With a history of over 130 years, Mercedes-Benz has been through a lot. And we are going to discuss how the company’s logo evolved. It’s going to be a bit more complicated than usual, seeing as the company and the Mercedes Benz logo resulted from the merger of two other companies.
Over its long existence, the company went through plenty of logo changes. So, our main focus will be just the most recent incarnation of the Mercedes Benz logo. This means that we’ll only glance over the other, older ones. We are also going to share some less-known facts about the company and how the Mercedes Benz emblem first appeared.
Changes and Evolution
Over the course of the company’s long and fascinating history, the Mercedes Benz logo has gone through many changes. Starting with the 1902 Mercedes logo and the 1909 Benz logo, the two company logos have evolved simultaneously. The most notable changes took place in 1916, 1926, 1933, 1989, and 2009.
Initially, Mercedes and Benz were two different companies with their own different logos. The Mercedes logo started off as a simple ellipse around the word “Mercedes. The ellipse was filled in black, while the text was all silver-gray. Meanwhile, the Benz logo featured the word Benz inside a circle, with a laurel wreath around it. It also featured what would eventually become the most iconic Mercedes symbol – the Mercedes star logo.
Eventually, in 1926, the two companies finally merged. That’s when the first official Mercedes Benz logo made its appearance. Its main colors were silver and blue, and it combined elements of both company logos. First off, the Mercedes symbol we all know was featured prominently in the center of a double-rimmed circle. The outer rim featured the words Mercedes and Benz, as well as two laurel wreaths.
This version of the logo lasted until 1933. In 1933, the emblem simplified greatly. The laurel wreaths, the rim of the circle, and the name of the company disappeared from the logo. The entire Mercedes Benz logo now consisted of a simple black circle with the Mercedes tri-pointed star in the middle.
In 1989, the company changed their logo once again. It was a minor change, but it brought the symbol much closer to what we have today. The black was replaced with silver, and the tristar received a more three-dimensional look. Finally, 2009 brought along the most recent incarnation of the logo. We will talk about it in the next segment.
Mercedes Benz Logo Design Elements
Seeing as the Mercedes Benz logo started out as an amalgamation of other logos, some degree of complexity might be expected from it. However, throughout the Mercedes Benz logo history, the emblem has only been getting simpler and simpler.
Below, we are going to talk about the different design elements of the logo. The ones on which we are going to focus are its shape, its font, and its color. These are the elements which were particularly designed to give the company its image.
Shape
The current Mercedes Benz logo consists of the classical Mercedes star inside a thin, silver circle. It is often joined by the company’s name either alongside or underneath the emblem. Interestingly, there are at least three versions of the Mercedes Benz logo going around at the same time.
First of all, there’s the three-dimensional circle so often used as a hood ornament. It is perhaps the most recognizable version of the logo. Then, we have a simple, gray version. This one lacks any sort of 3D effect. It is exactly the same as the previous one, but resembling a 2D vector. It is meant to be used on official documents and other such mediums.
Lastly, we have the third version. It still has the same shape as the previous two, and it has a somewhat more artistic design. It looks more like a sketch of the Mercedes-Benz logo than something which could be used on an actual product. This version is mostly used in commercials and posters. It is more black than silver, and it frequently features the Mercedes-Benz text underneath it.
Color and Font
The colors most associated with the Mercedes Benz logo are silver and black. They both stand for superiority and elegance, as well as power and perfection. However, the two colors also have their own meaning.
Silver usually depicts creativity, sophistication, sleekness, and high-tech, while black tends to stand for elegance, purity, and integrity. And these are the exact characteristics for which the automaker wants to be known.
As for font featured in the logo, it’s a simple custom typeface. Very similar to Times New Roman, the Mercedes Benz logo features a serif font. It is meant to inspire trust and seriousness, as well as cleverness and simplicity. The font means to show that while the company focuses on simplicity, quality is even more important.
Inspiration and Trivia
Both the Mercedes logo and its name have some interesting stories behind them. And we are going to share both. First off, the Mercedes three-pointed star has a very clear meaning, albeit a not very popular one. It stands for the company’s domination over all three mediums of transportation – land, air, and water.
Before Mercedes became Mercedes, it went by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft. Gottlieb Daimler founded the company in 1890, and passed away in 1900. Then, Wilhelm Maybach, his chief engineer, took over the company. He also made Emil Jellinek, a racing enthusiast, his partner. This is where the Mercedes name comes from.
Emil had a daughter, Mercedes Jellinek. He named the first batch of 36 cars after his daughter, Mercedes, in 1901. By 1902, most of the company’s cars started being trademarked as Mercedes. In a somewhat strange move, Emil legally changed his name in 1909 to Emil Jellinek-Mercedes.
Next, in 1909, Daimler’s two sons recalled a very interesting postcard their father once sent them. Adolf and Paul Daimler remembered how their father once sent their mother a drawing of a three-pointed star. He said that the star would shine over their house in Germany, bringing them prosperity. Eventually, that would become the world-renowned Mercedes Benz logo.
One of the most famous automakers in the world, Mercedes Benz, went through plenty of changes throughout its existence. The Mercedes Benz logo has long stood for quality, power, and respect. For more automotive logos, check out our articles on the Lexus logo, the Dodge Logo, or the Cadillac logo.