Mercedes Benz Logo PNG
The Mercedes Benz logo reflects the history of the automotive brand, which originated in Germany. The name and emblem are a tribute to the technical automotive genius of Karl Benz and the memory of the Daimler concern, which became part of the company.
Mercedes Benz: Brand overview
Mercedes Benz is a globally renowned brand and manufacturer of premium-class passenger cars and buses, trucks, and other vehicles. The company, located in Stuttgart (Germany) and established in 1926, was founded by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler, and Wilhelm Maybach. The brand is part of the Daimler AG group.
Meaning and History
The three-pointed star, which is the current logo of the brand, has been known for over a hundred years. It was first used by Gottlieb Daimler and patented in 1901. The future automotive giant came about through the merger of two large competing companies – Benz & Cie (headed by Karl Benz) and Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (headed by Gottlieb Daimler). The brand name was formed from the leading cars of these companies – Benz Patent-Motorwagen (1886) and Mercedes (1900).
Initially, the brand name was used by Daimler as a personal marker: it indicated the location of his home. It was a symbol marker, not associated with a specific car or even a brand of car.
Before the merger of the two companies into the single concern Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft, the word “Mercedes” was placed in a horizontally stretched oval on the emblem, and in 1909, at the competitors, the central element became a star. In 1916, it was placed in a double circle – a red inner and a dark gray outer. The purpose of the backgrounds was to link the emblem to the manufacturer’s field of activity. However, over time, they disappeared, as the company’s area of work was already well known to everyone.
Gradually, the logo evolved from a complex form to a simple one until it was fully minimized, turning into a three-pointed silver star in a circle. By the time of the merger of the automotive companies, it already had a current appearance, so it became the distinctive symbol of the new structure.
What is Mercedes Benz?
Mercedes-Benz AG is an automotive company from the German city of Stuttgart. It had several predecessors who, starting from 1926, united under a common name. The word “Benz” is a tribute to the inventor of the first internal combustion engine, Karl Friedrich Benz. Mercedes cars are manufactured in Germany and other countries on five continents.
1902 – 1909
Initially, the logo of the automotive giant was extremely simple. It consisted only of the word “Mercedes,” placed inside a horizontal oval with a double frame. The letters were uneven in height: small on the edges and large in the middle. The background was black, the font was gray.
1909 – 1916
In the early days of its formation, the future concern chose a round emblem, in the center of which, on a white substrate, was an elongated inscription “Benz.” On a dark background, it was surrounded by a light laurel wreath.
1916 – 1926
After the merger of the two founding companies, the management combined the logos. The updated version includes the classic rondel and the word “Mercedes.” The name is located at the bottom of the double circle. In the center is a three-pointed star, divided by long, thin lines of the same color as the inscription below it. Its reduced copies are mirrored to the right and left of the central ray.
1926 – 1933
In this version, the company’s management decided to reflect the joint past of the famous automaker. Therefore, the emblem contains the names of both companies – “Mercedes” (at the top) and “Benz” (at the bottom). The rest of the space on the wide border strip is occupied by a wreath of laurel branches – a sign of leadership and great honor. The central space is given to a smaller circle with a three-pointed star, each ray of which is white on one side and gray on the other, creating a three-dimensional effect.
1933 – 1989
The next period is recognized as the most minimal in the history of the German concern’s logo. It consists only of a white circle and a black star.
1989 – 2009
In 1989, an emblem with the familiar design used today appeared. It represents a metalized star with three rays, taken in a circle. Below it is the combined inscription of the founding companies: “Mercedes-Benz.”
2009 – today
In this version, the designers changed the scale ratio of the main elements. They increased the proportions of the concern’s name and reduced the graphic icon, enhancing the effect of steel shine.
Mercedes Benz: Interesting Facts
Mercedes-Benz is a famous car brand from Germany that is known for making fancy and very safe vehicles, like cars, buses, and trucks. They started in 1926 and have come up with lots of cool car stuff over the years.
- The First Car: In 1886, Karl Benz from Mercedes-Benz made the first car powered by gasoline. It’s called the Patent Motorwagen and is considered the world’s first car.
- Where “Mercedes” Comes From: The name “Mercedes” came from Mercedes Jellinek, the daughter of Emil Jellinek, who loved cars and worked with the company to make a special car in 1900.
- The Logo: Their logo, made in 1909, has a three-pointed star that represents their desire to improve all kinds of transport—on land, water, and the air.
