutsche Bank adopted its current logo, chosen after a competition in which eight internationally renowned graphic designers were invited to participate. The ‘slash in a square’, chosen from 140 designs, was created by Anton Stankowski, a ‘master of constructivism and pioneer of graphic design’, as the bank calls him. The simple yet striking logo has long since become Deutsche Bank’s unmistakable international trademark.

To mark the logo’s 50th anniversary, the bank has published a book entitled ’50 Years of the Slash in the Square’, which describes the impressive range of ways in which the logo has been used since then, and also recalls the corporate logos used by Deutsche Bank between 1870 and 1973. The lavishly illustrated publication, edited by Jens Müller and Christian Rummel, also examines the significance of the artist Anton Stankowski and offers ideas for future uses of the logo. In their foreword, the two editors note, among other things, how remarkable it is ‘that the logo was created in the analogue age and has survived the digitalisation of the world without the slightest revision’, something few logos can claim. In most cases, its use on digital screens and smartphone displays requires a reduction to a so-called flat design, with the ‘slash in the square’ already being ‘minimalist and two-dimensional in the way that was so necessary’.