Gold for Peter Schmidt Group and Steiff at the 2024 German Design Awards

The corporate design of toy manufacturer Steff took home the gold at the 2024 German Design Awards, winning top honors in the Excellent Communication Design category. Steiff has been on a winning streak lately, having already received two Nails at the ADC competition, a Red Dot award, and two awards at the Corporate Design Prize.

Organized by the German Design Council, the competition has been honoring innovative products and projects by German and international designers since 2011. For Prof. Ruediger Goetz, managing director at Peter Schmidt Group, the most recent success is proof not only of the creative quality of the work, but also of its economic benefits. “In addition to designers, the panel of judges for the German Design Award also includes personalities from the business and science communities. This results in a holistic view of design. To win, works must not only exhibit outstanding visual quality, they must also credibly provide entrepreneurial added value.”

And that’s exactly what Steiff’s new corporate design does. Although the company was the original inventor of the teddy bear, the popular toy played no part in the brand design for decades. Now Peter Schmidt Group has made it part of the logo – in a minimalistic iteration that is supplemented by the familiar (but now typographically optimized) lettering. A particularly clever detail is the iconic "button in the ear” that has always characterized all Steiff products. It can be seen not only in the bear’s head logo, but also in the serifs of the headline font. The result is a look that interprets Steiff’s understanding of premium quality in a modern way, and delights children and collectors alike. The corporate design was presented on the 120th birthday of the teddy bear, which helped the launch achieve the greatest possible attention.

The award ceremony of the German Design Awards 2024 will take place on January 26, 2024 at the Kongresshaus Kap Europa in Frankfurt am Main.