itms GmbH
Four letters give nothing away at first. For itms GmbH, products and services with a technological edge, we drew a mark in which two arcs embrace the it and aim at the dot of the i. Plus a system that needs no explanation, from the letterhead to the rubber stamp.
- Services
- Combination mark
- Logo variants
- Colours and typography
- Key visual
- Business card and letterhead
- Word templates
- Rubber stamp
- Design guidelines
- Year
- 2013
Read itms and you can only guess: technology, consulting or trade. So the mark grows straight out of the name and tells what the four letters keep quiet: speed, overview and an eye for detail.
Two cropped circles embrace the it and steer the eye to the dot of the i. The big picture in view, and still right on target.
Arcs, opening and lines follow the angle of the italic type. The mark has pace and never skids.
- 01 / 04Everything leans nine degrees. Type, grid and arcs follow the same angle. The mark leans forward like someone just setting off, and yet never tips over.
- 02 / 04Two arcs circle one point. The gap between the arcs is exactly as wide as their stroke. An even rhythm that keeps the mark calm.
- 03 / 04The opening points into the word. The arcs open towards the type, exactly at the slant of the letters. The mark doesn’t frame the word, it invites you in.
- 04 / 04Arc and letter are cut from the same cloth. The stem of the i is as heavy as the arcs. No part pushes ahead, and mark and word read as one.
Light background, dark background, fax, merchandise: there is a version ready for every occasion. Plus a short list of things the logo never wears.
- 01 / 05The original stands on white. Both colours hold on paper as on screen. The logo stays the same everywhere and never slips into an approximate shade.
- 02 / 05No colour, all composure. Where colour is not an option, two greys take over. Arc and i-dot still stand out.
- 03 / 05On a dark background, it turns light. On very dark surfaces, the logo appears in two light tones. The colour goes, the structure stays.
- 04 / 05Very small, one colour is enough. Then the shape carries the logo on its own, and it can.
- 05 / 05Distorting and recolouring are off limits. Squashed, recoloured, on the wrong background: the manual shows these versions exactly once. As mugshots.
The colours do not decorate, they sort. One belongs to the services, one to the products, and anyone opening a document knows at a glance where they are. No contents page needed.
The house typeface reads as well on paper as on screen, and it speaks many languages.
What the arcs do in the mark, two fine, closely spaced lines do on paper, horizontal or at the angle of the type. They run straight through the logo and anchor it into every page.
No colour field, no pattern, no frills. Two strokes, and everyone knows who the letter is from.
- 01 / 04The line runs through the logo. Two fine lines cross the head of the letterhead and meet the centre of the arcs. So the logo doesn’t sit on the paper, it is anchored into the page.
- 02 / 04Slanted at the angle of the type. At the right edge, a second pair crosses the page, slanted like the letters. With the foot line, it forms a frame that gives the letter structure without taking its space.
- 03 / 04A letterhead needs nothing more. Sender, info column, footer, plus the marks for folding and punching. Set up as a template, the hundredth letter looks like the first.
- 04 / 04Same measure on the card. The business card takes up both directions, slanted on the front, horizontal on the back. And the logo on it is exactly the same size as on the letterhead.
From first principles to application, everything is in there, and nothing more.
Plus letter templates for the word processor and a rubber stamp. Typed or stamped, every sheet looks like itms.
Planning something similar? info@vertikahl.com