More Than Meets The i
Since the dawn of the industrial age, trademarks have simply carried on the centuries-old tradition started by the coats-of-arms of the nobility.
Kings, princes, counts and even noblemen of lesser rank would devise a unique symbol for their families; and these symbols were kept alive for generations.
Miele's founders realized this from the outset and quickly developed a Miele trademark depicting the company's name in a striking style.
From the mid-1920s, great importance was attached to using a sloping dash as the dot on the "i".
The Miele trademark was used very early on and appeared consistently on all machines, nameplates, printed materials and advertising produced by the company.
Over the course of many decades, the trademark remained unchanged, retaining its original form; apart from three minor "face-lifts" to reflect contemporary tastes.
The Miele trademark, nowadays known as a "logo," was thus something of a pioneer achievement in the field of "branding" long before modern marketing discovered the concept. Some years ago, the "Süddeutsche Zeitung", one of Germany's leading daily newspapers, did a survey of trademarks in Europe.
The results found that the "i" alone was sufficient to identify the Miele brand.
The Miele Brand
The Miele Logo
One name - one brand - one logo. Distinctive, univocal, clear - and applied worldwide.
The Miele logo as it is used for communication purposes consists of the word Miele printed in white within a red rectangle. The tagline is positioned beneath. In English, this tagline reads "Anything else is a compromise." For single-color advertising material, the rectangle will be printed darker, so that Miele is always the brightest spot.
The Miele logo in subsidiaries
The logo stands as a clear signal. Subsidiaries around the world use it:
