Why Strautmann’s New Visual Identity Is a Business Decision**

Corporate design is often reduced to a simple question:
Do you like it or not?

For companies like Strautmann, that question misses the point.
Here, design is not about taste. It is about clarity, recognition, and long-term viability.

The Starting Point: A Mark That Needed Explanation

For many years, Strautmann’s appearance was defined by two elements:
the yellow strautmann wordmark and the BSL symbol inside a diamond shape (Bernhard Strautmann Lengerich).

Historically correct and internally well understood – but externally, increasingly in need of explanation.
In an international and competitive environment, heritage alone is not enough if it creates friction.

The key question therefore was not:
“What should we redesign?”
but rather:
“What needs to become clearer today?”

The Design Decision: Preserve – but Reframe

The solution was not a radical break, but a deliberate evolution.

The diamond shape remained – because it is part of Strautmann’s DNA.
But its role changed fundamentally.

No longer a container for an abbreviation, it became an iconic sign that carries the brand itself.

By combining:

  • a simplified, rounded diamond

  • an integrated “S”

  • and a clear horizontal orientation

a mark emerged that works instantly – on machines, at trade fairs, in digital contexts and at small scale.

A sign that does not need explanation.

Typography: From Motion to Confidence

The wordmark was also rethought with intention.
The former italic style conveyed movement, but little calm or authority.

The new uppercase STRAUTMANN wordmark, set in a precise, technically inspired typeface, shifts the brand’s posture:

  • less sportiness

  • more stability

  • more industrial confidence

The enlarged initial “S” visually connects the wordmark with the icon – reinforcing coherence and recognition.

What Really Matters: The System Behind the Logo

Good design does not end with a logo.
That is where it begins.

Colors, typography, application rules, product naming, trade fair appearances, machine labeling – everything follows a clear and consistent logic. The style guide is not a set of constraints, but a tool for coherence.

This creates a visual identity that:

  • remains robust over time

  • can grow with the company

  • and communicates consistently across all touchpoints

Impact Instead of Surface

Strautmann’s new visual identity is not a cosmetic exercise.
It is an expression of attitude:

  • clarity instead of explanation

  • reduction instead of arbitrariness

  • system instead of isolated measures

Or, put simply:

Design is not decoration.
Design is a decision.

And that is what makes corporate design truly effective.

About pr-ide

pr-ide develops design that creates impact – economically, socially, and visually.
We do not design for trends, but for real-world application.
Because good ideas do not belong in drawers – they belong in life.