DKW Logo PNG
The DKW logo demonstrates a leader who can balance and survive even in the most difficult circumstances. The emblem has a lot of sharpness, purposefulness, and speed. The sign seems to be flying, rushing to victory.
DKW began with Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen, born in 1878 in Nakskov, Denmark. After engineering training in Copenhagen, he moved to Germany and, in 1907, bought an empty textile workshop in Zschopau, Saxony. His company first produced steam fittings, separators, and other metal equipment. In 1916, Rasmussen tested a steam car during wartime fuel shortages. The prototype failed to reach production, but its name remained: DKW, from Dampf-Kraft-Wagen.
In 1919, Rasmussen built a tiny 40 cc two-stroke engine for toys and called it Des Knaben Wunsch. The same initials later became Das Kleine Wunder when the engine moved from toys to bicycles and motorcycles. The DKW trademark was registered in 1922, and Zschopauer Motorenwerke J. S. Rasmussen grew quickly. By the late 1920s, DKW had become the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer.
In 1928, Rasmussen entered the car market and bought control of Audi Werke AG in Zwickau. The key result was the DKW F1, shown at the Berlin Motor Show in February 1931. It combined a transverse engine, front-wheel drive, water cooling, and independent suspension. The F-series ran from F1 to F8, with about 270,000 cars built before production stopped in 1942.
On June 29, 1932, DKW, Audi, Horch, and Wanderer merged into Auto Union AG, whose four rings represented the four brands. DKW handled motorcycles and low-priced cars, while Auto Union raced V16 cars designed by Ferdinand Porsche against Mercedes. After World War II, the Saxon plants were nationalized, and Auto Union was rebuilt in Ingolstadt in 1949. Daimler-Benz took control in 1958; Volkswagen Group followed in 1964; and the final DKW F102 led to the 1965 Audi, which used a Mercedes-Benz four-stroke engine.
Meaning and History
The DKW logo epitomizes mutual support and teamwork. The evolution of the emblem reflects the company’s different activities. Working alone and in partnership with other automakers. The history of DKW and the country is closely intertwined in the symbols. The sign is full of strength, life, and a sense of striving forward. The elements read harmony and balance.
What is DKW?
German concern for producing cars and motorcycles existed from 1913 to 1966. The headquarters was in Chemnitz, and the production facilities were in Zschopau. The most famous motorcycle models are E 206, Luxus 200, and RT 125, and machines under the brand F.
1913 – 1932
In 2013, the brand’s founder broke up with partner Ernst. As a result, the company’s name, work direction, and logo have changed.
The emblem is a yellow rectangular plate with rounded corners. A short distance from the edge is a black contour line.
Inscriptions are placed inside the background, the central DKW in large blue letters with a black outline. The abbreviation stands for Dampf Kraft Wagen.
Initially, the brand was patented for a steam-powered car, the development of which the founder undertook before World War I at the order of the German authorities. After the war, interest in such a machine faded. However, three letters perfectly fit the new direction of the gasoline engine’s work.
The toy-sized example purchased was called Des Knaben Wunsch. Rasmussen modified and connected it to a bicycle, calling the model Das Kleine Wunder. The design became a bestseller with a circulation of 10,000 copies.
Below the name is a more detailed description: where it is located and what the company “L. Schopauer Motorwerke J. S. Rasmussen A-G. Z. Schopau S.A.” Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen bought the first factory in the German city of Schopau, where production has been carried out since 1906, together with partner Karl Ernst. The abbreviation SA refers to Saxony.
The letter S is unusual in words. Unlike other straight letters, the figure looks like a light wave inclined to the right. The element is reminiscent of the curves in the road that DKW bikes used to race.
Outside the black border around the yellow edge is a small inscription: “Made in Germany.” From this, it can be assumed that the logo plate was attached to the company’s motors.
1923 – 1932
In 1922, Jørgen was actively engaged in producing motorcycles, for which they developed another trademark. The image can be described as “a triangle inside the shield.” The tips of both figures converge at the bottom to one point.
The composition resembles a frame fork when viewed from the front. The symbol is elegant, like the first models, more like bicycles. The triangle is also similar to the teardrop shape of gas tanks, especially in the first models.
At the top of the logo is the abbreviation DKW in thin white letters. During this period, another comic decoding of the acronym Die (a prefix before any tree name) appeared, since the motorcycle’s design was not made of metal but of glued wood.
1932 – 1949
DKW becomes the largest motorcycle manufacturer. More than 65 thousand products rolled off its conveyors. Therefore, the company decided to expand and acquire the Audi plant. And during the depression, she teamed up with her and two other auto manufacturers to form Auto Union AG for mutual support.
The union logo is four intertwined rings, today known as the Audi sign. Inside each circle is inscribed a small emblem of the union’s members: DKW, Audi, Horch, and Wanderer.
The partial interweaving of symbols showed the preservation of independence, with the release of its products and the production of hybrid models, for example, the Audi Front with a Wanderer engine, manufactured by Horch, and a DKW front-wheel drive.
1949 – 1966
After the Second World War, some of the participants ended up in the GDR, where the authorities used their expertise for their own purposes to produce cars such as the F8, F9, Trabant, and others. Horch and Wanderer ceased to exist. Wanting to regain independence, the remnants of DKW and Audi are registered in Germany as Auto Union GmbH.
The new logo retains the elements of the two remaining union members: a triangular DKW design from 1923-1932, which sits atop 4 interlaced Audi rings, with “Auto Union” written in the center.
An enterprise in West Germany produced DKW cars (F89, F91, F92 Monza, Junior), so the brand sign was given the leading top position. DKW also organized motorcycle assembly, which explains the logo from the time of their first models.
The production of DKW cars was led by Audi, which did not use its brand at that time. Therefore, her sign is located at the base, like a base. Four rings are like the four wheels of a car.
In 1965, Volkswagen bought Auto Union GmbH and resurrected Audi, and DKW was discontinued in 1966.
Font and Colors
The main colors of the emblem are gray and green.
- Green stands for growth and development, striving to make life easier for people through rapid movement.
- Gray is the color of painstaking work, incessant work on new models, and restoration of production despite constantly hindering external circumstances.
Phiz Shadow’s lettering font is voluminous, clear, and simple. Shows thoughtfulness and build quality.