In response to shifts in the market and increasing internationalisation in the banking services of the 1970s, Deutsche Bank decided a new corporate image was required. This would help the bank stand out from national and international competition and establish it as a trustworthy entity.

In 1972, Deutsche Bank commissioned eight small design studios, paying them 3000 Deutsche marks each to create proposals for a new logo, with a winner being selected by an independent panel of designers and editors. This was the third time that the bank had attempted this. The panel reached a successful conclusion, selecting ‘line in a square’ by Anton Stankowski as the winning design.