Der Spiegel Logo PNG
The Der Spiegel logo is strict and impressive. It demonstrates the publication’s scale and the importance of the news it covers. The sign hints at considerable experience and elegant style.
Der Spiegel grew from the postwar German magazine Diese Woche, launched by the British occupation authorities in November 1946. The project followed the Time model and was meant to support a free press in a country rebuilding after the war. Its young editor, Rudolf Augstein, soon faced pressure after the magazine criticized Allied policies. The British handed the publication to the German staff. On January 4, 1947, the first issue appeared under the new name Der Spiegel.
In the following decades, the magazine became a force in West German journalism. In 1962, it published a report on the Bundeswehr’s poor readiness. Defense Minister Franz Josef Strauss ordered a police raid on the Hamburg newsroom, and Augstein spent 103 days in custody on treason charges. Public protests followed, Strauss resigned, and the charges were later dropped. In 1974, Augstein transferred 50 percent of the publishing company to the editorial employees.
On October 25, 1994, the brand entered the internet era with Spiegel Online, launched one day before Time put its site online. It began on CompuServe, while spiegel.de was registered in 1995. The site first reused selected print articles, then added the internet-only Scanner section in 1995 and real-time news in 1996. In 2004, Spiegel Online International expanded its reach with English-language material.
The publication continued to report on major political stories, including the 2013 Edward Snowden surveillance files. In December 2018, Der Spiegel exposed fabrications by reporter Claas Relotius after Juan Moreno raised doubts. The scandal led to an internal investigation and new editorial standards in 2021. In 2019, the online and print teams merged, and in January 2020, Spiegel Online was renamed Der Spiegel.
Meaning and History
The online version of the newspaper, Spiegel Online, launched in 1994, but the publication adopted a separate logo in 1997. Initially, it was a service without its own domain, registered in 1995. The online version published separate articles not available in the printed newspaper. And only in 1996 did the publication begin to exist independently, with its own editorial office and news. After that, the logo was born. The sign has changed several times but has consistently combined two indications: belonging to the magazine and to the computer world.
What is Der Spiegel?
A news portal covering the activities of the German government, parties, and corporations. It ranks 8th among news portals in the country. Since 2020, it has had a joint editorial office with the print edition. It contains separate journalists in New York, Washington, London, Moscow, Istanbul, and New Delhi.
1997 – 2006
The first emblem consisted of the print newspaper’s logo: a white inscription “Spiegel” on a red background. The addition of “Online” in a completely different font on a black background.
This technique made it clear that the portal is a continuation of the magazine, but it has its “face” and presents its materials.
The German word Spiegel, meaning “mirror,” indicates that the publication reflects the visible world as it is. It describes real events and takes interviews with significant people of our time.
2006 – 2016
The main print publication’s logo changed. The red background became a darker cherry to emphasize the newspaper’s age, which celebrated its 60th anniversary at the second birth (1947) and its 100th anniversary at the first (early 20th century). Cherry is also the color of the elite and symbolizes that Der Spiegel covers the issues of the most influential and powerful people in Germany, famous and worthy, who hold high positions.
As a result of this innovation, the logo’s substrate color in the web version also changed. The black part remained the same.
2016 – 2020
In 2016, Barbara Hans became the chief editor. The change of editor led to a rebranding. The substrates were removed from the inscription to show that the portal does not water down, but writes only the most important and substantial. Since internet publications are read by busy people who want to get the main news quickly, the portal needs to meet this requirement. And this technique in the sign emphasized this conformity.
The letters of “Spiegel” took on a cherry hue, keeping the previous font associated with the print newspaper. The addition of “Online” also became a cherry, but with its own font. The red color represented the main news, the freshest and hottest. The difference in fonts highlighted the distinction between print and virtual publications.
2020 – today
Throughout its existence, the portal adhered to a strict economic regime and even had its own rates for journalists. However, in 2019, its editorial board was combined with that of the print edition. The portal was renamed Der Spiegel, and the logo was changed to resemble the newspaper’s emblem, square capital letters. The main difference lay in color. The newspaper had white letters on a red background, while the portal had red letters on a white background. This approach suggested that the online version contained only the most interesting, compelling news and hot data.
Font and Colors
- The primary colors of the logo are red, white, and black. The shades create contrast and opposition, highlighting the portal’s specificity.
- Red: sensations, controversies, fresh data.
- White: news, truthful coverage of events.
- Black: politics, major players, the most-read publication with a broad user reach.
The inscription’s font is Yearbook Std Solid, with faceted letters, demonstrating the publication’s multifaceted nature.