Mercedes Benz Logo PNG
Officially founded in the middle of 1926, today Mercedes-Benz is not just another world-renowned automaking company, but a true legend in the whole automotive industry, which throughout the years became a synonym for high quality and excellence. Moreover, the company’s history is inextricably linked to the most significant event in the world of automobile production, the patent for a “gasoline-powered vehicle” granted to a man named Karl Benz.
Meaning and history
So, officially the history of the world’s most famous luxury automobile manufacturer, Mercedes-Benz, began in 1926, although the actual timeline should be traced from the end of the 19th century, when two companies, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie, were established by two geniuses of their time, Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz. Both manufacturers were quite successful, yet they decided to join their forces for a better position on the market. And it worked perfectly.
The first automobile called Mercedes was produced by Daimler in 1901. The name for the model was chosen rather unconventionally: it was named in honor of the daughter of the Austro-Hungarian ambassador Emil Jellinek, whose name was Adriana Manuela Ramona Jellinek, but in her family, she was called Mercedes, which translates from Spanish as “mercy”. How is the Jellinek family connected with Gottlieb Daimler? It’s very simple. Emil was fond of modern technology and ordered a car with a two-cylinder engine and 6 horsepower from Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft. The project was a great success and at Emil’s request, the brand was named after his daughter – Mercedes. And this was the birth of a legend.
After the merger of two strong companies in 1926, the new name was chosen to be Mercedes-Benz, in honor of the most successful model, released in 1901, and its creator, Karl Benz. The new visual identity concept was also introduced in the same year, with the main element drawn as a three-rayed star, framed by a classy heraldic wreath. This wreath will later be transformed into a regular circle, which is still used today. This simple, laconic insignia would become one of the most recognizable logos in history and a symbol of luxury and prosperity.
What is Mercedes-Benz?
Mercedes-Benz is, without any exaggeration, the most famous automaking brand in the world. The company is known for the design and production of high-end passenger cars and premium vans, which combine comfort, safety, and excellent performance under one roof.
1902 – 1909
The very first Mercedes logo was composed of a strict oval badge, which was located horizontally and featured a bold sans-serif wordmark, where all the letters were in different sizes, enlarging to the center and then getting smaller to the right. The badge had a double outline and was executed in monochrome for documents and dark blue with silver for the emblem.
The star has a double meaning for the company — it was adopted in the 1920s, as a tribute to the Daimler family, whose father used a traditional five-pointed star as a signature, and put it on all the postcards he sent. The traditional contours were modified to make a three-pointed Star as a representation of the family’s intentions — to motorize the whole world on land, water, and in the air. Three directions, three points, three aims.
1909 – 1916
The Benz logo from 1909 was elegant and ornate. Its traditional circular badge had a thick double outline where the stylized wreath was drawn. The wordmark in an eddy custom sans-serif was written in black on a white background of the inner circle. It was an ornate and beautiful logo, which at the same time represented the power and energy of the brand.
1916 – 1926
The logo, designed for the brand in 1916, featured a blue and white star placed on a burgundy-red background and enclosed in a thick circular frame, where the wordmark and leaves ornament were drawn in white. It was a very elegant badge, which color palette represented style, sophistication, and power.
1926 – 1933
The logo, designed for the brand in 1926, featured a blue and white star placed on a burgundy-red background and enclosed in a thick circular frame, where the wordmark and leaves ornament were drawn in white. It was a very elegant badge, which color palette represented style, sophistication, and power.
1933 – Today
In 1933 the burgundy background was switched to light gray, and the star was now executed in white and gray, while the thick blue framing remained almost untouched. The leaves on the frame were redrawn and became a bit bigger than on the previous version of the logo.
1933 – 1989
Later in the same year, another badge was created. The super minimalist and very futuristic for its times, the badge was executed in black and featured a stylized thin and sharp three-pointed Star placed inside the white circle with a medium-thick black outline.
1989 – 2009
In 1989 the logo became three-dimensional and the color palette of the badge was switched to gradient gray. Now the symbol was executed in a glossy metallic texture and featured an enlarged serif lettering in black placed under it. The classy and neat inscription boasted a slightly visible shadow, which added volume and style to the whole image.
2009 – 2011
With the redesign of 2009 the minimalistic approach, seen on the logo from 1933, came back, yet with some refinements and additions. First of all, the new flat badge of Mercedes-Benz was executed in a smooth and light shade of gray, which looked super elegant and trustworthy. Secondly, the graphical emblem got slightly smaller and was now accompanied by quite a large wordmark, written at the bottom of the composition, in a classy and stable serif typeface, in the same shade of gray.
2011 – Today
The brand underwent another visual identity redesign in 2011. The new logo bore a striking resemblance to the one introduced in 1989, yet the circular framing of the emblem became thicker, and the wordmark lines thinner. The typeface of the lettering mirrored the Corporate A font family, showcasing timeless elegance. This redesign reflected Mercedes-Benz AG’s commitment to perfection in detail, from the officially approved testing organization to trademark registration, emphasizing the importance of every aspect from the certificate of conformity to fleet management. The update not only reinforced the brand’s position among car companies but also highlighted its dedication to digital services and legal protection, offering consumers reliable and official figures on electric energy consumption for new vehicles.
