The Wall logo as a seal of approval

1. Who can be certified?
2. Quality standards
3. Selection procedure
4. Usage
5. Where to get the logo in printable quality

1. Who can be certified?

Use of the Wall logo is not limited to public institutions. It can also be awarded to private-sector suppliers of goods and services who meet certain quality standards. Products and providers that make specific contributions on various aspects of the Berlin Wall and the division of Berlin, Germany, and Europe, as an addition to the information supplied by public institutions, are eligible for certification. These contributions can include publications in any media; services, such as special tours; didactic concepts; and institutions that deal with the following themes and offer singular programming and/or products for this purpose:

• Recalling the victims of the Berlin Wall
• Promoting awareness of and insight into the history of the Berlin Wall, German division, and the division of Europe
• Educating about those who played key roles in initiating and maintaining the GDR border Regime

Since products and services offered over a long period of time may change, expert evaluations will be conducted at reasonable intervals.

2. Quality standards

The following quality standards must be met by all nominated public and private institutions, service providers, and products, if the “Berlin Wall Seal of Approval” is to be awarded by the federal state of Berlin. Eligible candidates include publications in any media and informational, scholarly, or pedagogical services or products, but not purely artistic options. The products or services should contribute to long-term reflection. Distinctions will be made between short-term and permanent projects. Projects still in the planning phase cannot be awarded the seal of approval.

• If places or institutions are to be awarded the seal of approval, they should maintain a constant focus on the Wall or division.
• Legal relationships and ownership must be transparent.

2. The institution’s work and/or the quality of the product must meet scholarly standards.

Fundamental criteria include:

• The subject-specific qualification of the (full-time or volunteer) staff and/or support provided by advisors with the relevant qualifications.
• Sound, understandable content based on the latest non-fiction, specialist literature and/or on original sources
• An appropriate, balanced presentation that includes various perspectives, without biased, distorted, or inaccurate viewpoints.

These criteria do not exclude popular forms of expression.

3. Content must be prepared and conveyed responsibly, appropriately, and in line with educational principles.

This means that:

• The dignity of victims must be respected.
• The preparation and presentation of content must reflect current scholarly knowledge and/or convey the latest research.
• Content should be conveyed in a way that meets the needs of its target groups and, if relevant, is pedagogically sound.
• Products and services should be user-friendly, which also includes an attractive visual presentation and good readability that takes into account the needs of people with disabilities. Service orientation is a special focus.

4. The institutions, products, and services selected should make an independent, innovative contribution to documenting the history of and reflecting on the Berlin Wall or German and/or European division. This also includes conveying information about those who were responsible for the border regime and its operation.

3. Selection procedure

Application/Nomination

• Self-nomination
• Nomination by an institution that already has the seal of approval
• Nomination by the Senate Chancellery’s interdepartmental working group on the overall concept for the Berlin Wall

Documentation to be submitted

Products, concepts, and/or detailed descriptions must be submitted to the Berlin Wall Foundation for a decision on certification:

Berlin Wall Foundation
Bernauer Str. 111
13355 Berlin
Tel.: + 49 (0) 30 467 986 666
E-mail

Committee

In consultation with Berlin’s Cultural Affairs Department, the Berlin Wall Foundation collects the applications, projects, etc. that have been submitted to the foundation and calls meetings whenever necessary. These can be on relatively short notice, since some projects are time-sensitive.

A committee tasked with making prompt decisions on individual applications and awarding the logo to individual initiatives and/or applicants will be made up of a maximum of seven representatives of various institutions. The members serve on the committee on a voluntary basis and can include:

• one representative of the Berlin Wall Foundation
• one representative of the Federal Agency for Civic Education in Berlin
• one representative of the Berlin State Agency for Civic Education
• one representative of the Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship
• one representative of Berlin-Brandenburg’s State Institute for Schools and Media
• one representative of Berlin’s Cultural Affairs Department
• one representative serving as an outside expert

4. Usage

Permission to use the Wall logo applies only to the product or service submitted for consideration. Anyone using the Berlin Wall seal of approval must adhere to the graphic standards developed for the Wall logo. If in doubt, please consult the logo’s designers: gewerkdesign

5. Where to get the logo in printable quality

Berlin Wall Foundation
Bernauer Str. 111
13355 Berlin
Tel.: + 49 (0) 30 467 986 666
E-Mail