What Is the Heineken Logo?
The Heineken logo is the name Heineken written with backward-leaning "smiling" e's, set with a red five-pointed star and usually shown on the brand's green. Heineken is the Dutch lager brewed by the company Gerard Adriaan Heineken started in 1864, when he bought the De Hooiberg (The Haystack) brewery in Amsterdam.
The wordmark and star are available as the Heineken logo SVG.
Heineken Logo Facts
| Introduced | Red star from the brand's early years; smiling e, banner and logo star dated 1951 in Heineken's timeline |
| Symbol | A red five-pointed star |
| Logo type | Combination mark: wordmark and star |
| Earlier mark | A red-bordered white star, used from after the Second World War until 1991 |
| Owner | Heineken N.V. |
What the Heineken Logo Means
Heineken calls the red star an original icon of the brand, used since the very beginning, and says its main association is a festive, warm and cheerful mood. In 2017 the company also described it as an old brewer's symbol: four of its points stand for the natural ingredients of beer, and the fifth for "the unknown magic of beer brewing".
The lettering carries the friendly side of the mark. Heineken's own name for the tilted letters is the "smiling e", and the brewer pairs them with green, a colour it has claimed as its own since the 1950s.
Heineken Logo History
Gerard Adriaan Heineken, born into an Amsterdam merchant family in 1841, bought De Hooiberg in 1864 and started brewing under his own name in the city centre in 1873. Two early prizes became part of the label: the Médaille d'Or at the International Maritime Exhibition of 1875, and the Grand Prix at the Paris Exposition of 1889. Heineken labels carry both medals.
The star went through its own changes. According to Reuters reporting cited by NL Times, Heineken began using a red star in the 1930s. After the Second World War it became a white star with a red border, a change the design magazine Graphéine links to the red star's adoption by communist regimes. The border grew wider over the years, and in 1991 Heineken went back to an all-red star.
Heineken's timeline credits Alfred Henry Heineken, under 1951, with introducing the "smiling e" and claiming the colour green for the brand. He also introduced the logo star, the banner and the hop vine.
The Heineken Star in Hungary
In March 2017 the Hungarian government planned a law banning commercial use of symbols linked to Nazi occupation or communist rule, a ban that would have covered Heineken's red star. The plan came after Heineken won a Romanian lawsuit over the beer name Csíki. Heineken answered that the star is an old brewer's symbol with no political meaning.
For more brands like Heineken, browse our food and drink logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the red star on Heineken mean?
Heineken says it stands for a festive, warm and cheerful mood, and has described its points as the four natural ingredients of beer plus "the unknown magic of beer brewing".
Why are the e's in the Heineken logo tilted?
They are the "smiling e", which Heineken's timeline credits to Alfred Henry Heineken, who also claimed the colour green for the brand.
Was the Heineken star ever white?
Yes. After the Second World War the star became white with a red border, and Heineken returned to a fully red star in 1991.
What are the medals on the Heineken label?
The Médaille d'Or from the 1875 International Maritime Exhibition and the Grand Prix from the 1889 Paris Exposition.