The Mercedes emblem representing a three-pointed star in a circle, as we know it today, became a century old on November 5, 2021. Do you know the multiple origins of this famous logo?
The emblem of Mercedes-Benz, as it is best known and most widely used, is a three-pointed star in a circle. This logo is visible on the grille of the brand’s vehicles, including their rims, steering wheel and trunk. It can also be found on the manufacturer’s many communication media and in many other places. For a long time, he even had the habit of parading at the end of the hoods, like the “Flying Lady” of the Rolls-Royce. But he’s not as old as the builder he’s associated with. If this emblem was officially protected in the name of DMG (Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft) in August 1923, its filing with the German Trademark and Patent Office dated back to November 5, 1921. So just 100 years ago.
A logo designed in several stages
The history of the creation of Mercedes-Benz is that of the parallel evolution of the companies DMG and Benz & Cie between the end of the XIXe century and the beginning of the XXe. The same goes for the logo. The origins of the star date back to 1872. That year, Gottlieb Daimler, founder of the brand that bears his name, drew a star on a postcard featuring his family home. In 1909, his son Adolf was inspired by it to imagine a three-pointed star which he deposited as the emblem of DMG, a symbol which was officially registered the following year. These three branches symbolized the three paths of motorized mobility as Gottlieb Daimler envisioned it: on land, on water and in the air. Over a decade later, therefore, the circle was added.
At the same time, DMG filed an alternative logo with a four-pointed star. This was not used until 1989 by the Daimler aeronautical unit called DASA (Deutsche Aerospace Aktiengesellschaft), which subsequently became DaimlerChrysler Aerospace, then merged into the EADS consortium which became the Airbus group.
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A star, a circle and a name
If the Mercedes star is most often surrounded by a simple circle, the latter includes a laurel wreath on certain supports, such as the base inherited from the radiator cap of yesteryear. This crown originally surrounded the name of Carl Benz on an emblem deposited by Benz & Cie in 1909 and protected in October 1910.
The name Mercedes came from the first name of the daughter of Austrian businessman and driver Emil Jellinek, who used it as a stable name and pseudonym from 1899. This name then became that of the vehicles ordered from DMG by Jellinek and was registered as a trademark in 1902. It was in February 1925, when DMG and Benz were preparing the merger that was to materialize the following year, that the logo with the three-pointed star surrounded by a laurel wreath was created, at the same time as the Mercedes-Benz brand was registered.
At a time when many manufacturers are revising their emblem to make it fashionable for monochrome “flat design”, could that of Mercedes soon evolve? Not sure, the firm having briefly tried this style between 2009 and 2011 before returning to a metallic appearance.
