The Mercedes-Benz Star Logo: Celebrating 100 Years
Jane Lu
· 3 min read
The luxury carmaker
Mercedes-Benz
is celebrating 100 years of its iconic logo, the three-pointed star within a ring. The founding company, Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG), applied for a patent for the logo on November 5, 1921, according to
Hindustan Times Auto News
. At the start, the three-pointed star was used without the ring, but changes were made over several decades.Daimler had also filed a patent for a four-pointed star earlier for its aerospace company called Daimler-Benz Aerospace, which later joined hands with the EADS consortium to form the Airbus group. Under the star logo, the company has offered
innovative automobile technologies
that combine performance with luxury.Let's dig deeper into the history of the company and the logo.
The shape and color of the Mercedes-Benz logo
The shape of the logo points to the carmaker's three-pronged approach, to dominate in land, sea, and water, as reported by
Logo My Way
. True to its words, the company has made substantial moves in these three areas with subsidiary companies. The choice of the shiny silver was to endear the company in the eyes of the elites in the German monarchy at the time. The font is meant to look elegant and sophisticated.
Today, the Mercedes-Benz brand is one of the most popular globally, with an estimated value of about $47.83 billion.
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Evolution of the Mercedes-Benz logo
MORE: Almost 1,000 Mercedes-Benz Customers Had Their Data Leaked
The first Mercedes-Benz logo was registered in 1902 and was just the name “Mercedes” printed in an oval, black space. In 1909, the company decided to create its first logo, a simple, three-pointed star.
According to Logo My Way, it is generally believed that Gottlieb Daimler sketched the logo in a letter sent to his wife. His wife approved of the logo, and Daimler predicted that it would bring his company great success in the future. Daimler wasn’t wrong, as the company has seen a lot of success indeed.
In 1916, the company decided to redesign the logo. The design included four three-point stars at the edge of a red inner circle that was surrounded by a black outer ring. A white, three-pointed star still sat at the center. The company’s name was placed at the bottom of the logo in gold. This logo was used over the next decade.
In 1926, Mercedes-Benz decided to redesign the logo again to include a laurel wreath and the Benz name. Daimler-Benz AG had merged with Benz & Cie Motors and required a single corporate identity. The name Mercedes-Benz was enclosed in a blue ring surrounding a silver, three-pointed star.
82 years later, the company decided to simplify the logo. Its 2008 logo had a silver, three-pointed star enclosed in an empty ring. The logo has gone through fine refinements over the years but has retained the original simple design.
When was the company formed?
Logo My Way reported that Karl Benz established Benz & Cie in 1883. Benz is credited with inventing the first gasoline automobile in 1885. His wife, Bertha Benz, showed off the vehicle to the world on August 12, 1888, and it kickstarted the German automobile industry.
Wilhelm Maybach and Gottlieb Daimler formed DMG in 1890, and they were fierce competitors with Benz & Cie before they joined hands in 1926 under the name of Mercedes-Benz.
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