What Is the Bosch Logo?
The Bosch logo is the armature in a circle: a simplified drawing of the double-T armature from a magneto ignition, set inside a ring and shown with the name BOSCH in red capital letters. Bosch developer Gottlob Honold drew it in 1918. The logo belongs to Robert Bosch GmbH, the German engineering and technology company that Robert Bosch founded in Stuttgart in 1886 as a workshop for precision mechanics and electrical engineering, and which works in mobility, industrial technology, consumer goods, and energy and building technology.
Bosch sums up its mission as "Invented for life". The armature symbol and the name are available as the Bosch logo SVG.
Bosch Logo Facts
| Designer | Gottlob Honold |
| Introduced | 1918; registered 1919 |
| Symbol | The double-T armature of a magneto ignition, in a circle |
| Logo type | Combination mark: symbol and the BOSCH name |
| Earlier mark | The "red devil" |
| Owner | Robert Bosch GmbH |
What the Bosch Logo Means
The symbol is a piece of Bosch engineering. Honold took the core of the magneto ignition, the double-T armature, and drew it with only a few lines. He left out the details, such as the copper windings and the yoke around the armature, so the result looks like a sectional drawing of the part.
That choice put a working component, not a mascot, at the centre of the brand. Bosch wanted a mark that was simple, unique and distinctive, and the circle around the armature closes the drawing into a compact badge.
Bosch Logo History
Robert Bosch moved into his first workshop in western Stuttgart in November 1886. Gottlob Honold joined in 1901 as the company's first researcher and developer, and by 1903 he was running an engineering office with five employees.
Before the armature, Bosch used a different mark: the "red devil". Bosch lost it after the First World War, when its property in the United States was expropriated. The American company that had been part of Bosch went on using well-known Bosch trademarks in its advertising, and Bosch was no longer allowed to use the devil anywhere. It needed a new mark that was simple, unique and could not be confused with the Bosch marks used by the American company.
Honold worked on the task in the autumn of 1918 and presented his first drafts in November of that year. The design was meant as a provisional solution. The German patent office registered the armature in a circle in 1919, and it has stood for Bosch around the world since 1920. Honold died in 1923, and the drawing he intended as a stopgap has remained the Bosch logo ever since.
For more brands like Bosch, browse our tech logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the symbol in the Bosch logo?
It is the double-T armature from a magneto ignition, drawn in a few lines inside a circle. Bosch calls it the armature in a circle.
Who designed the Bosch logo?
Gottlob Honold, the company's first researcher and developer, who drew it in 1918.
Why did Bosch stop using the red devil?
Bosch lost the right to use it after the First World War, when its property in the United States was expropriated.
When was the Bosch logo registered?
The German patent office registered the armature in a circle in 1919, and it has been used worldwide since 1920.