Mercedes Benz Logo Meaning and History
The Idea and Power of an Enduring Brand.
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The logo of the Mercedes Benz is undeniably, one of the most easily recognisable globally. And it is also one of the logos that have crossed a century. The logo has a very interesting story, and unlike many other car logos, its history emerged from the simplest of sources.
The long history of Mercedes-Benz begins back in 1890, when the company was founded by engineer and industrial designer Gottlieb Daimler.
Daimler sent a 1872 post card with the three-pointed star on it showing the location of their home to his two sons Adolph and Paul both of whom were working with him in the newly founded car factory. And he made a futuristic statement on the card tha “One day this star will shine over our triumphant factories.”
On the postcard, the location of their home was marked by a 3-pointed star. So when in 1907, they wanted to adopt a logo for the car company which was then called Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft, or DMG).they got inspiration from the post card their father sent to them.
When the founder sold his stake in the car company was to Wilhelm Maybach and Emil Jellinek, Adolph and Paul Daimler continued to work at the company influencing key decisions because of their high technical competence and passion for the company.
Emil Jellinek had a daughter named Mercedes. Mercedes is a Spanish feminine given name, derived from María de las Mercedes (“Our Lady of Mercy” or “Mary of Mercies”), which is one of the Roman Catholic titles of the Virgin Mary.
The uniqueness of the name in Germany attracted attention, so while racing in Nice, France, Emil Jellinek would call himself, “Monsieur Mercedes” so this name would be trademarked and ultimately Daimler would market its vehicles abroad under this name Mercedes.
In 1926, Daimler merged with another pioneering German automaker, Benz forming Daimler-Benz. It could be recalled that it was Karl Benz who in 1886 presented an internal combustion engine within a car, which he called the Benz Patent Motorwagen. This is widely believed to be the world’s first automobile.
And Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach elaborated on the Benz Motorwagen by incorporating a petrol engine later in 1886. They began marketing vehicles under Daimler’s company, Daimler Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG), in 1901.
So with the merger of both pioneering car companies in 1926,, a change was made to the logo. Instead of the initial design of three pointed star, a circle was used to enclose it and it was changed to silver in 1934. The enclosure was a sign of completeness.
As the company grew and become prominent, it started conceiving other readings into the logo which was initially adopted in tribute to its founder Gottlieb Daimler and the Daimler family homeland.
The company added that the star’s 3 points represent the company’s drive for universal motorization — but each point also has its individual meaning. The points represent land, sea, and air — environments the company believed they would one day dominate with Mercedes-Benz engines.
The ambition behind the logo was clear and it is today representative of one of the world’s most recognized brand names. Daimler-Benz would continue marketing its vehicles using the “Mercedes” name and the brand today is known as such.
Kelechi Deca
