Deutsche Telekom Revises T Logo, Branding

Deutsche Telekom has joined the ranks of the most successful global players in the telecommunications industry. It is now putting its brand identity on a course for the future as well.

The group of companies is adapting its brand presence to match its “leading digital telco” strategy. As part of its international brand positioning, it is now focusing particularly on participation in digital life, sustainable activities, and societal cohesion. With this step, the company is creating a uniform brand experience worldwide.

Deutsche Telekom is supporting this realignment with a consistent one-brand approach and an international brand architecture. To this end, it is introducing a new, more compact group logo and making the T more the focus of communications. In addition, magenta will be given a clear role in the new architecture. The name of the color brand will structure the product portfolio in all countries in the future.

“Our global market approach is a key pillar of our international digital and sustainable corporate strategy,” said Ulrich Klenke, Chief Brand Officer at Deutsche Telekom. “One purpose, one brand architecture, one logo, one claim, and one brand design – with our global brand strategy, we want to make our development to the ‘leading digital telco’ perceptible to everyone.”

More power to T

As part of its one-brand strategy, Deutsche Telekom will use the new Group logo in future at all national companies that act under the T brand. In the 1-T-1 (digit-T-digit) form, the logo is the foundation for a clear brand architecture. The T is becoming more compact. To this end, the curves have been optimized and the top, trunk, and foot have been reinforced. The changes will create a more powerful brand presence overall. In addition, the redesign will result in simplified use and improved awareness across all digital and physical touchpoints.

The T will be given a more prominent role in future communications. It will change from a mere originator label and become more the focus, enabling it to be staged in the context of the respective content. The logo stands for the themes of the repositioning and is intended as a symbol of digital optimism. The brand purpose of Deutsche Telekom is “We won't stop until everyone is connected”.

For Ulrich Klenke, the T represents “a clear beacon in terms of our purpose”. The quality and strength of our networks and our expertise in digital technologies benefit everyone and enable us to master every challenge together as a society. We make this possible based on the high quality of our network, our innovative products, and our strong customer focus – always with the aim of enriching people’s lives.”

Magenta is given a clear role

Magenta, the corporate color, will remain a distinguishing feature for the customers. Very few companies worldwide are so clearly identified and recalled based on a brand color. “We have also assigned a clear role to magenta that goes beyond the impact of the color,” said Ulrich Klenke. “We plan to use the name to actively structure our international product portfolio in future, to set us even more apart from the competition.” In combination with the liquid brand design, which Deutsche Telekom introduced in 2020, this realignment strengthens the company’s presence as a global brand.

Ulrich Klenke: “Our brand presence will become clearer, more consistent, and more comprehensible across international borders – and thus more effective and more efficient.”

Deutsche Telekom will use the revised T logo for the first time at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (February 28 – March 3, 2022). The worldwide changeover will be implemented in the next two to three years, cost-optimized and resource-efficiently. In the first step, the company will change its digital channels, communication campaigns, and sponsorships.

The changes in the physical world, such as on buildings and in the shops, will be implemented subsequently. The strategic foundations for the new brand presence were developed by Group Brand Management at Deutsche Telekom. Its implementation involved all relevant areas within the Group and took place in collaboration with MetaDesign, Dusseldorf.

One of the most well-known and most valuable brands worldwide
Deutsche Telekom is one of the most valuable and well-known brands worldwide. The experts at “Brand Finance Global 500” currently list the company among the top 20 worldwide and the most valuable telecommunications brand in Europe by far.

According to the study, the Group has climbed to second place among the world’s telcos – behind Verizon and ahead of AT&T and China Mobile. It also ranks second among the world’s leading German companies, behind Mercedes-Benz. These results attest to the positive business development of the company and our successful brand strategy.