Which logo would Johannes Gutenberg have chosen to mark his prints as the result of his work? Unlike today's books, which bear the publisher's logo on the cover and spine, the Gutenberg "brand" did not receive a visual symbol in its day. However, his successors quickly recognized the added value and placed individualized word and image symbols in their prints. Usually on the title page or on the last page of the book, readers encountered such a printer's mark – the ancestor of the later publisher's logo.

Since the establishment of the new professions, printers, publishers, and booksellers have developed ingenious design ideas and demonstrated wit and creativity in their choice of "logos." The individual motifs reflect quality standards, religious beliefs, or even the ability of the actors to constantly reorient themselves in order to assert themselves under changing market conditions. The exhibition invites visitors to take a closer look at the sometimes enigmatic printer's marks in order to learn more about their background. On the occasion of Gutenberg's 625th birthday, the Gutenberg Museum Mainz, in cooperation with the Department of Art History at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, is placing the genre of printer's marks at the center of a major special exhibition for the first time. On display is a selection from the previously largely unknown collection of Frankfurt printer researcher and collector Gustav Mori.

Duration: November 28, 2025, to February 22, 2026.

An accompanying book will be published in cooperation with Deutscher Kunstverlag to accompany the exhibition.