- Brakes on All Wheels: In 1924, they made the first car with brakes on all four wheels, making cars safer.
- Safety Firsts: Mercedes-Benz has always added new safety features to cars, like zones that can crumple to protect people in a crash (1959), ABS (which helps with braking) in 1978, and ESP (which helps control the car) in 1995.
- The S-Class: This car often gets new technology first, like airbags and ABS.
- Fast and Fancy: They also make fast and sporty cars under the Mercedes-AMG brand, which has big engines and looks cool.
- Green Cars: They’re working on making cars that don’t pollute so much by using electricity or other clean fuels. Their EQ brand is all about electric cars.
- Racing: Mercedes-Benz loves racing and has won many Formula One races, a type of car racing.
- Famous Cars: They’ve made famous cars, like the 300 SL Gullwing, which people think is super pretty, and the super-luxurious Mercedes-Maybach.
Mercedes-Benz is all about making cars that are fancy, safe, and new in how they use technology, and they’re always thinking about what’s next for cars.
Font and Colors
The image representing Gottlieb Daimler’s home has different meanings. Initially, it was a protective sign, but later, it received an expanded interpretation. The trinity (as indicated by the number of rays) has always been considered sacred – the number of perfection.
Thus, Daimler emphasized that his company’s products dominate three elements: water, air, and earth. After all, the concern produced engines for marine and river transport, motors for the aviation industry, and power units for land vehicles. He created, developed, perfected, and tested them, adapting to the requirements of the time. It is no wonder that one of the first models was a racing car, on which engines are usually tested.
After the industrial sites merged, the Mercedes trademark was not approved for a respectful reason: similar symbolism (name in an elongated ellipse) had already been secured for the Italian auto giant Maserati. This is its closest competitor in the global market, so the creators used a three-pointed star.
Initially, they tried to explain it as a steering wheel, later (after the war) – as a lifebuoy. However, such interpretations did not take hold because Daimler breathed an entirely different meaning into it. So it remained. The name Mercedes was chosen by Emil Jellinek, the French consul and distributor of the Gottlieb company. He convinced his employer that the name sounded cool and was already known in racing circles.
Before the three-pointed sign was approved, they experimented with it: designers tried to remove the circle, make the sign four-pointed, and change the color. But after several attempts, it was decided to leave everything as it is. There were several reasons: the three-pointed star is unique and recognizable, and without the circle, it is perceived as unrepresentable. The four-pointed version did not find practical application.
The font has never played a dominant role in the logo, so the brand name is written in a classic font. All letters have the same thickness and are easily readable. But the color was given great attention. In the early years, the emblem was gold, white, red, and blue, and it was even topped with a yellow laurel wreath. In 1916, when the central element became a star, it was painted in silver.
Mercedes Benz color codes
| Gunmetal | Hex color: | #25383e |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 37 56 62 | |
| CMYK: | 40 10 0 76 | |
| Pantone: | PMS 546 C |
| Silver Sand | Hex color: | #bdc2c3 |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 189 194 195 | |
| CMYK: | 3 1 0 24 | |
| Pantone: | PMS 428 C |
| Black | Hex color: | #000000 |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 0 0 0 | |
| CMYK: | 0 0 0 100 | |
| Pantone: | PMS Process Black C |
FAQ
What does the Mercedes-Benz logo represent?
The silver three-pointed star surrounded by a ring of the same color symbolizes the incredible power and reliability of Daimler engines.
Why did Mercedes choose its logo?
The three-pointed star has been part of the Mercedes logo since 1916. Adolf and Paul Daimler came up with this design. The creation of the logo was inspired by a postcard their father, Gottlieb Daimler, sent in 1872. He indicated on the star the place of his birth and wished for it to shine over a prosperous factory.
What does the Mercedes-Benz emblem represent?
The Mercedes-Benz emblem reflects the company’s ambitions. The rays of the three-pointed star symbolize this automaker’s dominance in the air, on land, and on water. It’s also a tribute to historical tradition, as this element of the emblem has been used since 1916.
Which Mercedes has a glowing emblem?
The emblem with LED backlighting fits models 2006+ CLS-Class, 2012+ M-Class, 2013+ GL-Class, and 2014 E-Class. It represents a large star in a ring on the radiator grille.
What does the Mercedes symbol represent?
The Mercedes symbol in the form of a three-pointed star personifies this company’s worldwide dominance. Specifically, it symbolizes the automaker’s aspiration for its engines to dominate on land, in the air, and on water.
