Back in 1921, it became synonymous with luxury, quality and high values and one of the most recognizable logos in the automotive industry and beyond. The Mercedes logo celebrates a century of existence.
The story begins in 1909 when Gottlieb Daimler’s sons noticed that their father had added a three-pointed star to a postcard depicting their family home. They recognized this as their father’s vision of motorization “on land, water and in the air.” In June of that year, Daimler applied for a patent for the three-pointed star, but without the ring around it.
Meanwhile, Daimler’s competitor Benz & Cie is applying for its own patent for the “Benz” logo. The logo has a laurel wreath instead of gears on the rim to symbolize numerous motorsport victories. Five years later, Daimler agreed to merge Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG) with Benz, but with the name Mercedes instead of Daimler. That is when today’s Mercedes-Benz brand was created.
The word Mercedes, Daimler took over from the Austrian Emil Jellinek. In honor of his daughter, Mercedes, Jellinek named a team whose drivers used Daimler cars in races.
Source: Mercedes-Benz