Symbol
The star that became the Mercedes symbol was originally seen by Gottlieb Daimler as an image protecting his own home. Later on this image acquired additional semantic meaning. Three (the number of the rays) was considered to be a sacred number, the number of perfection. Daimler also pointed out that the products of his enterprise were conquering the three elements ‒ water, air and land. After all, the concern produced engines for maritime and river transport, engines for the aviation industry and engines for land transport. Later among the company’s products there were also full-fledged vehicles, first of all, cars.
By the way, for the first time the Mercedes car was presented to the public as a racing car. The car took part in the race with “Monsieur Mercedes” behind the wheel ‒ Emil Jellinek took this nickname for the time of the race (being an aristocrat he could not participate in the race under his own name). By the way, later Emil, according to the aristocratic tradition, added a prefix to his name, and became Mercedes-Jellinek.
The first Mercedes logo was interpreted as a stylized image of the steering wheel. However, this explanation was dragged by the head and ears, especially as Daimler’s biographers definitely claim that the sign, which was later patented as the Mercedes logo, had been used by Gottlieb Daimler long before the company started manufacturing cars.
After the defeat of Germany in the Second World War, Mercedes cars became the life belt that allowed the company to withstand the international ban on the military industry.
Emblem
The Mercedes emblem, with the exception of the first years of the brand’s existence, was in a circle shape. Originally the emblem (the print writing MERCEDES) was made in an oval shape elongated in the horizontal direction. However, the company was faced with the fact that their closest competitor, the Italian brand Maserati, also used an oval logo, though it was elongated in the vertical direction.
Do you know that the name of the brand Mercedes was invented not by Daimler, but by the consul and the French dealer of the Daimler Company Emil Jellinek? He convinced his employer that this name was very attractive for a car, though he did not say that it was his daughter’s name. Formally, it was impossible to find fault with Emil Jellinek’s suggestion, because his daughter’s name was Adrian Manuela Ramona. So the girl’s home name became the name of one of the most successful brands in the history of automotive industry.
The attempt to make the logo look like just an acute-angled star with three rays turned out to be not very successful (nor did a star with four rays find its practical application). The shape of the circle in which the three-rayed star was inscribed was recognized as optimal.
Font
In the nascent years of the twentieth century, when the Daimler brothers and their descendants, including Daimler’s sons Paul, were laying the foundation for what would become the Mercedes-Benz legacy, the print element was prominently featured in the logo’s design. This choice reflected the company’s ambition to underscore its uniqueness and the individual meaning behind each aspect of its operations, including the innovation of Mercedes-Benz engines. However, as Mercedes-Benz solidified its position among the leading global suppliers of high-end passenger cars, the decision to phase out the print element from the logo was made by Mercedes-Benz officials. This decision was motivated by a desire to simplify and purify the emblem, reflecting the company’s drive towards elegance and simplicity. The font chosen for the logo, while classic and easily legible, carried a deep significance linked to the company’s heritage and innovative spirit, making it unique without overtly unique characteristics.
Over time, even without the active use of a font in the logo, its design continued to reflect Mercedes-Benz’s commitment to excellence and simplicity, integral to the company’s ethos. This decision highlighted the depth of the Mercedes-Benz logo meaning, transforming it from a mere signet into a symbol of the brand’s long history of innovation and quality. This evolution was inspired by the legacy of the Daimler family and the dedication of Mercedes-Benz officials, ensuring the logo remained a potent emblem of prestige and reliability in the automotive sector.
Color
The color palette of the Mercedes-Benz visual identity was changed several times throughout the long history of the brand, however, black and silver-gray shades have always made the basis for all of the versions. The latest logos of the automaker are executed in glossy metallic shades, which makes the thin and sharp rays of the iconic star, inscribed in a circle, look extremely sleek and modern.
However, the previous badges, executed in flat black of gray strokes, also looked powerful and stylish, as with the clean and distinctive geometry of the main Mercedes-Benz logo element it’s pretty difficult to spoil the visual identity concept, even if it was drawn in fuchsia or yellow hues.
What does the Mercedes-Benz logo represent?
There are several versions of what exactly the iconic Mercedes-Benz logo means. According to the most popular version, the three-pointed star, finished in a circle, means the dominance of the company on land, in the water, and in the air, because the emblem was “inherited” from the company Daimler, which in the early days of its activities was also engaged in the production of aircraft and marine engines.
Why did Mercedes choose their logo?
After the merger of the Daimler and Benz companies, it was decided, that the Benz legacy would stay in the name of the new brand, and the Daimler one — in its visual identity. The emblem with a three-pointed star was used by Gottlieb Daimler since the very beginning of his career, so there were no doubts or arguments about it.
What does the Mercedes-Benz emblem represent?
The history and meaning of the iconic Mercedes-Benz emblem, which depicts a sharp and elegant three-pointed star, enclosed in a distinctive circular frame, has several versions. But the most logical and popular one says that the three rays of the star point out three areas of the company’s dominance — on land, in the sea, and in the sky.
What Mercedes car has the glowing emblem?
All of the cars, produced by the Mercedes-Benz company have the iconic emblem with a three-beamed star in a circle on their bonnets, however, some of the models are equipped with glowing emblems, or, in other words, the badges with LED lighting in them. The cars, equipped with this kind of badge are mainly Mercedes-Benz GLE and GLS class SUVs, as well as some CLS and E-class sedans.
What does the Mercedes symbol represent?
One of the most famous theories on the meaning of the legendary Mercedes-Benz logo says that three rays of the chic sophisticated star signify the trinity of the company’s car: driver, passenger, and mechanic. And it says a lot about the brand’s focus on the quality of its cars at all the stages.
