DTM Rebrand 2025

2025DTM3D Design & Animation / Art Direction / Motion Design

After its 40th anniversary season, DTM entered a new chapter with an identity built to connect the spectacle on track with the information on screen. UnitedSenses developed a new logo, broadcast language and digital identity for the 2025 season. Yellow and black place the series within the ADAC motorsport family, while a distinctive wordmark and graphic rhythm give DTM a presence of its own.

My contribution: 3D Design & Animation, Art Direction and Motion Design, working with UnitedSenses.

The identity in motion

The identity has to remain recognisable as the broadcast changes pace. Emphatic type, graphic transitions and a limited palette connect the emotional opener to practical race information. Yellow can mark a moment of spectacle at full-screen scale and establish a clear reading order in results or driver graphics, giving both tasks a common vocabulary.

A circuit becomes a visual language

Circuit geometry gives each race weekend an identity within the larger DTM system. Extending the Nürburgring outline into parallel lines turns a location marker into the space around the cars. Close views of the driver and mechanical detail keep that graphic abstraction connected to the physical stakes of racing.

The final brand frame returns to the circuit. It connects an event-specific opening with the wider DTM identity, making the location part of the system rather than a separate title treatment.

01 + 02Driver · the human focus of the opener · Mechanical detail · a concentrated colour accent

Eight circuits, one opening language

A nine-second opener leaves little time to establish both the event and the series. The circuit shape does the local work; the shared palette, car treatment and endboard carry DTM recognition. Eight locations can therefore feel distinct without requiring eight unrelated opening languages.

The circuit sequences below compare the opening frame, the car composition and the final title: frames 1, 55 and 450 from each 50p master.

Oschersleben · short opener03

1. 
   Frame 1
2. 
   Frame 55
3. 
   Frame 450

Lausitzring · short opener03

1. 
   Frame 1
2. 
   Frame 55
3. 
   Frame 450

Zandvoort · short opener03

1. 
   Frame 1
2. 
   Frame 55
3. 
   Frame 450

Norisring · short opener03

1. 
   Frame 1
2. 
   Frame 55
3. 
   Frame 450

Nürburgring · short opener03

1. 
   Frame 1
2. 
   Frame 55
3. 
   Frame 450

Sachsenring · short opener03

1. 
   Frame 1
2. 
   Frame 55
3. 
   Frame 450

Red Bull Ring · short opener03

1. 
   Frame 1
2. 
   Frame 55
3. 
   Frame 450

Hockenheim · short opener03

1. 
   Frame 1
2. 
   Frame 55
3. 
   Frame 450

Before the race

Before the race, the information needs a quieter frame. Giving the track outline, location and circuit facts priority helps orient the viewer before the faster opener takes over. The reduced composition keeps the same brand language while changing its job from anticipation to preparation.

Prerolls · circuit variants08

1. 
   Oschersleben
2. 
   Lausitzring
3. 
   Zandvoort
4. 
   Norisring
5. 
   Nürburgring
6. 
   Sachsenring
7. 
   Red Bull Ring
8. 
   Hockenheim

Recognition at race speed

A racing identity has to carry both atmosphere and precise information. Here, slanted yellow panels and bold dark lettering link promotional moments to the broadcast package. Large race-day typography can command the screen, while the result tables and live standings use the same visual vocabulary at a much smaller scale.

The redesign's significance extends beyond a new opening sequence. ADAC presented it in October 2024 for the following season, with a consistent brand strategy intended to connect the series' different audience touchpoints. The yellow-and-black palette also makes DTM's position as the premium brand of the ADAC motorsport family explicit.

01 Broadcast · race-day transition · 1920×1080

02 Broadcast · race results · 1920×1080

03 Broadcast · live classification · 1920×1080

The same language, a different frame

Digital layouts carry the hierarchy into a vertical format. Circuit facts, race distances and starting-grid portraits remain recognisably DTM through the logo, typography and yellow panels. The format changes; the relationship between headline, image and information stays connected to the broadcast identity.

Recognition

The German Brand Award jury highlighted the balance between DTM's heritage and a contemporary identity, praising its visual strength and considered execution.

“skillfully combines a modern appearance with its 40-year history in its rebranding.

Excerpt from the German Brand Award jury statement.

• German Brand Award 2025 — Winner, Brand Design – Corporate Brand.
• GEMA Europe Awards 2025 — Silver, Total Brand Design Package.
• Eyes & Ears Awards 2025 — Silver, Best Sports Design.
• MUSE Creative Awards 2025 — Gold, Corporate Identity – Redesign, as documented by UnitedSenses.
• NYX Awards 2024 — Gold, Broadcast, as documented by UnitedSenses.

Credits

Client

DTM

3D Design & Animation · Art Direction · Motion Design

Matthias Lein

Brand Design & Production

UnitedSenses

Creative Director

Markus Schmidt

Producer

Sven Müller

Designer

Alena Rebezova

Client Team

Kay Langendorff, Oliver Runschke, Oliver Simon