Mercedes-Benz celebrates 100th anniversary of its three-pointed star logo

Exactly 100 years ago, in November 1921, Daimler Motoren Geselschaft, a predecessor of

While DMG applied to the patent office in November 1921, the trademark was officially registered in August 1923, and the grooved radiator cap on the hood turned into a footstall for the Mercedes star. A bit later, the circled star appeared on other parts of light and commercial vehicles. Interestingly, the star itself, without the circle, had been known for a good decade at the moment, as DMG patented this sign in 1909.

Formed after a merger between DMG and Benz & Cie., Daimler-Benz AG also merged their logos. In the summer of 1926, DMG’s three-pointed star received a framing of Benz’s laurel wreath.

The history of the star and laurel wreath dates back to the 19th century. In 1899, Austrian businessman Emil Jellinek, who lived in Baden near Vienna, used the name of his daughter Mercedes as a name for a racing team using DMG cars. Later, “Mercedes” became the name of the car models Jellinek ordered from DMG. It was registered as a trademark on September 26th, 1902.

The name was followed by the distinctive symbol. Paul and Adolf Daimler, sons of the car-making pioneer Gottlieb Daimler, remembered their father adding a star to a photo of their family house. DMG took up this idea and filed a trademark application with a symbol developed by Adolf Daimler personally. The three-pointed star is intended to symbolize Gottlieb Daimler’s view of motorization – “on land, on water, and in the air”.

Meanwhile, Benz & Cie. patented the Benz wordmark framed with a laurel wreath on 6th August 1909. The laurel wreath, instead of a gear used before, was likely to celebrate Benz’s racing triumph in Mannheim.

It’s noteworthy that both manufacturers registered their trademarks in the same year. It can be compared to 1886 when Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler invented their first vehicles with high-speed combustion engines.

In 1924, while preparing for the merger, Benz and Daimler placed their logos just next to each other. On February 18th, 1925, experienced designers finally created an efficient emblem. The three-pointed star and laurel wreath as well as the wordmarks “Mercedes” and “Benz” merged into a single trademark, and it has, to date, not changed, being featured in all the Mercedes-Benz vehicles independently from the bigger star on the front end.

The company is celebrating the brand’s anniversary with a promo campaign. Mercedes-Benz has launched a 60-second long video on social media. According to a press release, it marks the next stage in the history of the Mercedes-Benz brand.