The ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club e.V.) is Germany’s largest automobile club, founded on May 24, 1903, in Stuttgart. Its visual identity centers on a black eagle on a yellow field, a combination that has remained the core of the brand for over a century. The club’s roadside assistance vehicles, known as the “Yellow Angels” (Gelbe Engel), are painted in the same distinctive yellow that anchors the logo.
Design and History
The ADAC’s first logo featured a black silhouette of the Prussian eagle on a white background. The Prussian eagle was selected as the club’s emblem in appreciation of the support and patronage of the Prussian royal family, particularly Emperor Wilhelm II. Later versions of the logo placed the black eagle on a yellow background with the letters “ADAC” below. [1]
The current corporate design was established in 2018. [2] In 2024, the branding and design agency MetaDesign, part of the Publicis Groupe Germany, won a multi-stage pitch to further develop the ADAC’s corporate design. MetaDesign had previously worked with the ADAC on various projects, most recently in 2017. [2] [3]
The 2025 refresh, developed by MetaDesign’s Düsseldorf office, places greater emphasis on the ADAC’s signature yellow. The color is now incorporated into the design language itself, appearing as a medical cross symbol, as a background, as a wave, or as a frame around images. The logo itself is now used more flexibly, appearing in different positions, with or without a circle, and sometimes filling the entire frame in yellow. [4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The eagle has been the central symbol of the ADAC since its founding. The choice of the Prussian eagle was a deliberate acknowledgment of the Prussian royal family’s support for the club. [1] The yellow and black color scheme is registered as a trademark, with the official colors specified as Yellow (HKS 5 = RAL 1021) and Black (HKS 88 = RAL 8022). [5]
Typography and Design
The ADAC logo is registered as a word and image mark (Wort-/Bildmarke) with the European Union Intellectual Property Office. The mark combines the eagle symbol with the “ADAC” lettering. [5] The 2025 redesign by MetaDesign maintains the recognizable core of the brand while introducing more flexibility in how the logo and its yellow color are applied across different media and contexts. [4]
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