HHLA receives 2016 German Brand Award

Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) has received one of the most prestigious brand and brand building awards in Germany for its successful brand relaunch, Port of Hamburg says in its press release. The prize was awarded for the complete redesign of HHLA’s logo family, which has been gradually harmonising the visual image of the individual companies and easing the Group’s branding since 2014.
 
“The HHLA brand stands out within its sector and makes a unique contribution to Germany’s brand and business landscape,” said the judging panel, explaining its decision. “The relaunch of the brand family strengthens the presence of the holding company, harmonises the visual image of the individual companies and simplifies the Group’s branding,” said the expert judging panel, explaining its decision. This makes the Group’s structure much clearer from the outside and enables employees to more closely identify with the Group. A modular toolkit with a clearly defined layout forms the basis for the standardisation of all logo elements, the panel also appreciated Prize-givers the German Brand Institute and the German Design Council commended HHLA’s brand architecture and corporate design as well as the new visual language implemented at the start of 2016. It conveys the company’s dynamic and modern character with a high degree of recognition.
 
Torsten Engelhardt, Head of HHLA Corporate Communication, is delighted with the award: “Winning this prize is a fantastic reward for the work that the company has put into the brand relaunch. It’s all the more pleasing as we primarily drew upon our own resources. Coherent branding is essential, especially for a company such as HHLA, with a host of subsidiaries and investments, both at home and abroad. We implemented the new brand identity in close cooperation with the HHLA companies. We provided them with a modular toolkit that enables them to standardise all design elements. This strengthens the acceptance of our concept and has enabled it to permeate throughout the company. And this clearly impressed the judges. We will now build on this successful strategy as we continue to digitalise our media.”
 
The German Brand Award is the first competition to cover all the various disciplines in modern branding and so takes account of the complexity of brand management and the importance of branding in the company’s success. Its goal is to reward pioneering brands and brand builders. What makes the German Brand Award special is that companies cannot simply enter. Only companies that are nominated can take part in the competition. The winner is chosen by an expert judging panel.
 
The German Design Council was set up more than 60 years ago at the behest of the German parliament. It now represents international design and branding activities in Germany and supports businesses in all design and brand-related matters.
 
HHLA’s brand relaunch was named a winner in the “Industry Excellence in Branding” competition category in the “Infrastructure, Logistics, Utility & IT” brand category. An award ceremony was held in Berlin in June.