A central recognition feature of our Corporate Design is the speech bubble. It is derived from the notion of "talking pictures" (see section Images). The speech bubble consists of a rectangular area and a corner, whose size and position have been precisely defined for various formats. The speech bubble runs like a red thread through all printed publications and is also used in other media such as PowerPoint, exhibition stands, and on loose printed sheets.

Sprechblase/ Bubblebox

Structure

The speech bubble can be used flexibly. Nevertheless, area and proportions of the speech bubble should always fit harmonically into the respective document format. For printed publications the speech bubble has been defined and must not be changed. For other media like advertisements, fair booths etc. the use is detailed in the dedicated sections.

The triangle (hook) is always positioned left under the rectangular area. The distance from the left margin is equal to the length of the triangle side connected to the area.

Sprechblase/ Bubblebox Bemaßung

The bubble size has been defined for all relevant DIN formats. The length defined is the length of the long side of the triangle - not the total width of the shape. For DIN A4, the length is 20 mm.

No-goes

(1) The hook must not be imitated.
(2) It is always positioned under the rectangular area.
(3) The speech bubble width must not exceed 1/4 of the total width of the rectangular area.
(4) The speech bubble area is a rectangle.

No go´s bei Verwendung von Sprechblasen/ Bubbleboxes

Use

The speech bubble is important but should be used discerningly. It must always be used on title pages, cover pages, homepages and similar but is not used on inside or following pages. There are separate definitions for use in self-made documents such as team sheets or newsletters.

The speech bubble is used either as a picture frame or as a vector area in the primary and secondary colours and in white. It may stand alone or accompany a photo as a coloured area. It can be used as a filled area or as an outline.

Colours

The speech bubble is used in HR blue, HR cyan, and HR warm grey (as a solid colour or in 30% raster gradations). If used together with a photo, the colour should contrast with the motif. Colours should not be associated with specific topics.

Picture captions

To reinforce the narrative character of the images, each picture is given a caption – even on title pages. They provide supplementary information on the image or on the content of the publication.

Logically, captions are not used if the speech bubble serves only as a coloured area.